Lough Ree RNLI assists 25 people on stranded cruisers this week
Lough Ree RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew this morning (Friday 2 July) responded to a call out to a cruiser with 11 people onboard which had run aground north of Inch Turk island.
This brings to 25 the number of people Lough Ree RNLI has rescued since last Sunday.
This morning’s call came from the Irish Coast Guard at 8.30am. Under helm Emmet Devereux, the volunteer crew launched the lifeboat in calm conditions quickly reaching the vessel with all eleven people onboard wearing lifejackets. Following an inspection the cruiser was towed off the rocks into safe water.
Last Sunday afternoon (27 June) the Lough Ree RNLI volunteer crew rescued four people onboard a cruiser stranded on the Hexagon Shoal near Hare Island.
On Tuesday last (29 June) the Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat Tara Scougall and her volunteer crew were back in the same waters when a cruiser with nine people on board ran aground off Hare Island. Minutes after returning to base the lifeboat was back on the water, this time coming to the assistance of a 34ft cruiser with one person onboard which had lost power off Carberry island.
Reflecting on a busy summer season, with 18 call outs so far this year, Lough Ree RNLI Operations Manager Jude Kilmartin said: 'We would advise boat users to be aware of the falling water levels on the lake which has made rock shoals on the lake more dangerous. The best advice is to always remain within the navigation markers.’
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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