Dunmore East RNLI responds to 2 Call Outs in 2 Days
Aligning with a spell of good weather, it was a busy 24 hours for the volunteer lifeboat crew in Dunmore East.
The first, on Wednesday 31 July, was to assist a 10 metre sailing vessel, with 2 people aboard. They had lost all mechanical power and combined with issues with their main sail, they called the Irish Coast Guard for emergency assistance.The Dunmore East RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were alerted at 11.39am and the Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, William and Agnes Wray, was launched and made way to their reported location 1 nautical mile South West of Hook Head.
The situation was assessed and a decision was made to establish a tow. The crew of the sailing vessel had no means of safely returning to port and were effectively adrift. The boat was towed to the nearest safe port at Dunmore East Harbour and the lifeboat returned to service at 1.30pm.
24 hours later, Thursday 01 August, the volunteer lifeboat crew had already been afloat on exercise that afternoon, and just had returned to the pontoon. The boat was being washed down when the pagers sounded for the second time. A sail training vessel operating in Waterford Harbour experienced mechanical issues and required support from the RNLI lifeboat crew.
The vessel was located 0.5 nautical mile North East of Creadan Head with 14 people on board. The lifeboat arrived on scene within minutes and assessed the situation. Despite technical issues, the vessel was able to make way under its own power but with very limited manoeuvrability. It was decided to escort the vessel back to Dunmore East and assist with their safe entry back in the harbour and berthing alongside the dock.
Peter Grogan, Lifeboat Press Officer with Dunmore East RNLI said: ‘Good weather often brings additional activity to the water. Whatever the conditions, even the best maintained vessels can sometimes have something go wrong, so it is important to be prepared for when it does happen. In each of these cases, they did the right thing in calling for help when they did.
We would ask anyone going to sea to always carry a reliable means of communication, VHF, or a mobile phone in case you need to call for help and always wear a life jacket. If you do get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’
Ends
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact Dunmore East Lifeboat Press Officer, Peter Grogan on [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, RNLI Regional Communications Manager on 087 648 3547 or email [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, RNLI Regional Communications Lead on 087 1254 124 or [email protected] or Tom McGuire, Regional Communications Manager on 0874764436 or email [email protected]
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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 146,000 lives.
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