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Lough Derg RNLI assist 3 people on a 18ft sailboat aground on a sand bank

Lifeboats News Release

Earlier this afternoon, Sunday 29 December, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to launch to assist 3 people on a 18ft sailboat aground on a sand bank, a mile northeast of Dromineer.

Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat with 4 crew on board departing their station on a shout

RNLI/Eleanor Hooker

Archive photograph of Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat launching on a Shoult
At 4.29pm Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat Jean Spier launched with helm Eleanor Hooker, crew Joe O’Donoghue, James Corballis and Paraic Slattery on board. The wind was south-westerly, Force 4. Visibility was fair with mist and cloud and approaching dusk.

At 4.30pm the lifeboat came alongside the casualty vessel. All three people on board were safe and unharmed. The casualty vessel was resting on a sandbank.

Given the boat’s location, progressive nightfall and the possibility of initiating another emergency response should the vessel be left where it was, the helm made the decision to take the vessel off the sandbank and under an astern tow to safe water. Once in safe water, the skipper checked that the casualty vessel's outboard engine was working and then made way under their own power to the nearest safe haven at Dromineer Harbour. The lifeboat informed Valentia Coast Guard of this decision and stayed with the casualty vessel. At 4.54pm the casualty vessel was safely tied alongside in Dromineer Harbour.

The lifeboat departed the scene and was back at station at 4.56pm

Jeremy Freeman, Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI, advises boat users ‘that water levels in the lake are particularly low at the moment and to follow charted routes into harbour’. He also advices that you ‘carry sufficient lifejackets for everyone on board and ensure everyone is wearing theirs correctly’.


Ends

Notes to editors
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Eleanor Hooker, Lough Derg RNLI volunteer helm and Lifeboat Press Officer on 0877535207 or [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or [email protected]

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For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media
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Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, the charity has saved over 142,700 lives.

Key facts about the RNLI

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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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

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