Portaferry RNLI involved in rescue of two people on fishing boat off Ardglass
Portaferry RNLI were paged by Belfast Coastguard at 12.10am on Saturday (14 September) to assist two people onboard a fishing vessel which had run aground close to the entrance of Ardglass harbour.
On arriving at Ardglass harbour, the 46ft fishing vessel was observed to be high aground and listing, and the decision was taken to bring the two crew members to safety.
On assessing the vessel's position, the crew noted there was only one safe angle of approach but that it would leave a considerable height difference between the casualty vessel and the lifeboat. Taking the situation and the weather conditions and sea state at the time into account, a decision was made to request the assistance of a Coastguard helicopter.
A short time later both crew members were winched onboard a Coastguard helicopter from Wales and transferred to a nearby landing site where they were met by members of Newcastle Coastguard team.
Portaferry RNLI's lifeboat departed the scene at 2.05am and were recovered back to the boathouse by members of the shore crew at 2.55am.
Speaking after the call out, Portaferry RNLI Helm Paul Mageean said: 'The vessel's crew did the right thing in calling for help. The poor weather conditions and the darkness of the night made for a challenging situation but we train for scenarios like this which always help us to assess and decide upon the best option to bring those onboard to safety. We would like to thank our colleagues from the Coastguard who on arrival, winched the casualties and brought them ashore.
'Everyone who responded to the pagers in Portaferry tonight are volunteers who give their time to train for their roles and respond to call outs ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to complete challenging tasks with professionalism and without delay. Our crew on the lifeboat tonight did their job and there were also several people waiting for us in the station - these shore crew also volunteer their time willingly to make these launches happen safely.
'We would ask everyone to be mindful of the weather and tide times before venturing out on the water. Always carry a means of calling for help and wear a suitable floatation device for your activity. If you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 immediately and ask for the Coastguard.'
Ends
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok 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.