Lough Derg RNLI Requested To Assist Boatman
On Thursday August 30, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to assist a boatman whose motor-boat had suffered engine failure and was drifting towards rocks at a location north of Illaunmore.
Wind was southwesterly, Force 2-3, visibility very good.
At 2.57pm, as crew Lian Knight and Dom Sharkey were ‘dressing’ the lifeboat for launch, helm Eleanor Hooker spoke to the boatman on his mobile telephone to get information on his location. The RNLI volunteer reassured the skipper, who said he was wearing his lifejacket, and told him that the lifeboat was about to launch to his assistance. She advised him to vent his fuel tank and then to prime the fuel line and to make sure the engine was in neutral before attempting to restart his engine.
At 2.58pm, as the lifeboat was about to depart the pontoon, the RNLI crew were advised that the skipper had successfully restarted his engine, was under way and making way. Valentia Coast Guard asked the lifeboat to stand down.
Eleanor Hooker, Volunteer helm at Lough Derg Lifeboat Station, advises boat owners to ‘carry an anchor, with appropriate cable, rope or chain length, on your boat, to prevent drifting towards obstacles in the case of engine failure or in heavy weather’.
About RNLI
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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 the Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations with 44 in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of the Coast Guard 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 137,000 lives.
The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.
Charity number CHY 2678 in the Republic of Ireland and registered in England and Wales (209603) and Scotland (SCO37736)
