The Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was tasked to assist the crew of a vessel that ran aground on the lake this afternoon.
The alarm was raised at around 1.40pm when watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry received a report of a 30ft cruiser on rocks inside the Goat Road on the eastern shore of the lake.
The volunteer lifeboat crew based at Dromineer in Co Tipperary was alerted and requested to assist. The lifeboat was launched at 1.46pm with Eleanor Hooker at the helm and crew members Dom Sharkey, Owen Cavanagh and Christian Parker.
On arrival at the scene, the lifeboat crew assisted the two people on board the vessel. They were found to be safe and unharmed. The lifeboat took soundings of depth on approach as the cruiser was high on a rocky shoal.
A crew member transferred to the vessel and checked it was not holed and the rudder and drives were all in good working order. With the crew member still aboard they set up a tow and took the boat off the rocks and into safe waters.
The RNLI volunteer showed the crew the safe water and markers on the chart before the cruiser continued its journey without further assistance from the lifeboat.
Deputy Launching Authority, Brendan O’Brien said: “We advise people using the lake to anticipate each marker on their route and study their charts when passage planning and to enjoy Lough Derg.”
Yesterday, the Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard was called out after a vessel was reported to be in difficulty on Lough Derg.
The volunteer team was tasked at around 4.30pm by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry.
A 27ft vessel, with one person on board, was reported to have experienced engine difficulties south of Scilly Island. The skipper had dropped anchor before raising the alarm to ask the Coast Guard for assistance.
A boat crew launched from Killaloe and once on scene the vessel was assisted and taken on tow back to Annacarriga where a shore team was on hand to assist the crew to safely tie up the.