The Lough Derg RNLI was tasked last evening to assist a person on a 28ft cruiser that suffered engine failure on the lake near Mountshannon on the Clare shore.
At 5.58pm on Friday, watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island requested the Lough Derg RNLI volunteer lifeboat to launch to assist a person on a 28ft cruiser suffering engine failure, reported to be near Mountshannon Harbour.
The lifeboat crew launched from Dromineer at 6.09pm in good visibility and winds said to be southerly, Force 3/4.
With a description from the Valentia MRSC, the lifeboat located the vessel in the navigation channel off Ilaun Hobert and was alongside at 6.19pm. The skipper was safe and unharmed and wearing his lifejacket. He had managed to get his engine going and was under way, but at a slow speed, as the engine cut out each time he increased the revs.
The lifeboat took the casualty vessel under tow to Dromaan Harbour. By Dromaan Harbour the lifeboat volunteers changed the tow from an astern tow to an alongside tow in order to navigate the narrow channel into the Harbour.
At 7.24pm the casualty vessel was safely tied alongside and the lifeboat departed the scene and was back at station at 7.40pm.
Liam Maloney, Deputy Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI advises boat users to ‘ensure your boat engine is serviced, and that you use fresh fuel when returning to the water after overwintering your boat’.
