The Lough Derg RNLI was tasked this afternoon to assist a lone skipper whose 28ft motor cruiser ran aground in Rossmore Bay on the Galway shore of the lake.
The volunteer crew was paged by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre on Valentia Island shortly after 4.00pm.
At 4:20pm the team launched from their base in Dromineer in challenging weather conditions. The wind was south-southeast, strong breeze Force 6 to moderate gale Force 7 with gusts. Visibility was fair to poor with frequent heavy hail squalls.
At 4:35pm as the lifeboat travelled north, volunteers could see the casualty vessel on a known and dangerous rocky shoal inside Navigation Marker ‘F’ south of the Rabbit Islands. The RNLI navigator plotted a safe course for the helm to steer in his approach the casualty vessel.
As the area is strewn with marked shoals, the helm asked crew to prepare to anchor and veer back to the casualty. The lifeboat veered back safely to within four metres of the casualty vessel. The skipper was safe and unharmed and wearing a lifejacket. His vessel had lost propulsion, and with the strong winds had been pushed on to the rocks.
With a rocky shoal astern of the lifeboat and the casualty vessel, it was clear that the lifeboat could get no closer. Communicating with the skipper, a crewmember heaved a lifeboat line to the casualty who secured it to a cleat on their stern, with the other end secured round the Sampson post on the lifeboat.
This line acted as a guide rope for the casualty, and he was asked to hold it and not let go once his transfer to the lifeboat began. Crew then heaved a second line which the casualty secured around his waist.
When the RNLI volunteer gave the signal, the casualty and RNLI crewmember both entered the shallow water, whereupon the casualty was able to walk the short distance to the lifeboat, using the guide rope, and be assisted over the sponson.
Once the casualty was seated and secure, crew cut the guide line and moved to the bow to recover the anchor warp and anchor, and navigate into safer waters. The casualty was taken across the lake to Coolbawn Quay on the Tipperary shore where he had left his car.
At 5:43pm, the lifeboat departed the scene and was back at station at 6:10pm.
Commenting on the callout, Peter Kennedy, Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI said: ‘I commend the skilled and successful rescue by the RNLI volunteers under such testing conditions. Thankfully the casualty was wearing his lifejacket and had called for assistance as soon as he found himself in difficulty.
We would remind boat users to ensure you check the weather forecast before embarking on your journey. If you get into difficulty or see somebody else in trouble on the water, dial 999 or 112 or use VHF radio Channel 16 and ask for the Coast Guard.”