On Saturday last, July 1st, Clogherhead RNLI volunteers responded to a request from the Coast Guard to come to the aid of a drifting 19 ft. leisure craft.
The Clogherhead volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather Shannon class lifeboat at 12.22 p.m. following a request by the Irish Coast Guard to go to the scene of the drifting leisure craft which was 19 nautical miles east of Clogherhead when it was spotted by the crew of a passing yacht.
The lifeboat was launched immediately under Coxswain Gerald Sharkey with four crew members onboard.
Weather conditions at the time were calm with a west/north westerly wind and clear visibility.
When the lifeboat reached the drifting 19 ft. boat at 1.33 p.m. it had travelled a further mile from the original location. The vessel had been noticed by a passing yacht which remained at the scene until the arrival of the lifeboat.
Clogherhead RNLI put a crew member aboard the drifting vessel and found no crew. It was obvious to them that the vessel had come adrift after its mooring broke.
Having assessed the situation, a towline was attached to the vessel and it was towed back to the nearest safe port at Port Oriel, Clogherhead. The lifeboat arrived in Port Oriel at 1.15pm where assistance from Clogherhead Coast Guard was available.
Speaking following the call out, Clogherhead RNLI Coxswain Gerald Sharkey said: “It is always important to report incidents like this and we are grateful to the crew of the passing yacht who did so.
“We were able to assess the situation in a short space of time and thankfully, on this occasion, there was no risk to human life. Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
