The Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat came to the aid of a lone skipper whose boat had run aground on a shoal over the weekend.
Last Sunday the lifeboat crew were called out shortly before 8pm in response to reports of a 30ft cruiser stuck on the rocks inside Red Island.
When they sighted the boat, the crew took soundings off their bow as they were well aware of the extended shoal inside Red Island.
As they approached they noticed that the skipper on the casualty vessel was signaling with a light, waving and calling to them.
Unable to make out what he was saying, the lifeboat asked Valentia Coast Guard for the skipper’s mobile phone number and called him.
A crew member assured him that, even though it appeared they were sailing away from him, they were just following a safe route to his location, so they didn’t end up on the rocks themselves.
By 8:30pm, the lifeboat was alongside the stricken cruiser, and determined that the skipper was unharmed and wearing his lifejacket.
After checking to see that the boat wasn’t holed, it was decided to take it off the shoal due to the secluded location and falling temperatures at nighttime.
The boat was taken off the rocks, and made its way back to Mountshannon Harbour under its own power.
Christine O’Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Derg RNLI advises boat users ‘if you are alone on the water, tell someone your plans and what time you expect to arrive at your destination.”
“Remember to carry up to date charts of the lake and do not venture off the main navigation channels”.
