It was a hell of a busy day for the Galway RNLI volunteer crews on Wednesday, as the lifeboat was called out three times over the course of the day, working well into the night.
The lifeboat crew launched following reports of a swimmer in difficulty off Salthill on Wednesday evening, and were requested to launch again three hours later to assist a fishing boat which had run aground near Cockle Rock, Renville.
Shortly after that rescue, the crew came to the assistance of another boat which had lost its steering.
The lifeboat was launched for the first call out at around 5.30pm with crew members Dave Badger, Shane Austin, Gregg Cullen and Brian Niland on board and they made their way to the area where the swimmer was last seen.
There the crew joined the search efforts along with the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 115 helicopter and a local cargo boat which had been on its way to Galway Docks.
The search was stood down when it was reported that the swimmer had made their way to shore and was safe.
Shortly before 9pm the lifeboat was requested to launch again, along with the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 115 helicopter, to assist a 30 foot fishing boat with two people on board which had run aground near Renville.
Conditions were good at the time of the launch. However, daylight was starting to fade by this point.
The lifeboat with crew Dave Badger, James Rattigan, David McGrath and Ian Claxton on board, established a tow line to get the fishing boat off the rocks.
Once it was confirmed that there was no damage to the hull, the fishing boat was released from the tow and was able to return to harbour under its own steam.
While still in the vicinity of Renville, the lifeboat came to the assistance of a 21 foot half-decker fishing boat with one person on board which had lost steering and was unable to manoeuvre.
The lifeboat towed the boat to its mooring buoy at Renville and once the boat was secured, brought the person on board safely ashore.
Dave Badger who was Helm on board the lifeboat for all three rescues said, “It was an exceptionally busy evening for the lifeboat crew and for the shore crew who provided support back at the station
The shore crew who keep the lifeboat cleaned, fueled, and ready to launch at all times include Brian Niland, Mike Cummins, Seán McLoughlin, Aaron O’Reilly and Seán Óg Leydon.
“It doesn’t happen often that we deal with three rescues in one evening, but our training prepares us to be ready for whatever comes our way,” Dave said.
“This evening we saw that even in good weather and with calm sea conditions, incidents can happen.”
“It’s really important to have a means of calling for help and if you get into difficulty or see someone in difficulty in the water, please dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
