Baltimore RNLI called out to two incidents

BALTIMORE RNLI was launched twice in the space of three hours yesterday morning to reports of a vessel adrift  in Crookhaven Harbour, followed by a boat gone ashore on rocks in the same area.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat following a request from the Irish Coast Guard at  7.47am to assist a vessel adrift in strong winds in Crookhaven Harbour. The vessel, a four metre Boston Whaler power boat, had broken from its mooring in strong winds and was drifting outside the harbour. There was no one on boars and conditions at the time were poor with an easterly force 6-7 wind and 4-5m sea swell.

The Baltimore lifeboat arrived on scene at 8.38am and established a tow to bring the vessel back into the harbour and the lifeboat crew then secured the vessels to a mooring in the harbour.

Just as the lifeboat was departing at 9.11 am, the Coast Guard contacted them to investigate another boat in trouble in the area. The vessel, a 20 ft Merry Fisher pleasure boat with no people on board, had gone ashore on rocks in Crookhaven. Due to the position of casualty vessel on the shoreline, Coxswain Aidan Bushe decided to launch the Y-boat from the stern ramp of the lifeboat.

The Y-boat with two crew members on board, Kieran Collins and David Ryan, secured a tow and pulled the casualty vessel clear of the shoreline. The lifeboat then took up the tow and secured the vessel on a mooring.

There were six volunteer crew on-board the lifeboat, Coxswain Aidan Bushe, mechanic Sean McCarthy and crew members Jerry Smith, David Ryan, Kieran Collins and Don O'Donovan, while Michael Cottrell provided shore crew assistance at the lifeboat house.

‘It is advisable in such incidents, where boats get into trouble near the shoreline, to call the Coast Guard for assistance. This reduces the risk of people getting themselves into a dangerous situation,' said Kate Callanan, Baltimore RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat press officer.

‘If you get into difficulty at sea, call 99 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.'