By Dan Walsh
Kilmore Quay RNLI responded to two separate requests from the Irish Coast Guard for assistance to pleasure crafts in the vicinity of the Saltee Islands on Easter Saturday.
The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather Tamar class lifeboat Killarney, by the Irish Coast Guard at 3.07pm on Saturday to assist in locating a small angling boat with four people on board that a concerned member of the public had reported as overdue.
The lifeboat launched at 3.15pm, joining the search at sea with the Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 117. The boat was soon located close to the Saltee Islands at 3.20 pm. All on board were safe and well. The lifeboat crew escorted the boat back to Kilmore Quay arriving at 4.17pm
Earlier that day, the crew responded to a request from the Irish Coast Guard to assist a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) experiencing engine trouble and drifting close to rocks one and half miles south-west of the Great Saltee island. The crew were stood down before launching as the crew of the RIB resolved the problem and the danger had passed.
Speaking following both call outs, Kilmore Quay RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager John Grace, said: “The crew of the RIB did the right thing in raising the alarm when they encountered problems, it is far better to be safe than sorry. Likewise, if a boat is overdue and contact cannot be made. We would remind anyone planning a trip to sea to always wear a life jacket and to always carry a means of calling for help. If you do get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
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