THE RNLI RESCUED five people in boats on Lough Derg over the weekend in two separate call-outs.

The first incident on Saturday involved three people including two adults and a young child on board their 20ft cruiser, after their engine failed and the vessel was pushed on to the rocks near the Corrakeen Islands in Dromineer Bay.

The volunteer crew launched its lifeboat at around 4pm and rescued the three who were described as “unharmed but anxious”.

They had dropped an anchor to prevent further grounding and breakage. The boat was assessed to see if there were any holes and was towed back to the harbour by the crew.

Lough Derg RNLI crew member Ger Egan, said that before going afloat after the long winter, boat users should make sure that their engines are fully serviced and make sure to use new fresh fuel.

Sinking

Shortly after returning to the station the crew was alerted for a second time with a request to go to the aid of two people who had abandoned ship to their liferaft when their 28ft cruiser was sinking beneath them.

The lifeboat located the cruiser and the life-raft north of Coolbawn, on the eastern shore of Lough Derg, and was alongside at 6.13pm. The two people on board were unharmed, but the skipper was “greatly distressed”. He had inadvertantly veered off course and had glanced off a rock and holed his boat. A passing speedboat with two people on board also came alongside and gave assistance.

The RNLI crew gathered the life-raft and it’s contents into the cruiser cabin and, as the cruiser was rapidly taking water, they weighed anchor so that the lifeboat could beach the vessel and reduce risk of further damage. Once beached, it was then recovered yesterday morning.

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