Clogherhead RNLI volunteers come to the aid of a drifting 19ft leisure craft

Clogherhead RNLI volunteers have reported that they were requested by the Irish Coast Guard on Saturday (1 July) to come to the aid of a drifting 19ft leisure craft.

The crew were requested to launch their all-weather Shannon class lifeboat at 12.22pm following a request to go to the scene of a drifting leisure craft 19 nautical miles east of Clogherhead.

The lifeboat launched immediately under Coxswain Gerald Sharkey with four crew members onboard.

Weather conditions at the time were calm with a west-north westerly wind and clear visibility.

When the lifeboat reached the scene of the drifting 19ft boat at 1.33pm, the crew observed it had travelled a further mile from the original location.

The vessel had been noticed by a passing yacht which remained at the scene until the arrival of the lifeboat. Clogherhead RNLI put a crew member aboard the drifting vessel and found no one onboard. It was obvious to them that the vessel had come adrift after its mooring broke.

Having assessed the situation, a decision was made to establish a towline which was done successfully. The vessel was then towed back to the nearest safe port at Port Oriel, Clogherhead. The lifeboat arrived in Port Oriel at 1.15pm where assistance from Clogherhead Coast Guard was available.

Speaking following the call out, Clogherhead RNLI Coxswain Gerald Sharkey said:

"It is always important to report incidents like this and we are grateful to the crew of the passing yacht who did so. We were able to assess the situation in a short space of time and thankfully, on this occasion, there was no risk to human life. Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard."