Skerries RNLI rescued two men and two women on Monday evening (4 September) after their personal watercraft broke down off Portrane beach.
Shortly before 6pm, Dublin Coast Guard tasked the volunteers at Skerries RNLI following receipt of a radio transmission that indicated there may be people in difficulty off Portrane beach.
The radio transmissions had been weak and were over-spoken by other transmissions. However, the watch officers in Dublin Coast Guard accessed their recording system and were able to isolate certain words, including the type of craft and approximate location.
Skerries RNLI’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson was launched and the crew plotted a course for the approximate position provided.
Arriving on scene, the crew contacted the coastguard and were informed that no further information had been received. They had just begun to search the area when one of the volunteers spotted the casualty a good distance further out to sea.
As they approached the casualty, they discovered that it was a personal watercraft and an inflatable towing ring, with two men and two women on board. All four were taken on board the lifeboat and assessed.
Despite being adrift for almost an hour, they were all well, albeit beginning to feel cold.
It was confirmed that the craft had suffered a mechanical failure having sucked a foreign object into the propulsion system.
The lifeboat helm decided to tow the vessel to the nearest safe harbour at the slipway by Rush Sailing Club to prevent it becoming a hazard to navigation.
All four casualties and the personal watercraft were brought safely ashore, and the lifeboat made its way back to Skerries where it was recovered to the boathouse and made ready for the next service.
Conditions at the time had a Force 1-2 northerly wind with calm seas and good visibility.
Speaking about the call-out, Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “This was one of those call-outs that highlights that no matter how prepared you are, things can and do go wrong at sea.
“All four were wearing good lifejackets and despite drifting quite a long way out, did the right thing in remaining calm, staying with the vessel and raising the alarm on their VHF.
“There was some really great work here by our colleagues in Dublin Coast Guard in recognising that the initial VHF call was unusual and following it up to get vital information. It was also great work by the crew on the lifeboat in finding a very small target in quite a large sea area.”
