#RNLI - RNLI volunteers aboard Donaghadee’s all-weather lifeboat Saxon launched on Tuesday night (29 September) to search for a family’s pet dog which was reported to have been cut off by the tide at Millisle on the Ards Peninsula.
Coxswain Philip McNamara and his crew took the decision to launch after a request from Belfast Coastguard at 9.30pm and were on the water within 10 minutes.
When they reached the area, the crew launched a smaller inflatable craft, designed for inshore work, and conducted a search of the shoreline in darkness.
"We could find no trace of the dog and hope that it reached safety," said McNamara. "There is always the possibility that someone will enter the water to save a family pet and that means there is a risk of them drowning. The RNLI is here to save lives at sea no matter what the circumstances might be."
The launch came just a day after the Donaghadee crew spent eight hours afloat as part of a major search operation for a missing kayaker, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
Elsewhere, Skerries RNLI towed a fishing boat with four men on board to safety on Sunday (27 September) after a passing yacht alerted the lifeboat that the vessel was in difficulty.
While out on routine Sunday morning training some two miles northeast of Skerries, helm Eoin Grimes and crew members Peter Kennedy and AJ Hughes were called into action after learning from the skipper of a passing yacht that a fishing boat nearby had suffered engine failure.
The fishing vessel, which had four men on board, was taken under tow by the lifeboat and towed to the safety of Balbriggan Harbour, where they had set out from. Conditions at the time were calm with a Force 1 to 2 southerly wind.
Speaking after the callout, Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "We would urge anyone going to sea to ensure that have adequate safety equipment on board and a means of contacting the shore should they experience any difficulty."
