#RNLI - A volunteer crew from Portaferry RNLI were paged yesterday afternoon (Monday 12 March) to go to the aid of a man on a yacht experiencing engine problems.
The man was travelling on his 13-metre yacht from Bangor to Ardglass when his engine failed some six miles off the Co Down coast west of Cloughey.
The crew launched their Atlantic 85 lifeboat Bluepeter V at 3.55pm, just 10 minutes after being paged, and arrived at the casualty vessel at 4.38pm. Weather conditions at the time were sunny with good visibility, a slight north-northeast wind and calm seas.
Once on scene, one of the volunteer RNLI crew went on board the yacht with its pilot, and a tow line was established to bring them back safely to Strangford an hour later, safety returning the yachtsman and his dog to shore.
Simon Rogers, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager, said: “The hard work and dedication of our volunteers has once again resulted in the safe return to shore of this man who was having trouble while at sea.
“He certainly took the right course of action calling for help once he realised that his engine was failing. We are all delighted with the outcome and urge anyone considering going on the water to take all necessary precautions.
“It has been a busy week for the volunteers at this station with four shouts in the past week. Anyone who would like any information on safety on the water can find further details on our website RNLI.org.”