#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI volunteers have rescued four people whose 37-foot boat had run hard aground on the Longford shore.
At 12.17pm yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 29 August) the Irish Coast Guard in Malin Head tasked the Lough Ree inshore lifeboat to the north of Priest Island, at the north of Lough Ree.
Once on scene, the crew members found a boat in deep water at the stern while the bow was out of the water.
Having checked that all onboard were uninjured and that the boat was undamaged, the lifeboat crew attempted to tow the boat into deeper water. Unfortunately they were unable to do so.
Lifeboat helm Stan Bradbury spoke directly to the boat hire company involved, who were sending further assistance.
Speaking after the callout, Bradbury said: “It’s important to remain aware of your surrounds when out on the lake and how close to the shore you may be.
“We would also like to extend our thanks to the lady who contacted the coastguard and remained on scene until our volunteers arrived.”
Elsewhere, Baltimore RNLI was called out to a fishing vessel in difficulty south of Kedge Island.
The eight-metre fishing boat, with two people onboard, had become propped on discarded netting three miles off the island near Baltimore in West Cork.
The lifeboat established a tow and brought the vessel back to Baltimore Harbour, arriving just over an hour after the call came in.
“Today’s call highlights one of the hazards of materials being discarded at sea,” said Baltimore RNLI press officer Kate Callanan.