Clogherhead RNLI volunteers were tasked by the Coast Guard on Saturday, 1 July, to aid a drifting 19 ft. motorboat.
The Clogherhead volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch their all-weather Shannon class lifeboat at 12.22 pm following a request by the Irish Coast Guard 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 19 ft. boat at 1.33 pm, 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 crew. 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 1.15 pm, where assistance from Clogherhead Coast Guard was available.