The volunteer lifeboat crew from Donaghadee RNLI were paged by HM Coastguard at 7.11am on Tuesday morning (6 August) following a report of a man in a small boat in the vicinity of the Copeland Islands who was unsure of his position.
With a crew of seven onboard, the all-weather lifeboat Macquarie was launched into favourable weather conditions off Co Down in Northern Ireland, with clear visibility and a slight south-westerly sea breeze.
They proceeded to begin a search around Big Copeland Island and Donaghadee Sound, with the support of the coastguard shore team also scanning the coastline for any signs of the boat.
At around 7.45am, the crew of the lifeboat located the casualty roughly 1.5 miles east of Donaghadee Harbour.
The casualty was brought onboard the lifeboat where the crew completed a casualty assessment and determined he was very cold and possibly with an injury to his leg.
The dingy was also brought onboard the lifeboat and returned to its owner in Donaghadee Harbour.
On return to the harbour, the casualty was passed into the care of the Coastguard Rescue Team. Also in attendance were the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and PSNI.
Following this call-out, Margaret Ramm, lifeboat press officer at Donaghadee RNLI said: “We are all relieved that on this occasion there was a good outcome. If you have concerns for anyone at sea, the importance for asking for help at the earliest opportunity really is vital; dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
