Portrush RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboats were launched Saturday (18 July) to separate incidents within 20 minutes of each other on the North Coast of Northern Ireland.
Firstly the inshore lifeboat was requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard at 6.25pm to a jet ski that had capsized at the West Strand. The volunteer crew recovered the jet ski and brought back to the beach.
In the meantime, the all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 6.45pm to reports of three persons being cut off by the tide at Dunseverick.
One crew member was transferred from the inshore boat to the all-weather vessel to assist with the rescue and the lifeboat launched at 7.03pm.
Conditions for both launches were perfect, with clear skies and excellent visibility, albeit with a slight swell
The all-weather lifeboat arrived on scene at Dunseverick at 7.30pm. The situation was assessed by the crew and it was decided to deploy the Y boat to get close to the shore to rescue the persons cut off by the tide.
The crew was then able to get to the casualties and return them to Dunseverick Harbour. The casualties sustained some minor injuries, but otherwise were OK.
Charles Grossie, launch authority later said: “Our volunteer crew assured the casualties that they had done the right thing by dialling 999 and alerting the coastguard, so we could ensure their safety. This is the type of of incident our crew train for, and we are just glad that they were able to get the group to safety.
“It’s always advisable to check the tides and the weather conditions as well as always carrying a means of calling for help if required.”
