Portaferry RNLI’s volunteer crew pagers sounded at 4.11pm on Saturday afternoon (15 August) after Belfast Coastguard received a mayday call from a yacht with two people onboard, which had run aground on Rock Angus at the mouth of Strangford Lough.
The Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Blue Peter V launched with helm Oliver Rogers and volunteer crew members James O'Neill, Molly Crowe and Paul Regan. Conditions at the time had a Force 3 gentle north-easterly breeze, cloudy with good visibility and a smooth sea state.
Once on scene, the RNLI crew observed the yacht to be hard aground on rocks with a dropping tide.
The lifeboat crew made contact and found both persons onboard to be well. After a cautious approach, both were taken aboard the lifeboat and returned to the safety of Portaferry Marina, where they were handed over to the care of Portaferry Coastguard.
Speaking after the call-out, Rogers said: “A mayday call is the most serious distress call used at sea and indicates a sailor in imminent danger. The crew of the casualty vessel did the correct thing by calling for help as soon as they got into difficulty.
“The waters at the mouth of Strangford Lough are fast-moving and unpredictable and once we knew the crew were no longer in immediate danger, we could take our time and make safe passage to where we could get both casualties onto the lifeboat.
“We urge anyone heading out on the water to check weather and tide times before setting off. Wear a suitable flotation device for your activity and always carry a means of calling for help.
“If you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”
Eight volunteers responded to their pagers on Saturday, and the lifeboat station offers its congratulations to Paul Regan on his first call-out since passing out as inshore lifeboat crew.
