The Galway RNLI rescued two sailors from the waters of Galway Bay earlier this week after their dinghy capsized.
Shortly after 6.30pm on Thursday evening, as the volunteer crew were getting ready for a planned training exercise, the Coast Guard requested the lifeboat to launch to reports of a sailing dinghy in difficulty off Hare Island.
The crew of helm Seán King, Lisa McDonagh, Mike Cummins and Pierce Purcell were underway in the lifeboat very quickly and reached the casualties in a matter of minutes.
The two people were taken from their dinghy by the crew and medically assessed on board the lifeboat.
Once it was established that there was no medical emergency to deal with, the crew along with the casualties on board, returned to the lifeboat station at Galway Docks with the dinghy under tow.
Paul Carey, who was the Galway RNLI Launch Authority on Thursday, said, ‘It was a déjà vu evening and similar to last Thursday at approximately the same time, we got the call to launch just as the crew were assembling at the lifeboat station for training.”
“In addition to the crew who had been assigned for training on the boat this evening, we also had shore crew present at the station, and that meant we were able to rapidly launch the lifeboat while the rest of the crew were getting suited up.”
The Coast Guard had been alerted by a bystander who saw two people in the water off Hare Island, and this was passed on to the RNLI.
“Even though it was a mild sunny evening and sea conditions were relatively calm, the wind was starting to freshen, and there is no time to spare when there are reports of people in the water.”
“We understand that the two people had been out sailing when their rudder broke and the dinghy capsized.”
“They were able to right the boat but were unable to sail back to shore. Thankfully, just like the rescue we had last week, it was a good outcome and everyone came home safely.”
His advice if you get in trouble on the water, or see someone else in difficulty, is to call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.
“Don’t assume that someone else has made the call, and make the call as early as possible,” Peter said.
“And it is always worth repeating the advice to wear a lifejacket or suitable flotation device for your activity. As was the case this evening, wearing lifejackets gave the casualties the best chance at staying afloat and being visible while in the water.”
