Donaghadee Lifeboat get emergency call during training exercise in new vessel

The crew were completing their Sunday morning training exercise onboard the recently received relief lifeboat Macquarie when they were contacted by HM Coastguard via radio requesting that they go to the assistance of speedboat broken down with two people onboard just outside the Craiganadam rocks at Millisle.

At approximately 11.40am the crew were in the middle of Donaghadee Sound completing a radio direction finding exercise and had their inflatable daughter boat, with crew members onboard, in the water. They quickly retrieved the daughter boat and made full speed in calm conditions with a slight offshore wind to the casualty boat, arriving on scene at approximately 12 noon.

Once on scene and the situation having been assessed, a tow line was secured to the vessel from the lifeboat which then towed it as close to shore as possible. The daughter boat was relaunched and with crew member Rebecca McCarthy and trainee crew member Courtney Roberts onboard, they were able to tow the casualty vessel to the nearest safe port, into the slipway at Millisle lagoon were the boat owners were were met by the Coastguard Rescue Team.

The lifeboat then returned to Donaghadee Harbour and was made ready by the crew for it’s next call out.

Donaghadee RNLI Coxswain Philip McNamara, said: ‘It isn’t often that we get a call out during a training exercise and on this occasion the timing worked well for the casualty as we were able to be with them very quickly. Unfortunately there was a bit of an offshore wind so it was very easy for them to be carried out to sea easily.

'As always we would strongly recommend wearing a lifejacket and ensuring equipment is in full working order before going to sea. I would like to say an extra well done to my crew for their skills and speed in the new relief lifeboat and in particular trainee crew member Courtney Roberts as this was his first lifeboat call out.’