Cruiser suffers engine failure on lake

On Monday, following an alert from a member of the public, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to launch to assist a lone skip-per on a 33ft motor cruiser with engine failure at a location close to Drominagh Point.

At 1pm, RNLI volunteers identified the casualty ves-sel above the Hagan Navigation buoy. The skipper of the vessel had dropped anchor to prevent being pushed onto the rocky western shore.

Given the remote location, the poor visibility and the known hazards at the scene, and with the possibility of initiating another rescue callout should the casual-ty vessel be left where it was, the helm made the de-cision to take the vessel under an astern tow and across the narrow stretch of lake to the safest safe haven at Kilgarvin Harbour. The lifeboat communi-cated the plan to Valentia Coast Guard.

Two RNLI volunteers transferred across to the cruiser to prepare it to be taken under tow and to lift the anchor when instructed.

At 2.08pm the casualty vessel was safely tied along-side at Kilgarvin Harbour.

Commenting on the callout, Jeremy Freeman, Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI said: “The skipper kept safe by wearing their lifejacket, by dropping anchor and swiftly calling for help once they recognised an issue with their engine. We would remind anyone planning a trip on the lake that if you get into difficulty or see somebody else in trouble on the water, dial 999 or 112 or use VHF ra-dio CH 16 and ask for the Coast Guard.”