Portrush RNLI has a busy Sunday
Portrush RNLI has had a busy Sunday with two lifeboat shouts today (Sunday 10th October). The first shout was on Sunday morning with another one following on Sunday afternoon.
The all-weather lifeboat was paged at 10.02am to reports of kayakers in difficulty at Portballintrae. However, the kayakers were able to make their way back to Harbour and the Lifeboat returned to station.
In the afternoon the all-weather weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 3.24pm to reports of paddle boarders in difficulty off Ballintoy. Visibility was good, with partial cloud. Sea conditions were choppy
The volunteer crew launched at 3.40pm and arrived on scene at 4.08pm along with both Red Bay RNLI lifeboats. By the time all lifeboats arrived on scene, the paddleboarders had been able to get onto Sheep Island.
Sea and weather conditions prevented the all-weather crew launching the Y boat from the boat. By this time the Coastguard helicopter was on the way and the the all-weather lifeboat along with Red Bay RNLI were asked to standby until the casualties were recovered successfully off the island and handed over to Coastguard shore crew.
Portrush RNLI returned to station at 5.25pm.
Beni McAllister, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Portrush Lifeboat Station said: 'This was a busy day for our volunteer crew and our flank station Red Bay RNLI, and we commend members of the public who alerted the emergency services very quickly as these two incidences could have had very different outcomes.
We would always advise that before people undertake any kind of activity around the coast to check weather and tide conditions. Make sure you have means of contacting help as well as having the proper equipment such as lifejackets etc. More information can be downloaded from www.rnli.org/safety and this site will be able to give great advice for people intending to enjoy water based activities.'
Ends
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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