Portpatrick RNLI lifeboat launched 3 times in 26 hours
Every day, all over the UK, RNLI volunteer crews are on call 24 hours a day ready to save lives at sea.
Sunday 2 April should have been a rest day for the crew of Portpatrick RNLI Lifeboat Station, having been given a well earned break from the usual Sunday morning training session to enjoy a lie in. It was not to be.
Portpatrick RNLI all-weather Tamar class lifeboat John Buchanan Barr was tasked at 8.50am by HM Coastguard and launched at 9.00am along with Stranraer RNLI and teams from HM Coastguard Portpatrick & Stranraer to assist a member of the public who had climbed down a cliff to rescue a dog.
Once the person was located, Portpatrick RNLI crew launched the Y class inflatable and the person was brought, uninjured, onto the lifeboat. The dog, also uninjured, was located on the cliffs by the Coastguard team.
The John Buchanan Barr then returned to Portpatrick harbour at 9.35am where it was refuelled and made ready for next service before it was tasked once again at 3.15pm to the aid of a stricken motor vessel with five persons on board outside of Port Logan.
Upon arrival at the scene and following an assessment of the situation, the boat was towed into Port Logan and taken ashore by the Y class inflatable whereupon control was handed to HM Coastguard. Portpatrick RNLI lifeboat then returned to harbour at 5.30pm and made ready for next service.
The following morning, Monday 3 April, the crew were tasked for a third time at 11.40am to support the crew of Stranraer RNLI lifeboat in the rescue of persons from a boat run aground in Loch Ryan. The lifeboat was launched but stood down just as they entered Loch Ryan. The lifeboat returned to Portpatrick at 1.00pm and made ready for next service.
Robert McQueen Coxswain Portpatrick RNLI lifeboat said, “ It is a testament to the dedication of our volunteer crew that we were able to respond to three incidents within such a short period of time. Even when they were supposed to be enjoying a break from training they turned out to ensure no lives were lost at sea”.
It’s public support that allows the RNLI to continue to save lives at sea and our volunteers need your support.
To make a donation to the RNLI visit RNLI.org/support-us/give-money/donate
Notes to editors
Portpatrick RNLI Coxswain Robert McQueen is available for interview
RNLI Training Costs – Average annual training cost for individual crew members £1400 – Source RNLI Loud and Clear 2022
Portpatrick lifeboat station has been operating since 1877. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/portpatrick-lifeboat-station
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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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