What started as a routine training exercise for the volunteer crew of Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat turned into a 90 minute search for a sailing boat thought to be missing off Mullaghmore Head last night.
A member of the public who had been watching the passage of the boat lost sight of it when a sudden squall obscured it from view. He became concerned once he couldn’t see it when the shower had cleared and made the call to the Coast Guard.
The crew of the lifeboat were just about to launch on exercise when the alert was raised and quickly made their way to the Mullaghmore area to commence a search. They also requested that the Killybegs Coast Guard boat join them so a wider area could be covered.
Covering an area from Mullaghmore Head to Streedagh to Inishmurray, the crews were subsequently informed that the boat had docked safely in Sligo.
Speaking on their return to the station, helm on the Bundoran Lifeboat James Cassidy said: “This was a call with good intent. We would rather be launched to something someone was unsure about than not at all. If anyone thinks they see somebody in trouble on the coast dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”
