This article is from page 8 of the 2005-08-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
A POSSIBLE | tragedy was averted off the Kil- rush coastline this week- end, thanks to the quick actions of a fishing boat crew.
Seven people were res- cued from the 26 foot Kilrush §Marina-based yacht “Truant”, after it capsized and sank in the Shannon Estuary on Sat- urday evening.
The incident occurred between Scattery Island and Hog Island. It is be- lieved the crew on board the locally owned ship, took up the centre board of the boat, to allow them on to Scattery Island.
On returning to the
boat, they raised sail without putting down the centre board, resulting in the ship capsizing.
A passing fishing boat came to the rescue. The alarm was raised _ at 4.30pm, and the Shannon- based Irish Coastguard
helicopter was deployed to the scene. The seven were taken safely ashore at Kilrush.
On arrival, the lifeboat crew reported the stern of the yacht protruding approximately one metre from the water, which
was 3.6 metres deep.
This rescue was the sec- ond in just over a week. A 37{t Killaloe based mo- tor cruiser “Regina 4’, en-route from Dingle to Kilrush, caught fire and sank near the Ballybun- ion Buoy, at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary.
Spokesperson for the Kilrush RNLI, Charles Glynn, has advised sail- ors to remember the five main safety tips when taking out a boat.
He warned sailors to always wear a life jacket, check the engine and fuel before leaving the marina and always tell people Where they were going and when they planed to return.