This article is from page 11 of the 2011-04-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
RESCUE services have appealed to boat owners and people planning water activities to take precautions, after two weekends of boaters getting into difficulties on Lough Derg.
Five people had to be rescued from the lake near Whitegate last weekend and the previous weekend six people had to be taken off a cruiser which was sinking in Killaloe.
With fine weather bringing heavy traffic out on the water, both the Killaloe/Ballina Search and Rescue (KBSR) service and the Lough Derg RNLI have asked people to check their safety equipment and to make sure that boats which have been tied up over winter haven’t suffered damage.
The RNLI lifeboat was called out on Sunday of last weekend to a 24foot motor cruiser which suffered engine failure off shore at Whitegate. Four adults, a child and two dogs were rescued and the cruiser towed to safe harbour.
The previous weekend, members of the Irish Coastgurad, based in Killaloe, rescued six people and a dog from a hire-cruiser that started to sink after being holed in a collision with the bridge in Killaloe.
A spokesman for the KBSR said that anyone taking to the waters after a winter break should check that lifesaving equipment is in full working order.
“Check that inflatable life-vests are working and that fire extinguishers and equipment on boats is working after being put away for winter,” he said.
Boaters are also advised to be sure that they carry fully charged mobile phones in case they need to call for assistance.
Elanor Hooker, spokeswoman for the Lough Derg RNLI, said that boats which have been overwintered should be checked.
“Just looking out at the lake this weekend, it’s obvious that there is a lot of traffic and we would urge people to check that the inlets and outlets of boats haven’t become clogged with debris. Always let someone know where you are going on the lake and what time you intend to be back and a common problem is that boats run out of fuel. People say ‘it’s a lovely day, we’ll go on a bit further’ and then don’t have enough fuel. Make sure you have fuel for the time you’ll be out.”