In the early afternoon of Saturday 31st October, the Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team and Portrush Inshore Lifeboat were tasked to the River Bann, following an urgent call for assistance from a large sailing vessel.
The craft had run aground on a sandbank with its skipper suffering a medical emergency. As the Coastguard stood by with mud rescue equipment, the ILB managed to come alongside the casualty vessel and evacuate the skipper to the safety of a nearby marina, where Coastguard personnel and NIAS paramedics were waiting.
The four remaining crew members of the vessel elected to remain aboard until the next tide.
