Portrush RNLI crew has had a busy start to the season with three callouts in four days.
On Thursday (23 April) the all weather lifeboat was launched at 8.45am to reports of a small boat that had run aground on the River Bann. When the crew arrived on scene they launched the Y boat and assisted the sailor to refloat.
On Sunday (26 April) the lifeboat crew had two callouts within 4 hours. The first callout was for the inshore lifeboat to respond to a 999 call reporting two surfers in difficulty. It was reported that the two surfers were waving for help and two members of the public had gone to their aid. The inshore lifeboat launched at 12.15am. However, the inshore lifeboat was stood down when it was reported that all 4 persons were out of danger.
The second callout was at 4.20pm for the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) to respond to reports of two persons on the rocks at Dunluce Castle. The Coastguard rescue teams were on the scene but requested the presence of the ALB in case a rescue was as required. The Coastguard teams deployed their rope technicians but requested that Portrush RNLI remain on scene until the rescue was completed.
Robin Cardwell Lifeboat Operations Manager at Portrush RNLI said; ‘ This is the start of our summer season and already our crew and the Lifeguards have been involved in at least five rescues. We want visitors to the North Coast to enjoy the area, but to be mindful of changing weather conditions and tides, as these can change very quickly.’
