Busy Christmas for RNLI
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
HERE WAS a busy Christmas holiday for Larne RNLI with the local crews in action on two call outs over the festive season.
Near midnight on Christmas Eve they were tasked by Belfast Coastguard to search at sea. Three or four red flares had been seen from the Lindara area of Larne by a local resident.
The Coastguard therefore requested that the lifeboat fire white flares to see if these flares were observable from that area of Larne.
It transpired that they couldn't be seen from Lindara so the flares previously observed had clearly come from a location on shore.
Indeed, further investigation revealed that they had come from somewhere in the Old Glenarm Road area.
Larne RNLI would ask the public to desist from the misuse of flares, especially red flares, an activity which could have serious implications both for crews and safety generally in the area.
The second incident occurred around 1pm on Boxing Day.
Both boats were launched when Larne RNLI was called to the assistance of a 40 foot Fairline motor vessel which had either grounded itself or struck something in passing between Muck Island and Islandmagee. There was one person on board.
The vessel started to take on a small amount of water which the bilge pump could cope with.
After discussion it was agreed to put a man on board. The Inshore Lifeboat was then stood down and returned to base.
The remaining RNLI vessel, Dr John McSparron, put a member of its crew on board and the boat was escorted into Bangor Marina, the latter being its original destination.
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