Donaghadee RNLI Lifeboat rescues 5 people stranded on the Copeland Islands.
The volunteer crew of Donaghadee RNLI lifeboat put to sea on Wednesday 3 July at the request of UK Coastguard to assist a three adults and two children who had become stranded on the Copeland Islands following issues with their jet ski.
They had gone to the Copeland Islands while the sun was still out but became stranded in the early evening when their jet ski began to have mechanical issues. They used their mobile phone to try and contact both Donaghadee and Bangor Lifeboat stations before contacting a crew member over an hour later on their mobile phone.
Crew were paged at 7pm and made good speed in calm conditions in the RNLI Trent Class Lifeboat Saxon to Chapel Bay on the Big Copeland Island. The lifeboats smaller XP boat, an inflatable tender carried by Saxon, was launched to go to shore and bring the casualties to the warmth and safety of the larger lifeboat.
A towline was secured by the volunteer crew and the lifeboat proceeded to return to Donaghadee Harbour where the casualties were passed to the care of the UK Coastguard.
Philip McNamara, Donaghadee Coxswain said: “I feel we got to the casualties just on time, they were starting to feel the cold after spending quite some time in the sunshine. They didn’t have any water to hydrate or clothing to keep them warm, and had they not managed to contact the lifeboat when they did they could certainly have really started to feel the effects of the cold.
“Lifeboat stations are not always manned and we cannot stress enough the importance of dialling 999 should you find yourself in difficulty at sea or on the coastline, and of course always wear a lifejacket and carry a means of communication.”
