A volunteer crew from Portaferry RNLI were paged on Monday 12 March 2018, at just after 3.45pm to go to the aid of a man on board a 13-metre yacht which was experiencing engine problems.
The man was travelling from Bangor to Ardglass when his engine failed some six miles off the County Down coast west of Cloughey.
As the RNLI crew launched, the weather was sunny with good visibility, a slight north, north-east wind and calm seas. The crew launched at 3.55pm and arrived on scene with the casualty promptly at 4.38pm.
Once there, one of the volunteer RNLI crew went on board the yacht with the man and a tow line was established to bring them back safely to Strangford.
The RNLI crew commenced towing at 4.45pm and finally reached the safety of the Strangford pontoons at 5.45pm where the man and his dog were returned safely ashore and the volunteer lifeboat crew returned to station ready for service.
Commenting on the rescue, Simon Rogers, Portaferry RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: “The hard work and dedication of our volunteers has once again resulted in the safe return to shore of this man who was having trouble while at sea.
“He certainly took the right course of action calling for help once he realised that his engine was failing. We are all delighted with the outcome and urge anyone considering going on the water to take all necessary precautions.
“It has been a busy week for the volunteers at this station with four calls in the past week. Anyone who would like any information on safety on the water can find further details on our website at:
