9th June 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
West Cork is indeed a scenic part of the world, but the ocean can also be dangerous.
The volunteer lifeboat crew with Union Hall RNLI had their second callout in 24 hours this morning to search for a paddle boarder who had disappeared from view.
The lifeboat was launched at 9.10am following a call from Valentia Coast Guard after a member of the public reported that they had lost sight of a leisure user between Rabbit Island and Myross Island.
In calm conditions with a north easterly force four wind the lifeboat searched the area for the missing paddle boarder but was stood down a short time later as it is believed the person made it safely ashore unaided.
Commenting on the callout John Kelleher Union Hall RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said, ‘It has been a busy 24 hours for our volunteer lifeboat crew. Even though this turned out to be a false alarm with good intent I would commend the member of the public for contacting the emergency services. You never know when that call could save a life and that is what we are here to do.’
Above: Location of Union Hall village
The callout follows on from yesterday when Union Hall RNLI rescued two men after their 18ft pleasure boat got into difficulty off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer crew was alerted shortly after 1.30pm following a report that a pleasure boat was experiencing engine problems south of Castletownshend Harbour.
