Carrybridge RNLI tasked to assist 2 people and 2 dogs on a barge run aground

The incident happened around 2 miles West of Kilmore Quay yesterday.

In a statement the Coastguard said that winds were Westerly, Force 1 and Visibility was good with part cloudy skies when the volunteer crew onboard the lifeboat located the vessel which was aground just off the main navigation channel.

And once alongside, the lifeboat crew assessed the wellbeing of the two people on board and found them to be safe and well

and wearing lifejackets.

And the two dogs onboard were also checked and found to be calm and not showing any signs of being stressed.

The casualty vessel was also checked, and all was found to be in a safe condition with no water ingress, however it was grounded in an area of very shallow water.

So the helm deemed the safest option was for the owner to obtain the assistance of an independent recovery company to assist in the

refloating of their vessel.

This information was relayed onto Belfast Coastguard and the volunteer crew remained with the casualty vessel and its crew until the

recovery company arrived on scene.

Once their craft was successfully refloated, the lifeboat crew thanked the recovery company for their assistance, checked

the casualty vessel and the people on board to make sure everything was ok which it was, and the casualty vessel was then able to proceed under its own power on its onward journey.

Speaking following the call out, Chris Cathcart, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Carrybridge RNLI said: ‘‘With people making the most of the exceptionally good weather which we have been encountering recently, we are seeing more people making the most of our wonderful waterways.

"We would advise all boat users before setting out on your journey to please plan your route ahead using the relevant charts for the area making sure to check the navigational marks on the water to those shown on your chart”.