Two rescued by Portaferry lifeboat

Two rescued by Portaferry lifeboat

TWO men were rescued last night by Portaferry lifeboat after their boat broke down off the County Down coast.

The men were en route from Ardglass to Carrickfergus when their 36 foot angling boat started to experience engine problems near the mouth of Strangford Lough.

Portaferry lifeboat was tasked by Belfast Coastguard and the crew located the vessel in South Bay, north east of Ballyquinten Point.

The two crew on board the stricken vessel said they had been on route to Carrick Marina when they started to lose power and contacted the emergency services for assistance.

The RNLI crew arrived on scene at 7.10pm and towed the boat back to Strangford, a journey which lasted an hour and 20 minutes.

Portaferry and Bangor Coastguard teams were also involved in the operation.

Brian Bailie, Lifeboat Operations Manager for the Portaferry RNLI Station said it was a great outcome and testament to the hard work and training the RNLI volunteers put in to answer calls for help at sea. 

“The two men on board the casualty boat took the right decision to call for assistance before their situation could become potentially more serious,” he said.