Lifeboat called after boaters sail ‘dangerously close’ to swimmers

Gardaí and the Coast Guard called in the RNLI Lifeboat this afternoon to warn boat owners and other vessel owners they were “dangerously close” to swimmers.

A member of the public complained at lunchtime that some vessels were dangerously close to swimmers near the beaches at Salthill and at Blackrock.

The Galway Lifeboat crew were alerted at about 1.45pm by the Coast Guard and arrived at the scene just before 2pm. The crew spoke to the owners of the vessels and reminded them to keep a safe distance from the swimming areas.

On the way back to the Lifeboat station, the RNLI volunteer crew was called to rescue a boat that got into difficulty after its engine failed. The lifeboat towed the vessel to safety.

The volunteer RNLI Lifeboat crew on the callout were Helmsman Declan Killilea, Ross Forde, Cathal Bryne and Lisa McDonagh.