Drifting motorboat
Oban Lifeboat was tasked by Stornoway Coastguard shortly before 11.15pm last night (Saturday) to investigate following a report from a person on a vessel in one of the anchorages at the Garvellach Islands of a small motorboat drifting near them
The person said that they had not been able to see if there was anyone onboard the vessel before it drifted out of sight in the darkness
Oban Lifeboat launched and proceeded to the area where the volunteer crew calculated the motorboat would have drifted to, and quickly located the vessel. By this time, the motorboat, which was unoccupied and was dragging its anchor, had drifted onto the rocks at the entrance to the anchorage.
The boat was secured alongside the lifeboat and its anchor lifted. The lifeboat crew then brought the vessel back into the anchorage and reset the anchor.
Speaking to the first informant, the crew were able to establish that the casualty vessel’s owners were camping on the island for the night having gone ashore in a small dingy.
With the motorboat anchored securely, Oban Lifeboat stood down, returning to station by 2am.
Earlier on Saturday, Oban Lifeboat had been called to assist a sailor who had become unwell.
The volunteer crew were paged at 7.30am to go to a yacht anchored in Puilladobhrain on the north coast of Seil.
Two members of the crew transferred to the yacht to help the other person aboard to bring the vessel to Oban, while the lifeboat brought the casualty ashore.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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