Islay Coastguards

I've wanted to post the following story, printed in the Ileach early August, about the coastguards for quite some time now. Not in the last place because I almost needed them myself at a certain point. It's therefore a comforting thought to know that when you're out and about on Islay and something might happen to you, there are always trained people to help you. The story is titled "Coastguards do a difficult job"

Being a coastguard can be a pretty thankless task - most callouts involve hours of difficult work in all weathers, and while great satisfaction must ensue when the job ends in a successful rescue, all too often stories involving Coastguards do not have a happy ending. Those of us fortunate enough to never have had to recover a body from the sea can have little idea of the stresses involved. Continue reading.....

Port Charlotte Coastguards had a busy time in the last week of July responding to two calls. One turned out to be a routine operation helping a man who had been injured in a fall from rocks onto Port Charlotte beach and who had to be evacuated in a Scottish Air ambulance. No problems there. Earlier in the week however, on Tuesday 21st July, they had been called out following a report from a member of the public who said that a small boat had capsized in Loch Indaal and there were four people in the water.

Controllers at Clyde Coastguard asked for assistance from boats in the area, to which a local fishing vessel responded, and launched Portrush lifeboat, which is actually closer to Loch Indaal than the Islay lifeboat based in Port Askaig. The fishing boat reached the scene first and found that the boat had been righted and that the four people, two adults and two teenage girls, one of whom had never sailed before, were all safely back aboard. The fishing boat then escorted them back to their home mooring. Unfortunately, the coastguards who met the sailors on their return to dry land were told in robust, some would say impolite, terms that there had never been a problem and that their assistance was not, and never had been required.

Coastguards are concerned that, given the potential for these circumstances, members of the public might think twice before calling them. This should never be the case. It is the Coastguard’s responsibility to make the judgment about whether they should respond to information received and members of the public are asked to always call the emergency services immediately if they believe there is danger to life or limb.

Tag: coastguard air ambulance rescue

This story was published with kind permission of the Ileach local newspaper.