Donaghadee RNLI launches into gale force conditions to assist fishermen
- Robert Stone
- Nov 14
- 2 min read
Friday 14 November 2025
On Thursday, 13 November, at 7:50 PM, the Donaghadee RNLI volunteer crew was called into action to assist a group of fishermen in distress.
The crew was tasked with launching the all-weather lifeboat, MacQuarie, following a Mayday request received by HM Coastguard from the skipper of a 16-meter trawler. The vessel had begun taking on water while situated approximately 2.25 nautical miles northeast of Portavogie Harbour.
The lifeboat launched into a challenging sea state, with poor visibility, 3-4 metre swells and 35 to 40 knots of wind. They proceeded to make their way south at the best speed possible given the conditions.
At around 8:30 pm, a communication from HM Coastguard relayed that the fishing trawler had successfully reached Portavogie Harbour. All individuals aboard were reported safe and unharmed, although the vessel continued to take on water. Given that other emergency services were occupied with local flooding issues, the Coastguard requested that the RNLI crew proceed to assist in pumping out the water from the distressed vessel.
Following the successful assistance at Portavogie Harbour, the RNLI crew began their return journey to Donaghadee Harbour, still battling the adverse weather. The challenging conditions extended their travel time, but they managed to arrive back at their station by 11:30 pm. The crew completed their operations, ensuring the lifeboat was ready for service once again.
Speaking following the call out, Coxswain John Ashwood commented: ‘This was indeed a call out that could have ended differently. Given the challenging sea conditions the skipper was absolutely correct to ask for assistance early and we were happy to oblige. Although we didn’t need to assist with a tow as he made his own way into harbour, we did our best to assist when on scene. This was a particularly nasty evening, and I give credit to my crew for their dedication and professionalism in going out on such an evening, particularly the newer crew for whom this was their first real experience of a sea like this.’
