Emergency services on Lough Derg appear to have been despatched on a hoax call over the weekend.
Valentia Coastguard raised the alarm at around 8.15 on Saturday evening after receiving a call from a yachtsman who said he had gotten lost on the lake.
He claimed to have set out from Garrykennedy and travelled for 10 miles before contacting the coastguard on VHF radio – a lengthy search of the lake found no sign of the vessel.
Officers at Valentia had questioned the veracity of the call but Lough Derg RNLI spokesperson Eleanor Hooker says they will always respond to an SOS.
The lifeboat volunteer says it's unlikely the yachtsman had made his way to safety by himself and not informed the coastguard.
According to Eleanor Hooker it’s not unusual for people to contact Valentia Coastguard before setting off to tell them of their planned route on the lake.
