Life-jackets should be worn by people on all vessels, and not just on boats below a certain size, a jury in a double lake tragedy has recommended. Liam Horan reports.
The call came in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, yesterday after the jury found that a Swiss couple, Walter and Ruth Borner, died from hypothermia due to immersion in the cold waters of Lough Ree this summer.
Neither was wearing a life-jacket, though life-jackets were found on board their boat, Winkelried.
The popular Swiss couple, who were described by friends as "icons of the river Shannon", died in August.
The body of Mrs Borner (61) was discovered on August 9th, prompting a massive search involving over 60 divers for her husband, whose body was found by tourists on a passing cruiser on August 13th.
Mr Borner (71), a keen photographer, assembled what is thought to be an unrivalled collection of photo slides of the Shannon taken over the past 30 years.
Every spring, he would hold a slide-show for people interested in the river, selecting his best 100 photos from the 500 or more slides he taken in the previous year.
A former marketing executive with Swissair, he was one of the managing editors of The Shell Guide to the River Shannon.
Although the Borners did not die of drowning, the jury recommended that "legislation be introduced as a matter of urgency by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources that it should be mandatory that life-jackets be worn by everybody on all vessels at all times, and that it should be policed sufficiently."
The jury called for resources to be given to the Garda Water Unit to police the new law, and also recommended that "all vessels be checked on a regular basis and passed safe for use on waterways."
Mr Gary Delaney, an expert on Global Positioning Systems (GPS), told the court that GPS records from the boat showed two significant events on August 8th, the day the Borners took their boat out from its berth at Portaneena, Athlone.
The boat did two figures of eight which were consistent with a searching pattern. No conclusive evidence was given to the court, but some time later the boat drifted up the lake at a speed which would suggest no one was at the helm.
The Borners were seen leaving Portaneena on the afternoon on August 8th, with Mr Borner at the helm and Mrs Borner casting off the side of the boat.
Mr Eric Williams, Coosan Point, Athlone, knew the Borners well and saw them setting off on their fateful final journey. Describing Mr Borner driving, and Mrs Borner casting, he said: "They were very systematic about this."
An insurance report on the boat last year showed it to be in good order, but suggested a bathing ladder could be added to the side of the boat.
Coroner Mr Desmond O'Connor thanked volunteer divers from Athlone, Longford, Roscommon, Mullingar, Banagher and Lough Ree Sub-Aqua Clubs, who assisted in the five-day search for Mr Borner.