Castletownbere RNLI rescues two sailors on 11m yacht
Castletownbere RNLI’s lifeboat was launched yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 5 July) to go to the immediate assistance of two sailors whose yacht got into difficulty off the West Cork Coast.
A couple had set out in their 11m yacht from Sneem in county Kerry yesterday morning on route to Bere Island in West Cork. In the afternoon they contacted the Irish Coast Guard’s Marine Research Coordination Centre in Valentia stating the yacht had become snagged in a lobster pot rope and was unable to manoeuvre and they requested immediate assistance.
Castletownbere’s RNLI all-weather lifeboat, Annette Hutton, was requested at 4.23pm and launched within minutes under the command of Coxswain Marney O’Donoghue with crew Dave O’Donovan, Seamus Harrington, Kyle Cronin, John William O’Donoghue and Will Power onboard.
The yacht was subsequently located between Crow Head and Blackball Head on the Beara Peninsula at 4.58pm. Coxswain O’Donoghue described the conditions on scene as having good visibility with south westerly force 4-5 winds and a 1-2m sea swell. The volunteer crew were able to free the stricken yacht with a grappling hook and take the vessel under tow. The yacht was berthed at the nearest safe port at Castletownbere Pier at 7.05pm where both sailors expressed their thanks to the crew.
Brendan O’Neill, Launching Authority at Castletownbere RNLI, stated: ‘The sailors were wise to make an immediate request for help given the worsening weather conditions this evening’.
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