Rosslare Harbour RNLI rescues windsurfer drifting out to sea
Rosslare Harbour RNLI rescued a windsurfer who fell off his board and got into difficulty on Sunday afternoon, ending up in the water for an hour and a half.
The volunteer crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard at 1.15pm on Sunday (13 January) after a passer-by raised the alarm.
The man had fallen off his board and despite attempting to get back on, he kept getting blown off by the wind and was being swept out to sea.
The lifeboat under Coxswain Art Sheil and with six crew members onboard, launched immediately and made their way to the scene.
Weather conditions at the time were described as blowing a Force 4-5 south to south westerly wind.
On arrival, the lifeboat crew located the casualty 1.1 nautical mile offshore. The windsurfer was cold and in shock but otherwise safe and well.
He was subsequently transported onto the lifeboat where he was first assessed and then brought back to the comfort of Rosslare Harbour’s lifeboat station.
Speaking following the call out, Dave Maloney, Rosslare Harbour RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘We would like to commend the member of the public who spotted the windsurfer in difficulty and raised the alarm, that was an important factor in this call out as the man was in the water for an hour and a half. Thankfully, despite being cold and shook up, he was otherwise ok.
‘It is important to always respect the water and to be mindful that conditions at sea can change and cause problems. We would encourage people to always carry a means for calling for help such as a personal locator beacon, especially if windsurfing alone - it could be a lifesaver. Always tell someone you are going out and when you will be back. Make sure they know where you are sailing and who to call if you are not back in time.’
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