Howth RNLI rescue family of seven from sailboat aground

The RNLI pagers sounded at 3.10pm on Sunday 25^th April 2021 to reports of a sailing vessel aground off the west side of Irelands eye. The all weather lifeboat was launched and located the stricken sailing yacht with seven family crew members onboard. The yacht was hard aground and the inshore lifeboat was launched to navigate the shallow water around the stricken vessel.

The volunteer lifeboat crew took five members of the family aboard, the mother and four of the children and transferred them to the all weather lifeboat where they were checked out. All were in in good spirits and returned to the safety of Howth Marina.

The volunteer lifeboat crew checked for damage to the stricken yacht and suggested that the Father and eldest family member remain aboard until the next high tide which was 11.30pm later that evening and the yacht would float free with no damage.

The Howth RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain; Fred Connolly remained in phone contact with the skipper of the yacht over the remaining hours awaiting high tide.

The yacht refloated just after 8.00pm and returned safely under it’s own power.

Speaking following the callout, Fred Connolly, Howth RNLI Lifeboat Coxwain said: ‘Our volunteer lifeboat crew are always ready to respond to a call for help and we train for situations just like this. We were delighted to able to quickly locate the sailing boat, remove some of the family members and keep in contact with the skipper while the high tide returned and the yacht refloated safely”

The RNLI continues to provide an on call 24/7 search and rescue lifeboat service. To ensure peoples’ own safety in or on the water please adhere to the relevant water safety guidance for your activity. More information can be found at www.rnli.org/safety

ENDS

Notes to editors

· Howth RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since 1862.

· (Howth Lifeboat station was established prior to 1825 and was taken over by the Institution in 1862 from the Dublin Ballast Board) To learn more about the lifeboat station go to http://rnli.org/findmynearest/station/Pages/Howth-Lifeboat-Station.aspx

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Noel Davidson, Howth RNLI Lifeboat Station volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 086 2599531 or [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 or [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or [email protected]

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For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, the charity has saved over 142,200 lives.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.