Courtmacsherry RNLI comes to aid of two people on 48ft yacht in difficulty
Courtmacsherry RNLI was alerted this evening (Sunday 7 August) at 7.30pm by Valentia Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre, that a 48ft yacht with two onboard had got into difficulties 4.5 miles off the Seven Heads coastline near Clonakilty Bay and required assistance.
Within minutes of the crew pagers being activated, the station’s all-weather Trent Class lifeboat Frederick Storey Cockburn under Coxswain Sean O'Farrell and a crew of six, was launched and headed to the scene of the alert.
Just after 8.15pm, the lifeboat located the yacht with two crew onboard and after assessing the situation, a decision was made to secure a tow line to the vessel and tow the yacht, which had encountered mechanical difficulties on its passage from New Ross to Clifton, back to the nearest port of Courtmacsherry.
The lifeboat arrived safely to port just after 10pm and the casualty was placed at a mooring in the lower harbour as the Courtmacsherry Pontoon is undergoing a major dredging operation that commenced last Friday.
Vincent O'Donovan, Courtmacsherry RNLI Deputy Launching Authority said: 'It was great to see the quick reaction of our volunteers on this busy summer evening, who dropped whatever they were at and rushed to the station in order to help other in danger. It’s been a long day for most of these volunteers as they also took part earlier in the day in a major multi-agency search and rescue exercise off Broadstrand in Courtmacsherry Bay.'
The Courtmacsherry lifeboat crew this evening were Coxswain Sean O'Farrell, mechanic Dave Philips and crew members Ken Cashman, Kieran Boyle, Donal Young, Ciaran Hurley and Denis Murphy.
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