
Rosslare Harbour RNLI re-floats sailing yacht which runs aground
Rosslare Harbour RNLI was requested by the Irish Coast Guard at 11.28 am today (Wednesday 17 May) to go to the aid of two sailors after their yacht ran aground.
The volunteer crew launched the all-weather lifeboat at 11.50am and reached the scene at 12.13pm.
The sea was flat calm in a light wind. There was a mist with visibility at six miles.
The 35ft long-keel sailing yacht with a man and woman onboard had run aground on the east side of the Moneyweights Bank, north of the Blackwater Bank.
As the tide was just starting to rise, the lifeboat was unable to pull alongside the yacht. A decision was made to launch the lifeboat's small inflatable Y-boat with two crew onboard who on further assessment of the situation and consultation with the crew, then worked to establish a tow line which was attached and the vessel was re-floated into deeper waters at 1.05pm.
The lifeboat crew stood by until the skipper checked the integrity of his yacht and was content to proceed.
The lifeboat returned to the station at 1.50pm.
Deputy Launch Authority for the call out was Tony Kehoe. The crew included Coxswain Keith Miller, mechanic Mick Nicholas and crew members Keith Morris, Dave McCusker, Mitch Hewitt and Paul McCormack.
Speaking following the call out, Rosslare RNLI crew member Keith Miller said: 'We were delighted to help bring the sailors to safety today. We would remind everyone of the importance of being aware of tidal conditions when sailing. We would also encourage people to always carry a means of communication such as a VHF radio or mobile phone and should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.'
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