#RNLI - Fethard RNLI had a busy weekend, with their second callout in 24 hours seeing launch to reports of an unmanned vessel drifting a half mile off Fethard in Co Wexford.
The alarm was raised before 9.30am yesterday morning (Sunday 7 August) by a member of the public who saw the vessel drifting out to sea.
The lifeboat was launched and, once on scene, discovered that the 17ft pleasure boat had dragged its moorings and become entangled in ropes from nearby lobster pots.
One of the RNLI crew got out of the lifeboat and freed the vessel from the ropes, enabling it to be taken in tow to Fethard Harbour.
Weather conditions were good with a Force 3 to 4 south-westerly breeze, and visibility was clear.
"Vessels that drag or break free of their moorings can quickly become a problem as they move into busy areas or cause an obstruction to other marine traffic," said Fethard RNLI deputy launching authority Hugh Burke.
"We don’t know who owned the vessel in question but in bringing it in to the safety of Fethard Harbour there is now no danger it will be lost or cause an accident."
The callout came a day after the lifeboat crew rescued three from a 17ft punt drifting dangerously close to the shore at Ballyteigue beach, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.