Dunmore East RNLI launched yesterday (Tuesday June 11) in what turned out to be a nine-hour mission to assist a 24m fishing trawler with six crew on board.
The vessel had suffered a fouled propeller 40 miles south of the Co Waterford village — meaning a lengthy round-trip for the volunteer crew of the Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald that began at 8.40am.
Yet despite the time — and some difficult weather at sea — there were few complications in the long tow with the strict vessel back to the safety of Dunmore East harbour, where they arrived just before 6pm.
“It was a long day for our volunteer crew and the conditions offshore today were challenging, which highlights the value of the training our crews conduct on a regular basis,” said lifeboat coxswain Roy Abrahamsson.