Three crew on board a yacht which experienced difficulty off Inishbofin, North Connemara, were rescued by the RNLI Clifden crew on Saturday evening writes Lorna Siggins
The yacht had been on passage to Inishbofin when its dinghy broke loose, according to Clifden RNLI.
One of the yacht’s three crew jumped aboard it but found that that the dinghy’s engine would not start, and was then stranded as the yacht had no motor power.
Clifden’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat was launched first by shore crewman John Heffernan, who then also launched the boarding boat to the Mersey Class all-weather lifeboat Fisherman’s Friend, according to Clifden RNLI press officer Catherine Pryce.
“On the way, the lifeboats received an update that another yacht had managed to get to the crew man’s aid and passed the dinghy back to the yacht,” she said.
“ However, when the Atlantic 85 arrived on the scene, it broke free from the assisting yacht once again,” Ms Pryce said.
The lifeboat retrieved the dinghy, but weather conditions were force 5 to 6 and deteriorating and the yacht’s VHF was not functioning. The yacht crew agreed to return to Inishbofin, under tow.
Clifden RNLI’s all-weather coxswain James Mullen was assisted by crew David O Reilly, Ashling Sweeney, Thomas Davis, Ian Shanahan and Michael Carey. The Atlantic 85 was helmed by Joe Acton, with Kenneth Flaherty and Chris Nee also on crew.
The incident was the second in a busy week for Clifden RNLI, which took delivery of its new Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat last Wednesday.
A man whose leg got trapped on the Connemara shoreline during a rising tide was brought to safety in a multi-agency rescue involving RNLI Clifden, the Irish Coast Guard’s Cleggan unit and Sligo helicopter last Thursday evening (Aug 1).
