A boat with one person on board fishing off Ballycotton Island got into difficulty on Saturday (26 August) when the vessel suffered engine failure and was in danger of running aground on the rocks.
At approximately 2.20pm the skipper of the seven-metre pleasure boat raised the alarm. He had dropped anchor and was trying to fix the engine issue himself. However, due to strong currents the boat was at risk of being pushing onto rocks on the island’s shore.
Ballycotton RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched promptly amid good visibility but choppy seas and a north-westerly Force 3-4 wind.
Once on scene, the lifeboat coxswain decided that the safest option was to tow the boat back to the nearest safe and suitable port.
With the towline secured, the crew of the lifeboat were able to return the boat safely to Ballycotton Pier by 3.10pm.
Commenting on the call-out, coxswain Eolan Walsh said: “Thanks to the speedy response of the volunteers, we were able to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. The person was wearing a lifejacket and had called for help as soon as they encountered difficulties.
“We would advise people to take the correct water safety advice for the activity they are taking part in and to always make sure they have a means of raising the alarm if things go wrong.”
Saturday’s call came four days after the Ballycotton lifeboat rescued five people from a rudderless yacht in challenging conditions off the East Cork coast.