Newcastle RNLI came to the aid of two sailors on Friday afternoon (19 July) after their catamaran got into difficulty in Newcastle Bay.
The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by Belfast Coastguard at 4.21 pm and go to the aid of those onboard the vessel, which had been at anchor in the bay, close to the lifeboat station. The vessel encountered difficulties when it began to drag its anchor and the sailors were unable to retrieve it.
The D class lifeboat helmed by Karl Brannigan and with crew members Andrew Lynas and Ciaran Leneghan onboard, launched immediately and made its way the short distance to the scene.
Weather conditions at the time of launching were challenging with a wind blowing up to force 5 and a considerable swell.
On arrival, the crew observed the two onboard were safe and well but on assessing the situation, noticed that along with the catamaran dragging its anchor, the vessel had also encountered propulsion problems and was about to run aground in the current sea state. To ensure the safety of those onboard, a decision was made to establish a tow and bring the vessel and her crew into safer waters.
The lifeboat entered the swell and the crew proceeded to pass a tow line to the sailors. With a towline established, the lifeboat was then able to make slow headway with the crew instructing the skipper to cut the anchor line at the critical moment. The boat was then moved into safer waters, allowing the sailors to start their engine and raise the mainsail so they could make safe onward progress.
Speaking following the call out, Dave Bowden, Newcastle RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: ‘The sailors did the right thing in raising the alarm when they knew they were in difficulty as without help and with the sea conditions at the time, the vessel was likely to run aground. Conditions at sea were difficult for the lifeboat crew, given the swell".
