The Baltimore RNLI received a call to assist a yacht with one person onboard that encountered trouble off the coast of Baltimore, West Cork, on Monday 30 September. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 8:42pm after a request from the Irish Coast Guard to aid a 52-foot yacht located 8 miles southeast of Baltimore. The skipper of the yacht had raised the alarm following an onboard accident.
The Baltimore all-weather lifeboat crew arrived at the yacht at 9:09pm. Volunteer crew members Maria Coleman and Emma Geary were immediately put aboard the yacht to assist the lone sailor. Coxswain Pat Collins assessed the situation and decided that, due to the sea state and the skipper's injury, a tow was necessary. The lifeboat passed a tow to the yacht, and the two vessels were underway by 9:40pm. The lifeboat then proceeded to Baltimore Harbour, the nearest safe port, arriving at 10:48pm. The skipper was handed over to the care of the HSE ambulance staff waiting on the pier in Baltimore. Once the yacht was secured at the pier, the lifeboat returned to the station, arriving at 11:10pm.
There were seven volunteer crew members onboard the lifeboat: Coxswain Pat Collins, mechanic Cathal Cottrell, and crew members Colin Whooley, Maria Coleman, Don O’Donovan, Emma Geary, and Kieran O’Driscoll. Sea conditions during the call were choppy, with a northeast wind of force 3-4 and a 2m sea swell.