Two sailors were rescued in separate overnight incidents off St John’s Point after getting into difficulty in challenging conditions. Newcastle and Kilkeel RNLI launched shortly before midnight on Friday after Belfast Coastguard received reports of a yacht aground and taking on water on the western side of St John’s Point Lighthouse in Dundrum Bay.
Newcastle RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat launched at 12.13am under helm Locky Leneghan with crew Caoimhe Conor, Brendan Rooney and Declan Barry onboard. Due to the location and weather conditions, Kilkeel RNLI’s newly operational Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat was also tasked to assist. The new lifeboat, Bobby Cameron, was previously reported by Afloat.
Search conditions proved difficult, with darkness, strong south-to-south-easterly winds, and a swell of up to 1.5 metres. While crews searched for the first casualty, Belfast Coastguard received a second 999 call from another lone sailor in the area who had become disoriented and was unable to make progress under their own power.
The search for the first sailor intensified after a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) was activated. The beacon placed the casualty around 1.5 nautical miles west of their last known position.
Newcastle RNLI located the yacht drifting in shallow water towards rocks off Minerstown Beach. Following a risk assessment, the crew decided the safest option was to evacuate the sailor onto the lifeboat.
The casualty was described as cold and exhausted and was transferred to the care of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service before being taken to hospital for observation.
Meanwhile, Kilkeel RNLI's Shannon-class lifeboat, under Coxswain Gerald Sharkey, located the second sailor a short distance offshore. The crew found the sailor exhausted and disoriented, while the yacht was at risk of being driven ashore by the strong winds. A crew member was transferred onto the yacht before a tow was established to bring the vessel safely to Kilkeel Harbour. The operation was completed shortly before 5 a.m.
Newcastle and Kilkeel Coastguard teams assisted both casualties ashore.
Speaking afterwards, Kilkeel RNLI Coxswain Gerald Sharkey praised both lifeboat crews. "We want to wish both sailors well following their ordeal on Friday night into the early hours of Saturday morning," he said.
"For this to be the first call out on the Shannon, which only hours earlier had officially gone on service, the crew at Kilkeel RNLI deserve great credit for how they managed and navigated the challenges they were presented with." He added, "The crew used their training and put their skills into action and did a fantastic job."
