Ballycotton RNLI brought four people safely to shore after a late-night rescue operation involving a motorboat with engine trouble 29 miles south of Ballycotton.
The alarm was raised at 10.12 pm on Sunday, 14 June, when Valentia Coast Guard received a request for assistance from a 14-metre pleasure craft. The vessel, carrying four crew, was on passage from Newlyn in Cornwall to Kinsale when it suffered engine failure offshore.
Following a decision by Duty Launch Authority Maíre Scanlon, Ballycotton RNLI's all-weather Trent-class lifeboat, Frederick Storey Cockburn, launched immediately.
Weather conditions deteriorated as the seven-person volunteer crew made their way to the casualty vessel. Southeast Force 5 winds, a two-metre swell and poor visibility made for a challenging passage.
The lifeboat arrived on scene at 12.10 am and established contact with the motorboat's crew. All four people on board were reported to be safe and well. However, the sea state made it unsafe to transfer them onto the lifeboat.
Coxswain Eolan Walsh decided the safest option was to take the vessel under tow. A towline was established, and by 12.35 am the lifeboat began the slow return journey to Ballycotton. The operation concluded at 5.30 am, when the motorboat was safely brought into harbour.
After securing the casualty vessel, the lifeboat crew washed down and refuelled the lifeboat before returning it to operational readiness.
Maíre Scanlon praised the volunteer crew's response. "We are grateful to the number of crew that were available last night and their continued commitment to saving lives at sea," she said. "Fortunately for the crew of the motorboat, we were able to get them to safety, and all ended well."
Coxswain Eolan Walsh was joined on the call-out by navigator Eolan Breathnach and volunteer crew members Adrian Erangey, Síle Scanlon, Áine Flynn, Ronan Lynch and Johannes Reiher.
