Courtmacsherry RNLI's all-weather Shannon-class lifeboat Val Adnams launched twice on Tuesday, June 23, responding to separate incidents off the West Cork coast. The first call came at 8.16 am when Valentia Coast Guard's Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre was alerted by a passing vessel that had spotted a 32ft yacht drifting near the Seven Heads coastline.
The yacht's sails were flapping, and no one was visible on deck, prompting concerns for the safety of those aboard.
Under Coxswain Ken Cashman, the lifeboat and a crew of five launched within 10 minutes and arrived on scene at 8.46 am. A detailed assessment established that the yacht was being sailed single-handed by a French sailor who was below deck. The sailor did not require assistance, and the lifeboat returned to station, arriving back at its mooring at 9.20 am.
The crew of Courtmacsherry RNLI's first callout of the day, under Coxswain Ken Cashman, launched to investigate reports of a drifting yacht off the Seven Heads coastline. Photo: Vincent O Donovan
As temperatures continued to rise during what became one of the warmest days of the year, the pagers sounded again at 2.52 pm. A 30ft fishing boat with two people aboard had reported steering failure off the Seven Heads coastline.
The RNLI crew launched again under Coxswain Cashman and reached the casualty vessel at 3.15 pm. After assessing the situation, the crew decided it was prudent to tow the fishing boat. The lifeboat and the disabled vessel arrived safely at Courtmacsherry Pier at 4.20 pm.
The second Courtmacsherry RNLI crew of the day, under Coxswain Ken Cashman and joined by volunteer Launch Authority Mark Maguire, responded to a fishing boat that had lost steering off West Cork. Photo: Vincent O Donovan
Station Launch Authority Mark Maguire praised the volunteer crew's response. "It was great to have so many crewmembers respond quickly to today's callouts on one of the year's warmest days," he said.
The callouts were Maguire's first since becoming one of the station's Launch Authorities. He is also a serving captain on an ocean-going container ship. Crew involved in the two launches included Coxswain Ken Cashman, Mechanic Stuart Russell and crewmembers Kevin Young, Denis Murphy, Dave Philips, Luke Hanley, Ian McCarthy and Taylor Murphy.
