A Galway RNLI lifeboat crew rescued a lone sailor after a 25ft yacht ran aground and began taking on water on the south shore of Galway Bay on Sunday. The volunteer crew was tasked by the Coast Guard shortly before midday with assisting the sailor whose vessel had run aground near Aughinish.
The crew of Eoin Carey, Máirtín Folan, Leo Branagan and helm James Rattigan were already afloat on a planned training exercise when the call came in. They reached the casualty vessel in about 15 minutes. One crew member boarded the yacht to assess the sailor's welfare and inspect the vessel.
Although the sailor was uninjured, the yacht was taking on water. The decision was made to transfer the casualty to the lifeboat as a precaution before bringing them safely ashore at a nearby harbour. The yacht was not towed.
RNLI Launch Authority Peter Navan said the crew determined the vessel was unsafe to tow. As it was anchored clear of the shipping channel and posed no danger to other water users, it was left in position.
"We knew from the Coast Guard that a sailing boat had gone aground and was taking on water so there was no time to waste," Navan said. "Luckily we had the lifeboat and crew already on the water when the call came in, which really helped to speed things up."
Navan praised the sailor's actions after the grounding.
"The sailor did the right thing by making the call to the Coast Guard once the boat went aground," he said. "In addition, the sailor was wearing a lifejacket and had dropped the anchor, which was the right thing to do."
He urged anyone heading afloat to carry a suitable anchor and be familiar with its use in an emergency, adding that calling for help early can make a significant difference to the outcome of an incident.
Navan also noted that the incident marked the first operational call for new Galway RNLI helm James Rattigan.
"It was not straightforward but nothing that his training hadn't prepared him for," he said.
