Courtmacsherry lifeboat in 8 hour rescue

The Courtmacsherry all-weather RNLI lifeboat was involved in a long eight-hour rescue yesterday.

The lifeboat was called out at 10.40am on Tuesday morning to go to the aid of a 70 foot fishing boat, after it got into difficulty 22 miles south east of the Old Head of Kinsale.

The alarm was raised by the boat after they fouled their propellers and became disabled while trawling in the area.

The 'Frederick Storey Cockburn' lifeboat got underway immediately and made its way to the stricken boat under coxsawin Seán O'Farrell and five other crew members.

They reached the fishing trawler at 11.50am and attached a tow rope to secure the boat in what they said were 'lumpy seas with a strong wind blowing and a three meter swell.'

The boat was then slowly towed back to the port of Kinsale, successfully docking at 6pm.

This was the 23rd callout of what has been a busy year for the Courtmac station.

The crew on board were coxswain Seán O'Farrell, mechanic Dave Philips and crew members Pat Lawton, Tadgh McCarthy, Evin O'Sullivan and Gearoid O'Donovan.

Voluntary duty launch authority Philip White praised the crew and said: 'it is ironic that our crew was involved in a long eight hour rescue today, at the same time that the station's new shannon class lifeboat came off the production line in Poole and the traditional bell ringing ceremony was held.'