THE Baltimore volunteer lifeboat crew was called out to assist in the rescue of a 25ft yacht near Crookhaven on Sunday, writes Kieran O’Mahony.
The skipper and sole occupant of the yacht had raised the alarm after experiencing difficulties trying to make their way back to Crookhaven in strong winds.
‘As he was making his way under motor towards the port he got propped on a line and with wind, tide and weather against him, sailing became difficult,’ said Kate Callanan, Baltimore RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer.
The Baltimore all-weather lifeboat was launched at 8.10pm following a request from the Irish Coast Guard and arrived at the vessel at 8.52pm.
The lifeboat passed a tow to the yacht and the lifeboat and casualty vessel were under way by 9.05pm arriving at Crookhaven Harbour at 9.52pm.
There were seven volunteer crew onboard the lifeboat, coxswain Aidan Bushe, mechanic Micheal Cottrell and crew members Jerry Smith, Eoin Ryan, Stuart Musgrave, Emma Geary and Maria Coleman, with Brendan Cottrell assisting at the station.
Conditions at sea during the call were rough with an easterly force five wind and a 1.5m sea swell. Visibility was poor, less than one mile, due to mist and fog.
Speaking after the callout ended safely press officer Kate Callanan said: ‘The sailor did the right thing in calling for assistance before it got dark, and we were happy to be able to help him.
‘Should you get into difficulty at sea,you should call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’
