Eight needed rescuing after incident at Ring harbour

BY BRIAN MOORE

EIGHT people had to be rescued from an angling boat which had damaged steering gear after a collision with a sand spit in Ring Harbour.

Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG), at a Municipal District meeting in Skibbereen, said that he had received a telephone call from the skipper of the angling boat the day after the incident to complain about the build up of silt in the middle of the channel in Ring harbour.   

‘Ring harbour is becoming a danger to the many boats and other craft using the channel,’ Cllr O’Sullivan said. ‘There was an old groin that prevented sand and silt from gathering in the channel that allows access to and from the harbour. This groin was damaged last year and since then the channel is filling with sand.’

Cllr O’Sullivan went on to say that the collision with the sand bar, in the middle of the channel, took place during high tide.

‘If nothing is done, and repairs to the groin need to be undertaken immediately, then in a very short time no boats will be able to tie-up to the pier at Ring,’ Cllr O’Sullivan said. 

The councillor also said that there was too much time spent on what he sees as unnecessary procedures and paperwork.

‘While I agree that with any new development all the proper procedures must be followed, this is an existing structure. 

‘We don’t have time for an Environmental Impact Statement of any of the other procedures in this case.

 ‘And Ring isn’t the only harbour or inlet that is in need of attention but if nothing is done then Ring harbour will be dry land in the not too distance future.’

Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said that this was a very serious incident in Ring Harbour and it was fortunate that nobody was injured.

‘Cork County Council must recognise the importance of the many channels and inlets along the West Cork coast line,’ Cllr Carroll said.