'It was a scary moment': Cork man details remarkable rescue from burning yacht

“A REMARKABLE rescue” in Cork made national airwaves on Tuesday as Mick Hoey told Joe Duffy on RTÉ One Liveline about saving a sailor’s life after his yacht caught fire near Myrtleville on Monday.

Mick Hoey and crewman Cian saved yachtsman Alan Mulcahy from a burning 26-foot yacht after he saw the vessel go up in flames while out fishing.

Talking to Joe, Mick said he saw the boat alight out of the corner of his eye but said he didn’t instantly register what was after happening.

“I turned around and it was almost immediately as it happened I saw it, but it didn’t fully register, I thought it might have been a diesel engine pumping out black smoke or something. I looked again and I realised it was time to move.” 

This is the boat Alan Mulcahy was sailing in when it got fire - Mick Hoey @joeliveline is the man who saved Alan's life #liveline pic.twitter.com/JcjwCtWd7r

— Liveline (@rteliveline) December 14, 2021

Mick said he was between five to ten minutes away from the burning yacht and he made a beeline for it.

“Other fishing boats were heading for him too I just happened to be closest,” Mick told Liveline listeners.

Mick said he couldn’t see Alan Mulcahy, who was sailing the boat at the time as he approached but when he got to 20 yards away, they both saw each other and Alan jumped on board.

The fisherman, who has been working at sea for 45 years said, the boat wasn’t far from being engulfed in flames when he took Alan onboard.

“I came right up beside him, I wasn’t too worried about banging off the side of him. My biggest fear was the diesel engine exploding. I said to Cian, who was beside me, this was a one-shot thing, we would go in and get him off and the man on the boat, Alan, he said to me after, it wasn’t diesel and I kind of relaxed a bit, but it was a hairy enough moment.” Mick told Joe the thoughts that were going through his mind as he headed for the burning yacht.

“I was thinking this is a dangerous situation alright. He jumped on my boat, he was very calm about it, that was another thing that was very important, everyone just focused on the job that had to be done.” 

The experienced fisherman said the whole thing happened out of the blue.

“He looked fine to me sailing down, he looked grand.” 

Chatting to Joe, Mick said he was delighted no one was hurt.

“It went according to plan, I was really pleased.

 "About two minutes after I got him off the boat went up in flames. It was a scary moment, there is no two ways about it.” 

Reflecting on the rescue, Mick said he was glad Alan was calm in the heat of the moment.

“It was a relief to see him up on the nose of the boat, he was ready to rock and roll.

“My concern at that moment was something would blow up, it was after getting intense at that stage.”