Yacht tragedy averted in the first rescue of its kind for Courtmacsherry RNLI 

Courtmacsherry RNLI rescued the crew of a 29ft yacht after it came into difficulty 69 miles south of the Old Head of Kinsale.

The yacht suffered mast, power and mechanical difficulties before the alarm was raised just before midnight last night.

The Valentia Coastguard was alerted shortly before midnight by fishing vessel Harvest Reaper II after flares were spotted in the vicinity.

Courtmacsherry RNLI were tasked and arrived at the scene at approximately 4am this morning. Coxswain Mark Gannon spearheaded the Courtmacsherry RNLI operation which involved five other crew members.

A tow was established with the lifeboat and yacht arriving in Courtmacsherry at 2pm today. The two crew members of the yacht are said to be relieved to have been saved amid deteriorating sea and weather conditions.

 Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Operations Manager Brian O Dwyer reiterated the importance of preventative safety measures.

 “It is not very often that Red Flares are the means of distress communications these days and the importance of having these on board the yacht was ever so important this morning", he said. 

"It was great to see voluntary crews and officers arrive quickly at midnight within minutes of their bleepers being activated in order to help others in distress at sea. We are so proud of how our new Shannon Class Lifeboat performed in this, our longest callout, in over a decade and in very poor conditions” 

Divisional Controller at Valentia Coast Guard, John Draper also extended his congratulations to Courtmacsherry RNLI on the successful mission. The incident is believed to be the first such operation of its kind conducted by Courtmacsherry RNLI since its introduction to the new Shannon class, All Weather Lifeboat (ALB).

Those witnessing anyone in trouble, either in the water or along the coast, are being advised to dial 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.