RNLI comes to aid of three people after boat gets into difficulty off coast of West Cork 

The RNLI came to the aid of three people yesterday after their boat got into difficulty off the coast of Sheep’s Head in West Cork.

The Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched to assist a 33-foot local fishing vessel after it lost its ability to manoeuvre on the north side of Sheep’s Head.

The crew had received an alert just before 12.30pm from Valentia Coastguard Maritime Coordination Rescue Centre, a spokesperson for the organisation said. 

The Coastguard requested assistance for a boat reported to be in difficulty, and Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat ‘Annette Hutton’ was launched within eight minutes.

Coxswain Dean Hegarty with crew Marney O’Donoghue, Sean ‘Bawn’ O’Sullivan, Joe Cronin, John Paul Downey, David O’Donovan and William Power were aboard the lifeboat, which arrived at the vessel just over half an hour after the call for assistance was made.

Detailing the event on their Facebook page, Castletownbere RNLI said that there were westerly force 3/4 winds at the scene with a one-metre swell.

The anchor rope on the vessel in difficulty had become entangled in the propellor, leaving the boat immobile, and after contact was made with the vessel, the decision was made to launch the lifeboat’s Y-boat with two crew members aboard in an effort to cut the rope.

The lifeboat took the vessel in tow in an effort to take the weight off the rope and the Y-boat crew successfully removed most of the rope, but a small amount remained stuck to the rudder, it outlined. 

It was decided, for safety reasons, to continue to tow the boat back to Castletownbere, and so the lifeboat and boat left the scene at 2.30pm and arrived back on shore shortly after 4pm.

The three persons onboard were safe and well, and the lifeboat was refuelled and ready for service again less than half an hour later.

The duty launching authority, Brendan O’Neill, praised the vessel for seeking assistance at an early stage and complimented the lifeboat crew for their speedy response and successful outcome.