Six fishermen rescued off west Cork in gale force conditions
Six fishermen were rescued from a drifting boat off Castletownbere in west Cork last evening.
The RNLI responded to a mayday call to the Irish Coast Guard after the 25-metre fishing boat lost power and was drifting rapidly towards the shore.
The RNLI said time was of the essence in averting a potential tragedy.
The boat had been blown into a small area by Pipers Rock at the harbour mouth in southwesterly 8-9 gale force conditions.
The lifeboat crew quickly worked to establish a towline and remove the boat and crew from immediate danger before bringing them safely back to Castletownbere.
"Given the weather conditions and how close the fishing boat was drifting to the shore at this point, the lifeboat’s timely arrival managed to avert a potential tragedy," said Paul Stevens, Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager.
"The fishermen did the right thing in raising the alarm when they did and we would like to wish them well following what must have been a challenging experience."
