Update: The yacht was successfully lifted from the beach in Kilkee this afternoon and is currently being transported back to Norther Ireland.
The skipper of a yacht that ran aground on a beach in West Clare last week has thanked those who came to his aid and continue to offer help as he prepares to recover the vessel.
The 30ft Alikadoo had been moored in Kilkee Bay last Wednesday morning when it broke its moorings and was washed onto the beach in a matter of minutes.
Skipper Nigel Kearney and two friends were asleep on board as the drama unfolded. They awoke to realise the yacht was moving and before they could do anything, they had run aground. They were unharmed and managed to get off the vessel safely.
An effort to refloat the vessel later that day was unsuccessful however today (Tuesday) a specialist team and equipment will be brought in to lift the yacht off the beach and transport it by road by to Northern Ireland.
Nigel, who retired and on the 4th of June, had embarked on a long time mission of sailing his boat round the island of Ireland with friends and family from his home port of Bangor in County Down.
“I was in no hurry, having set aside eight weeks for the journey with a detailed plan of weekly crew replacements at various points along the way and also allowing for weather delays which are inevitable.
By the 2nd of July we had made it as far as Fenit in Co Kerry and set off from there with a very favourable light wind forecast for Kilronan in the Aran Islands. However conditions changed quite quickly and we had fairly bumpy ride around Kerry Head and Loop head with much more wind than we had expected,” Nigel explained.
“We calculated that it would be dark at our arrival time so I decided to pull in to Kilkee rather than go on to the Aran islands. Our research told us that there were local moorings laid which visiting yachts were welcome to use so we picked up one of those and settled in for the night.
Next morning we were in no rush as we had all day to get to Kilronan so we were still in bed when disaster struck and the mooring rope which had held us in place all night suddenly broke and within seconds we were on the beach sitting at a very weird angle, he said.
Nigel has been blown away by the response of the local community to his misfortune.
“Within minutes of me and my two crewmates Fred and Bob struggling ashore we were met by John from the local Coast Guard station and two council workers who quickly established that we were ok although a bit wet. They were quickly joined by Kevin Ryan, a local who was out walking and between them they brought us round to the coast guard station for a warming cup of tea.
From there it became a blur as more and more people offered help and advice. Joe Devanney who owns the Dive School and is obviously well connected was immediately on the phone and soon we had the makings of a plan to try and refloat the good ship Alikadoo,” Nigel continued.
“Paddy O’Shea brought his tractor down and lifted a half ton block of concrete from the Coast Guard station and placed it beside Alikadoo at the low water mark. We secured the boat to this and waited for the tide to come in. The plan was working and after five hours or so Alikadoo was floating again and it seemed a simple task to reboard her and motor away from danger. However just as we drove on to the beach the very substantial rope holding her snapped and she once again landed on her side on the beach, this time at the high water mark,” the skipper said.
“This was now a situation where we needed equipment and expertise that we didn’t have and I was completely blown away by the way that the whole community rallied round and offered what they could to help.
I simply don’t recall all of the names of everyone who chipped in, there were far too many and I apologise for that but one such person was Joes wife Margo who runs the cafe next door to the dive school and who appeared out of nowhere with a huge plate of sandwiches and tea and coffee while we were all sitting around scratching our heads wondering what to do next.
Then there was Hugo and a young lady whose name I didn’t catch, both instructors at the dive school who spent an hour and a half trying to reattach the boat to the concrete block. Hopefully some of the people that I have forgotten will read or listen to my story and know that their assistance was very much much appreciated.”
The yacht has remained aground in Kilkee but the plan is to lift the vessel onto a truck and transport it by road back to Co Down.
“We have a plan in place with a local team of professionals coming in to recover Alikadoo and take her by road back to Co Down. Not the way I had anticipated but relieved that everyone is safe. Meanwhile Alikadoo is becoming the most photographed boat in Ireland and is serving as something of a tourist attraction.
A thousand million thank-yous to the whole town of Kilkee and beyond for their unbelievable sense of community spirit. It is heartwarming to see in a sometimes otherwise twisted world and I will be eternally grateful to all those whom helped. I look forward to returning to Co Clare under less stressful circumstances.”
