A lone sailor was rescued this afternoon after their 25-foot sailing boat ran aground and began taking on water off the North Clare coast.
The vessel got into difficulty near Aughinish, located on the south shore of Galway Bay off New Quay.
Members of the Galway RNLI lifeboat had been at their station in Galway Docks preparing for a planned exercise when they were alerted by the Irish Coast Guard. The volunteer crew had just launched their lifeboat so were able to respond without delay to the scene about 15 minutes away.
On arrival at the casualty vessel, a lifeboat crew member transferred on board to check on the welfare of the sailor and the condition of the boat. The sailor was found to be safe and well, wearing their lifejacket and had dropped anchor. However, as the boat was taking on water the crew decided to take the sailor on board the lifeboat as a safety measure.
The lifeboat crew then brought the sailor to a nearby harbour to get ashore safely.
Galway RNLI Launch Authority Peter Navan said: ‘The sea conditions were moderate this afternoon with some wind and the visibility was poor. Despite this the lifeboat and crew were able to cross Galway Bay to the south shore in good time. We knew from the Coast Guard that a sailing boat had gone aground and was taking on water so there was no time to waste. Luckily we had the lifeboat and crew already on the water when the call came in which really helped to speed things up.
‘The crew’s assessment of the condition of the sailing boat was that it wasn’t safe to tow and as it wasn’t near the shipping channel or in any danger to other boats or water users it was left on anchor. Our priority is always the welfare of the casualty and our crew and making sure they all get home safely.
‘Today was an example of the importance of having the means of communicating with you at all times when on the water. And also to call for help when you get into trouble and not wait to see if things improve. The sailor did the right thing by making the call to the Coast Guard once the boat went aground which meant that we were able to get the lifeboat and crew ready and heading to the casualty boat in good time in order to rescue the sailor.
‘In addition the sailor was wearing a lifejacket and had dropped the anchor which was the right thing to do. Our advice is to use an anchor in an emergency. It can prevent you from drifting and make it easier for our crew to find you. Always have an anchor suitable for your boat and practise using it so that it is second nature if you need to anchor in an emergency.
The operation was coordinated by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre on Valentia Island in Kerry.
Meanwhile, today’s tasking happened to be the first shout for Galway RNLI’s new helm James Rattigan and while not straightforward it was nothing that his training hadn’t prepared him for.