‘Terrible conditions’ during 17-hour sea rescue

‘Terrible conditions’ during 17-hour sea rescue


Ciara Galvin

LIFEBOAT crew with Achill Island RNLI successfully battled rough sea conditions last week in a 17 hour rescue of a fishing vessel and its five occupants.
After a marathon callout to the fishing vessel, which was in trouble 54 miles from the west of Achill Island, the RNLI brought the vessel and its five crew safely to shore in the early hours of last Friday morning.
The 22-metre fishing vessel raised the alarm just before 11am on Thursday morning. The trawler’s nets, which were being hauled in, had become entangled in the boats propellers, stopping them from turning. Sea conditions were poor, with force seven to eight wind and four- to six-metre sea swells.
The lifeboat arrived on scene in three hours and set about establishing a tow between them and the casualty vessel. Once the tow was established, the lifeboat crew started on the long journey back to shore at the slow speed of five to six knots.
The poor conditions and the damaged propellers and jammed rudder meant that steering the vessel was problematic, and the tow broke twice during the journey and had to be re-established by the lifeboat crew.
The Achill Island lifeboat arrived back to the coast with the casualty vessel at 4am on Friday last, but was unable to bring it safely to shore due to the tide. The vessel was subsequently moored outside the harbour and after a few hours rest, the return effort started up again at 7am, and the boat was brought safely inside the harbour.
Commenting on the callout, Achill Island RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Tom Honeyman, said it was an extremely tough rescue, even though the lifeboat crew was experienced. “This was a very challenging callout,” he said. “Due to the terrible weather, the seven crew members onboard the lifeboat had to keep a constant watch on the vessel. When the tow broke twice they had be on deck in terrible conditions to ensure it was re-established quickly.”
The Lifeboat Operations Manager described the RNLI crew as ‘an incredible bunch of people’, adding that some of them only got a few hours sleep before having to go to their jobs.
“The lifeboat is so important to communities such as ours in Achill and the people who volunteer for the service are a credit to the RNLI,” he concluded.