Clifden’s volunteer lifeboat crew were called out to assist two sailors who had run into difficulty in Ballinakill Bay, near Letterfrack on Monday.
The sailors of the 10 meter yacht were two sisters who had passaged from Cardiff, Wales and had broken down in Connemara waters.
Our crew launched the all weather lifeboat, St Christopher around 10.30 yesterday morning and made their way the to scene. Daniel Whelan was in command as Coxswain, with Joe Acton, Chris Nee, Andy Bell and David O Reilly as crew.
The shore crew to launch and recover the lifeboat were Ian Shanahan and John B Mannion.
Once the vessel was located and the sailors were confirmed to be safe and well, the decision was made to establish a tow line and bring the vessel and her crew into safer waters. This was to prevent a navigational hazard in the maritime channel of Ballinakill Bay.
The yacht and her two sailors were successfully towed by Clifden RNLI and brought to a safe mooring at Cleggan harbour.
Speaking about the rescue Clifden RNLI Coxswain Daniel Whelan said this shout was a good reminder to always request help if you run into difficulty at sea.
“The weather and sea conditions are very changeable for this time of year and people should not hesitate to call for help if they are in danger. We wish the sailors well on their onward journey.
“We are very fortunate in Clifden RNLI to have massive support from our local community, in this case I’d like to thank Johnny King from Cleggan for the use of his mooring during the operation,” he said, adding that if you see someone in difficulty in the water please radio or call 999/112 for help, as they are ready to respond 24/7.
