Baltimore RNLI were called out this morning (Saturday, 3 June) to assist sailors after their yacht ran aground on the Ilen River in West Cork.
The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their inshore lifeboat at 9.18 am, following a request from the Irish Coast Guard to go to the assistance of a yacht which had run aground on the Ilen River.
The Baltimore lifeboat crew arrived at the yacht at 9.31 am and helm Pat O’Driscoll assessed the situation and spoke to the three sailors on board the yacht. It was agreed by both Pat O’Driscoll and the skipper of the casualty vessel that the yacht would self-float on a rising tide within a few hours and that there had been no damage done. Two of the three sailors were transferred onto the inshore lifeboat and brought ashore to the nearby boatyard that they had departed from and the lifeboat returned to the casualty vessel. Pat checked with the skipper that he was still happy to remain with the vessel, which he was as he had means of communication as well as a dinghy to reach shore if he needed to. The lifeboat then returned back to the station in Baltimore, arriving at 10.13am.
There were three volunteer crew onboard the lifeboat, Helm Pat O’Driscoll and crew members Eoin O’Driscoll and Rob O’Leary. Assisting at the lifeboat station were Jerry Smith and Marion MacFeely. Conditions during the call out were calm with a slight easterly wind.
Speaking following the call out, Baltimore Helm Pat O’Driscoll said: ‘Even the most experienced sailors can get into difficulty and we were happy to be of assistance to the yacht’s crew this morning. Should you get into difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’
