In an Easter sea rescue operation, the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat 'Annette Hutton' was launched to assist a local fishing vessel that had lost its ability to manoeuvre on the north side of Sheep's Head.
The lifeboat received an alert at 12.29 on Good Friday from Valentia Coastguard Maritime Coordination Rescue Centre requesting assistance for a boat reported to be in difficulty. The Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat, manned by Coxswain Dean Hegarty with crew Marney O’Donoghue, Sean ‘Bawn’ O’Sullivan, Joe Cronin, David O’Donovan, and William Power, was launched within eight minutes.
The weather on-scene was described as Westerly Force 3/4 winds and a one-metre swell. The boat could not manoeuvre as the anchor rope had become entangled in the propellor. Contact was made with the vessel and the decision was made to launch the lifeboat's Y-boat with two crew aboard to cut off the rope from the propellor.
Simultaneously, the lifeboat took the vessel in tow in an effort to take the weight off the rope, and the Y-boat crew successfully removed most of the rope and freed the boat. However, a small amount of rope remained stuck to the rudder, and it was decided, for safety reasons, to continue to tow the boat back to Castletownbere.
The lifeboat, with the boat in tow, left the scene at 14.34 and arrived back to port by 16.07. The three persons onboard were safe and well. The lifeboat was refuelled and ready for service again by 16.28.
The duty Launching Authority, Brendan O’Neill, praised the vessel for seeking assistance at an early stage and complimented the lifeboat crew for their speedy response and successful outcome.