Six people were rescued from a yacht after a dramatic seven-hour rescue operation by the RNLI in brutal gale-force conditions at sea.
The crew of Red Bay RNLI launched after the crew of a 46ft yacht got into difficulty off the coast of Cushendall, Northern Ireland, and sent out a Mayday while on a passage from Oban in Scotland to Portugal.
Vessel lost power and steering
Belfast Coastguard received the emergency message from the stricken vessel which had lost all power and steering after making contact with a fish farm in Red Bay in 60-knot winds, becoming trapped.
The RNLI lifeboat under Coxswain Paddy McLaughlin and with five crew members onboard launched at 3.22am this morning and made its way the short distance to the scene. The inshore lifeboat from Red Bay RNLI also launched to assist.
Difficult conditions throughout the call-out
Weather conditions were difficult throughout the call-out, with force nine gusting winds, driving rain, and the darkness of night.
Once on scene, the RNLI crew found that all onboard were safe but trapped due to the yacht having got entangled on the fish cages, reported BelfastLive.
Given the difficult weather and sea conditions, the Coxswain made the decision that the safest course of action was for the sailors to remain onboard the yacht and for the lifeboat to stand by until daylight broke at 7:30am.
Yacht freed and sailors brought to safety
At 9:30am, the lifeboat crew successfully freed the yacht from the fish farm and brought the sailors safely to Glenarm, where they arrived at 10am and were assisted by Larne Coastguard.
Speaking following the call out, Mr McLaughlin said: "This was a challenging call out in difficult weather conditions, but we were delighted to bring the sailors to safety, and we would like to wish them well."
"We would also like to commend our colleagues in the Coastguard and thank our crew who responded quickly in the middle of the night, launched our lifeboats in darkness and made their way to the scene in what were gale force conditions, and for then spending seven hours at sea."
"This shout was a great example of the selfless and dedicated efforts of volunteers who used their skills and training to bring six people to safety in what was a challenging operation."
