24/04/2019

RNLI Rescues Yacht After Crew Fall Ill On Journey To Belfast

The RNLI's Red Bay lifeboats were launched early this morning when a yacht travelling to Belfast got into difficulty when its crew fell ill.

The 28ft yacht was on passage from Oban in Scotland and experienced challenging sea conditions, causing the five-person crew to be unable to safely command the vessel.

The RNLI squads were scrambled to assist after the yacht raised the alarm at around 8.30am this morning, Wednesday 24 April.

Both Red Bay lifeboats were launched, and when on scene two lifeboat crew were put aboard the yacht to bring it back to Cushendall, escorted by the RNLI boats. Once on land, the crew of the yacht received medical assistance from paramedics.

The yacht's anchor had also been dragging the vessel throughout the night. Sea conditions off the Antrim coast today were described by the lifeboat crew as "challenging" due to rolling seas created by easterly winds.

Commenting on the early morning callout, Red Bay RNLI Coxswain Paddy McLaughlin said: "Conditions off the Antrim coast this morning are quite challenging, with rolling seas and easterly winds. This would have been a difficult passage for the crew, and they made the right call when they raised the alarm. With the anchor dragging, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the crew to continue their journey and the motion of the vessel would have severely hampered their attempts."

The rescue was coordinated by Belfast coastguard, while land-based teams from Ballycastle and Larne also attended.



(JG/CM)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

08 July 2016
Four People Rescued From Yacht Off Antrim Coast
Four people have been rescued after the yacht they were travelling in got into difficulty off the Antrim coast. Belfast Coastguard asked Larne RNLI to launch both their all-weather and inshore lifeboats after it was reported that a large yacht had sustained engine failure a mile north east of Muck Island at around 6.30pm on Thursday, 07 July.
03 August 2015
Three Rescued After Boat Capsizes Off Calf Island
Three people have been rescued after their boat capsized off Calf Island, at the northern end of Strangford Lough on Sunday. The three men had been out on an 11ft Dory when it broke down and capsized leaving them to make their way to the nearby Calf Island and raise the alarm.
03 September 2013
L'Derry Crew Begin World Yacht Race
The Derry-Londonderry-Doire entry in the world's longest ocean yacht race has been waved off from the banks of the Thames in London by a crowd of over 120,000 well-wishers.
16 August 2011
Crew Rescued As Fastnet Yacht Capsizes
Twenty-one crew members have been plucked from a yacht that capsized off the Irish coast. The US-registered Rambler 100, which was taking part in the Fastnet Race, overturned nearly 16 miles from Baltimore in County Cork, around 6.30pm on Monday.
10 June 2015
Man Found Dead In Co Tyrone House Fire
Police have launched an investigation after a man was found dead in a house fire in County Tyrone. The fire, at a house at Eastvale Avenue on Dungannon, is believed to have started in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The fire was already out when the emergency crew arrived. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.