Transport arranged for Honeydew II bodies search

FIVE buses a day have been arranged from Kinsale to Dunmore over the weekend for those who will join the search for the bodies of the two fishermen missing from the Honeydew II.

Each day at 6am, the buses, as well as convoys of cars, will gather on the pier at the Kinsale Harbour office before heading east to search the shore from Carnsore Point to Bunmahon.

The on-land operation has been stepped up for the weekend as the offshore search will be massively hampered by expected treacherous weather.

The shore search will be intensive as eight days have passed since the Honeydew II sank, and bodies often come to the surface after eight to nine days depending on the temperature.

Chairman of the Kinsale Harbour Board, Eamon O’Neill, said: “A lot of people are coming up to me in the street looking for information. We do not know yet how many will be going. There are people planning to come up from Union Hall and Castletownbere because the boat would have been well known in those areas.”

Chris Reynolds, who is coordinating the coastguard operation in Dunmore, said while there were enough members to search, volunteers would be happily accommodated. He expects 200 people to be involved in the search each day.

No members of the public took part in the search yesterday because of a fear that, due to the poor weather, it would be dangerous.

Sea operations were also curtailed.

“At this stage it is far too dangerous to have people either out at sea or on the coastline,” Mr Reynolds said.

He advised anyone who wanted to take part in the search to dress appropriately for the task.

“People should not wear trainers but boots with ankle supports. They should wear warm, preferably high-visibility clothing, and bring food in a rucksack.”

Anyone who would like to take part should contact Dunmore East Coastguard on 051 583115.

It is unlikely there will be a sea search as gale force nine winds are expected today, and force eight and nine winds tomorrow.

Mr Reynolds said the waves were expected to reach five to seven metres over the weekend.

The Honeydew II is thought to have been sunk by a 15m wave.

Trawler owners have said they would consider taking to the water if the winds settled to force seven or eight.