Yacht leaves race to rescue kitesurfer off coast of Wicklow

Conor Doyle's Freya rounding the wing Mark followed by Tom Roche's Meridian during the Horgan's Quay Autumn Series hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club. Picture: Robert Bateman

Despite leading the early stages of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race, Conor Doyle’s Freya dropped out of the competition for a time tonight to rescue a kitesurfer off the coast of Co Wicklow.

The incident occurred close to Mizen Head near the popular Brittas Bay beach.

Having spent two hours in the water, the kitesurfer had drifted half a mile offshore when the race leaders reached the area and was discovered by Freya who was the leading yacht at the time.

“We were ‘rock-hopping’ and spotted this green kite so we altered course to invesrtigate and found him with his board,” Ian Traver, navigator on Freya told the Irish Examiner.

From what we could gather, he had been out for about two hours then had a technical issue with his kite.

The tide was flooding north at the time with a fresh offshore breeze so the kitesurfer was being taken up the coast towards Wicklow Head.

“Coming off the start line we got caught up in some traffic but once we cleared the Muglins we started to stretch our legs when this happened,” said Travers. 

“As seafarers, it’s the only thing to do [give assistance] when you come across something like this.” 

The casualty was taken on board Freya and the Irish Coast Guard was alerted before later transferring the kitesurfer to the Arklow lifeboat around 8pm. No medical attention was required.

The Kinsale Yacht Club entry then resumed racing and is likely to apply for redress for the time lost in the rescue that will be applied at the end of the race.

A total of six boats edged ahead of Freya as a result of the incident though as the largest entry in the race, reclaiming first place on the water in the battle for ‘line honours’ is fairly certain.

Prior to the incident, Denis and Annamarie Murphys’ Nieulargo from the Royal Cork YC had been at the front of the chasing pack but although the pack is being reshuffled as the seas flatten from the earlier sickening lumpy conditions, the Crosshaven boat was the current provisional overall leader on corrected time.

With 280 nautical-miles of upwind racing to go before reaching Dingle, it could be Friday or Saturday before all 38 starters reach port in Co Kerry.