Two men recovering after yacht sailing from Caribbean to Ibiza washes ashore on Achill Island

It is believed the 50-foot yacht’s mast broke in stormy seas off the west coast of Ireland early last week and capsized with the two men on board.

Two men are recovering after their yacht got into difficulties at sea and washed ashore on Achill Island as their transatlantic journey almost ended in disaster.

It is believed the 50-foot yacht encountered problems off the west coast of Ireland early last week and capsized with the two men on board. It is understood the yacht’s mast broke in stormy seas.

However, no distress signal was issued and the yacht subsequently washed up against an inaccessible cliff-face close to Dooega Head, on the south of Achill Island.

The yacht and the crew were there for three days before one of them scaled the perilous cliffs and raised the alarm in Dooega on Friday. There were strong, gale force winds in Dooega for most of those three days.

Achill Island Coast Guard, with the assistance of the RNLI, attended. Due to the inaccessibility of the remote location, the second crew member had to be airlifted to safety by the Rescue 118 helicopter.

The yacht was stranded on the Achill shore for three days before one of the two crew members scaled the cliffs and raised the alarm in Dooega on Friday.

He was taken to Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar, where he is still being treated.

His colleague was also admitted to hospital but has since been discharged and is being accommodated locally.

Authorities say both men were emaciated and dehydrated. The men told rescuers that one of them is Spanish and the second is from Colombia. Neither was travelling with a passport.

The men said they had set off from a port in the Caribbean and were hoping to travel to Ibiza.

On Saturday, customs officers carried out an examination of the location, assisted by An Garda Siochána. They were lowered to the location by an Air Corps helicopter.

It is understood that no navigational equipment, incriminating evidence, or identifying documentation of any kind was found. Nor was there any food or water on board.