Courtmacsherry RNLI crew rescue 12 people stranded on broken-down boat off West Cork coast

Monday's callout was the 19th of the year for the Courtmacsherry crew

The Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat crew: Coxswain Mark Gannon, mechanic Stuart Russell and crew members Mark John Gannon, Ciaran Hurley, Jim O'Donnell, Dave Philips and Conor Tyndall. Picture: RNLI

Courtmacsherry’s RNLI crew helped bring a stricken pleasure boat and its 12 passengers safely back to the West Cork shore on Monday morning.

At 11.40am, the RNLI Trent class lifeboat Frederick Storey Cockburn was tasked to go to the assistance of a 40ft vessel stranded three miles off the Seven Heads in West Cork.

With weather conditions favourable, the seven-man crew cast off shortly after and reached the vessel at about 12.15pm.

After inspecting the boat's condition and finding its navigation systems completely disabled, the RNLI crew attached a towline and began slowly hauling the boat and the 12 people aboard back to the port of Courtmascherry, where they arrived safely at 1.30pm.

Once all passengers had safely disembarked, the RNLI crew refuelled and restocked their lifeboat, in preparation for their next callout.

The Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat crew involved in the callout were Coxswain Mark Gannon, mechanic Stuart Russell and crew members Mark John Gannon, Ciaran Hurley, Jim O' Donnell, Dave Philips and Conor Tyndall.

2021 has been a busy year for the Courtmacsherry RNLI. 

Late last month, they came to the assistance of a lone sailor whose yacht suffered engine failure and a broken mast. He had been drifting at sea for four days.

In mid-May, the crew, together with Valentia Coast Guard, Waterford-based Coast Guard helicopter R117 and Naval ship LE George Bernard Shaw, helped rescue four fishermen who had abandoned their vessel after it caught fire 20 miles south east of the Old Head of Kinsale.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat voluntary lifeboat operations manager Brian O Dwyer was just thankful the operation – the crew’s 19th this year – was a successful one.

“It was very prudent to be alerted so quickly of the difficulties onboard the pleasure boat and great that the lifeboat was able to bring the casualty back smoothly to Courtmacsherry Harbour,” he said.