Cork woman who rescued seven fishermen in Bull Rock mission gets bravery award
Winchman Sarah Courtney is presented with the CHC Excellence Service Award by Eugene Clonan, acting director of the Irish Coast Guard, with Neill McAdam, senior crewman Rescue 117, and Rob Tatten from CHC, airport management, pictured at Waterford Airport. Picture: David Clynch
As night-time approached with waves crashing over the bow of the Ellie Ádhamh, Sarah Courtney managed to get seven fishermen to the safety of a rescue helicopter as the vessel filled with water.
The men were exhausted from efforts over approximately 24 hours to keep the boat from getting overwhelmed, working below deck to salvage the vessel and prevent it from sinking 70 nautical miles west of Bantry Bay near Bull Rock.
Speaking on the events of March 27 last year, Bishopstown native Ms Courtney said she and her crewmates did not panic, as their training "kicked in" for the mission.
"There really isn't time to think," the winchman told the .
"We train a lot for these circumstances and you're very focused on the task at hand and your situational awareness needs to be huge because it's very dynamic, and the sea was extremely big that day."
There were sea swells of 10-12m along with 55 knots of wind, as "visibility was reduced right down onto the sea", she added.
The navy and the Castletownbere lifeboat were also involved and the former had been towing the boat prior to the rescue.
Once Ms Courtney was safely aboard the boat, the men were winched to the waiting helicopter quickly and they were all on the heli within 20 minutes.
"They were dazzled and relieved to see me land on board," Courtney said.
Ms Courtney and crewmates Ronan Flanagan, Adrian O’Hara, of the CHC Waterford base, and Aaron Hyland, from CHC Shannon base, were awarded certificates of bravery for the operation.
She accepted the award on behalf of all the crew who took part in the mission.
Ms Courtney is a relatively recent entrant to the Rescue 117 crew. She studied biological sciences in CIT before joining the ambulance service for 12 years as an advanced paramedic. She spent a decade living in Clare and applied for the helicopter service four years ago.
She now lives in Tramore, a short drive away from the helicopter base at Waterford Airport.
Aidan Power, managing director of Waterford Airport, told the audience gathered that he too had benefited from Rescue 117 in recent times, following a medical emergency.
"I later learned it was one of my own family the call was for, and so we're always very grateful to them."
Only a few months ago, there were fears that the base could be lost.
Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton, who awarded the bravery medal at the ceremony, said the Government is "absolutely committed" to maintaining a search and rescue base at the airport.
She added that the new tender for the search and rescue helicopter service will ensure that Waterford is retained as a base, along with Shannon, Dublin and Sligo.
