Five rescued after yacht sank near Sherkin

Baltimore's all-weather lifeboat "Alan Massey" at its berth following today's call. Photo: RNLI/Kate Callanan.

Five people were rescued after their crippled yacht was pushed onto rocks and sank near Sherkin Island off Cork today.

The alarm was raised at 2.55pm after the Irish Coast Guard picked up a mayday call from the five-strong crew of a yacht in distress near Sherkin Island, off the south coast of Baltimore.

The Baltimore all-weather lifeboat crew launched and found a 40ft yacht had become caught in old fishing nets, lost steerage and had been pushed up on to rocks by a strong tide.

A vessel in the area, skippered by Jerry Smith, a Baltimore RNLI crew member, had also picked up the mayday call and was standing by until the lifeboat arrived.

Mr Smith was able to tell the lifeboat crew that all five people on board the crippled yacht had managed to get off the vessel and scramble onto the rocks and were away from immediate danger.

Given the sea conditions and the location of the passengers, RNLI coxswain Aidan Bushe decided to launch their small inflatable Y-boat with two RNLI crew members David Ryan and Kieran O’Driscoll on board.

They were able to manoeuvre the Y-Boat around to a more sheltered area of the rocks from where they plucked the yacht crew to safety one by one, and brought them back to the lifeboat, and returned then to the lifeboat station.

Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, arrived on scene at 3.35pm and stood by, but was not needed.

It remained in the area to monitor the yacht and reported to Baltimore RNLI that at 3.50pm the yacht had sunk.

Conditions at sea during the call were choppy with an easterly force 5-6 wind making for a challenging rescue.

Baltimore RNLI spokesperson, Kate Callanan, praised the yacht crew for how they handled the emergency.

“Thankfully due to the fast reaction of the yacht’s skipper who put out an immediate mayday call with his exact location, Baltimore RNLI were able to be on the scene and providing help very quickly,” she said.

“If you find yourself in an emergency whilst on or near the water call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”