Two men rescued after boat suffers engine failure on Waterford coast

Rescue helicopter 117, which attended the scene in Waterford

Two men were rescued in a multi-agency operation on Saturday evening after their boat suffered engine failure and drifted onto rocks on the west Waterford coast.

The men, understood to be foreign nationals and aged in their 30's, dialled the emergency services after their small craft got into difficulties at Goat Island, a remote inlet some 3 km from Ardmore.

Youghal lifeboat launched at 17.37 and arrived at the location within 10 minutes.

The Ardmore Coastguard also attended the scene from the shore.

However the lifeboat, under helmsman Jason Ansboro and three crew members, was unable to access the boat despite the benign conditions.

Rescue helicopter 117 from Waterford was summoned and arrived within minutes.

The decision was made to winch the men to safety, after which they were entrusted to the care of the coastguard.

Both men, who are understood to be resident in Ireland but not from the locality, were unhurt.

It is understood they had recently purchased the boat, which remained snagged on the rocks under a falling tide.

Youghal lifeboat launch authority Mark Nolan said the episode underlined the value of preparing properly when putting to sea.

"We can't stress enough the necessity of carrying a means of communication and also of wearing life jackets", he says. 

"These men did everything right and this helped to ensure their rescue in a fairly remote area where it could have been very difficult to spot them from land even before darkness fell".

The rescue operation ended at approximately 18.45.