Sailing race turns into triple rescue off Lambay Island
A sailing race day turned into a dramatic triple rescue operation for the Howth RNLI off Lambay Island over the weekend.
Howth RNLI's All-Weather Lifeboat was launched on Saturday to assist several yachts in difficulty during the annual Lambay Race, a series of sailing events around the small island off the coast of Dublin. The crew were first paged at 13:21 after reports of a collision involving a Howth 17 sailing boat, which had sustained damage to its rigging and was left disabled.
Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 and the Howth Coast Guard boat, which had been attending a separate incident nearby, responded and assisted, with Rescue 116 guiding the lifeboat to the scene. At that time, a call came in from a second sailing boat which had encountered difficulties with its rigging.
The Lifeboat diverted to the second yacht, but upon finding it, they had managed to secure its rigging and made way under its own power. And as the lifeboat was attending the second incident, a third yacht declared a medical emergency on board.
The person needed further medical attention and was brought aboard the lifeboat for transfer back to Howth. The lifeboat then returned to the third yacht, and oversaw it being towed back to Howth Harbour.
Ian Sheridan, who was in command of the lifeboat during the callouts, said: 'Today was a perfect example of how quickly conditions at sea can change and how important it is to be ready to respond. The crew did an excellent job managing several incidents in quick succession, and we're proud to have been able to assist everyone safely.
"All of our crew are volunteers, giving their time to save lives at sea, and none of what we do would be possible without the generosity of the public. It's their support for the RNLI that keeps us trained, equipped, and ready to launch whenever the call comes."
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