Howth RNLI crew rescue lone sailor in the Irish Sea
Padraig Conlon 28 Mar 2025
The volunteer lifeboat crew at Howth RNLI launched their All-Weather Lifeboat on Thursday afternoon to assist a sailor whose yacht was adrift in the Irish Sea, east of Howth and unable to make his way to safety.
The sailor, who was on a passage from Waterford to Northern Ireland, had suffered engine failure shortly after crossing Dublin Bay.
He called the Coast Guard and a decision was made to launch the Howth All-Weather Lifeboat to provide assistance.
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The pagers sounded at 3:51pm, and the Lifeboat was launched shortly after with seven crew on board.
Weather conditions were somewhat challenging with moderate to strong southerly winds, and a choppy sea state.
Howth Lifeboat reached the yacht, which was approximately two miles East of Howth Head within fifteen minutes.
The Coxswain brought the lifeboat alongside the yacht to transfer a crew member on board.
The sailor was assessed and required no immediate medical attention.
Having failed to restart the engine, and given the potential navigational hazard of a yacht drifting close to the shipping lane into Dublin Port, a decision was made to attach the tow line and bring the yacht to Howth.
Speaking following the incident, the Coxswain, Fred Connolly said:
“The sailor did the right thing in calling for help when he realised he was in difficulty.
“The sea conditions were challenging, and an hour later, darkness would have been setting in, and the yacht could have been a major hazard to shipping traffic going to and from Dublin Port.
“As the Spring weather improves, we expect to see an increase in activity around our coastal waters.
“Our advice for anyone going to sea is to plan your journey in advance, have life-jackets for all on board and a means of calling for help if you find yourself in trouble.”
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