BANDON-based photographer Denis Boyle has expressed his immense gratitude to Courtmacsherry’s lifeboat crew who, in a 14-hour rescue mission, brought him, his crew mate, JP, and his yacht, The Menace, back to safety.
And – in a rare nod to the heroic efforts of the voluntary lifeboat crew – John Draper, the divisional controller at Valentia Coast Guard, extended his congratulations to Courtmacsherry RNLI on the successful completion of their overnight assist – its first since the introduction of its new Shannon class, All Weather Lifeboat, the Val Adnams.
Denis and JP, who were intending to travel to France, were unable to raise the alarm on their own VHF radio so they fired two red distress flares, which were spotted by the crew of the Harvest Reaper II trawler, and they alerted Valentia.
The volunteer lifeboat crew set out in dark and difficult weather conditions shortly before midnight. By 4am they had reached the 29ft vessel, which had suffered mast, power and mechanical difficulties. The crew established a tow and, at a safe speed, returned to base, a journey that took 11 hours to complete.
The RNLI crew, under coxswain Mark Gannon, mechanic Dave Philips, and crew members Ken Cashman, Tadgh McCarthy, Denis Murphy and Donal Young were lauded for their efforts.
‘I was very relieved to see the lifeboat coming because we were dead in the water,’ said Denis. ‘When you are in the dark in the middle of the ocean it can be a scary place. All credit to the crew of the lifeboat for their bravery in rough seas, they did a fantastic job.’
