TWO young people were rescued off Co Donegal after being swept out to sea in a dinghy.
The frightening incident happened at Pollan Bay yesterday afternoon.
The pair, both in their twenties, had been caught by an offshore wind and dramatically swept out to sea.
The alarm was raised shortly before 4pm on Sunday, when Malin Head Coast Guard tasked Lough Swilly RNLI to launch both of their lifeboats.
Rescue 118, the Coast Guard helicopter, was also tasked to the scene.
The swift response of the Lough Swilly RNLI crews was crucial.
Joe Joyce of Lough Swilly RNLI said: “There was an off-shore wind blowing, today’s outcome could have been so different”.
Both the all-weather and inshore lifeboats quickly made their way to the location.
The casualties were successfully located and taken aboard the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat and then brought safely ashore.
An ambulance and members of An Garda Siochana were waiting to provide assistance.
Joe Joyce of Lough Swilly RNLI paid tribute to the volunteer crew.
He said: “There was a lot going on in Buncrana with the Donegal game on, the music festival and the town was really busy.
The volunteer crew did well launching both boats so quickly.”
Earlier this year, a major operation was launched in Co Dublin on May 25 after a small boat suffered engine failure in worsening sea conditions.
The Howth RNLI crew set off after receiving an alert at 9.49am following a request for assistance from a lone sailor, who was drifting rapidly offshore due to strong winds and “challenging sea state”.
The inshore lifeboat was quickly dispatched within 10 minutes with three crew on board.
The crew made their way northeast of Howth to the position passed by the Coast Guard and commenced a search.
Within 10 minutes during the search, the crew had sight of the angling boat, which had drifted “a large distance from its last known position”.
Due to the worsening sea conditions and the distance from shore, the all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch and provide cover.
SAFE AND SOUND
Once on the scene, the inshore lifeboat crew assessed the man on board, who was reported to be wearing a lifejacket and was unharmed.
A decision was made to take the boat under tow immediately due to the speed of drift towards the shipping lanes, and they started to bring the vessel to shore safely.
The all-weather lifeboat positioned itself ahead of the inshore lifeboat, absorbing the brunt of the heavy seas to make the tow safer and more manageable.
The angling boat was successfully towed back to Howth Harbour, and the man on board was brought ashore safely and without injury.
After the successful rescue, the lone sailor was praised for making the right call once he realised he was in trouble.
