SAILING:One of the lessons from the successful rescue of four Dún Laoghaire sailors this week 60 miles off the coast of Bermuda was the importance of carrying a 406MHz beacon for distress alerting.
Skipper Alan McGettigan, Declan Hayes and Morgan Crowe all from the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC), and Tom Mulligan from the neighbouring National Yacht Club (NYC) in Dún Laoghaire, were rescued by a cargo ship when their 48-foot yacht Wolfhound suffered two knockdowns and McGettigan activated an emergency beacon pinpointing their position.
Initial problems on board began with engine failure and loss of battery power after setting out from the US east coast. The crew reported they had experienced bad weather for a number of days with 45-50 knot winds. The Bermuda coastguard alerted all vessels in the vicinity, while the US coastguard dispatched an aircraft. The four men left Connecticut more than two weeks ago bound for Bermuda with onward plans for Antigua and the Caribbean 600 race.
Although the US aircraft did not locate them, a cargo vessel, the Tetien Trader some 85 miles southwest of the Irish sloop’s position, responded and arrived on the scene within five or six hours.
New shipmates
All four were rescued but the yacht, purchased by McGettigan last December, was lost, the full story of the drama will have to wait until next Tuesday when the Tetien Trader arrives at its destination in Gibraltar to disembark its new shipmates.
Sources close to The Irish Times say the sailors are being well looked after on board.
Bermuda officials kept the Irish coastguard notified of developments regarding the incident who in turn passed information on to An Garda Síochána and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Officials from three countries have noted the international cooperation between the search and rescue organisations in the US, Ireland, and Bermuda, which all worked to “effect a successful outcome”.
Ireland’s Volvo Ocean race winner Damian Foxall will be on board a giant multihull this June after Dún Laoghaire was revealed as a port of call in an inaugural Round Europe yacht race.
The Route des Princes will have up to 10 multihulls competing including two 80-footers when the race sails into the capital’s waters on June 20th.
Kerry’s Foxall, a veteran of eight Round the World races, will race on board the MOD 70 Oman Sail when the fleet sails into Dún Laoghaire harbour.
Major players
The organisers are owners of large multihulls, ocean racing enthusiasts and major players in the European food-processing industry, whose aim is to give the event popular appeal.
The hope in Dún Laoghaire is that the town can build on last year’s successful visit of the MOD 70 tour and develop the public aspect with a food market on the town’s east pier.
The NYC hosts a Tall Ships Sail training talk tonight at 8pm in Dún Laoghaire. Six Tall Ships are due to make voyages around the Irish Sea this summer with berths available for trainees.
The fleet will visit Drogheda, Dublin (twice), Belfast (twice), Cobh and other ports from May 3rd-June 30th.
