Three men were rescued from a sinking yacht off Spiddal, Co Galway today.
The three men had just set sail on a 21ft sloop when it sprang a leak,
according to the lifeboat.
A local angling boat picked the men up and took their boat in tow.
The Galway RNLI lifeboat and Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter were both tasked, and arrived on scene shortly afterwards.
The lifeboat crew under command of helm Brian Niland towed the semi-submerged yacht back to Spiddal pier.
In a separate incident, the Baltimore RNLI lifeboat coxed by Kieran Cotter took a 12 year-old girl requiring medical assistance from Cape Clear island, Co Cork to the mainland at the weekend. The young girl was accompanied by the island's public health nurse.