Members of the Ballyglass lifeboat, based in Belmullet, Co Mayo, had a wild and wet St Valentine's night.
The seven crew members of the lifeboat carried out a 12-hour rescue operation after a Donegal trawler got into difficulties about 32 miles off the Erris coastline on Thursday afternoon.
The lifeboat was called out at 4 p.m. after the 51-foot steel trawler began drifting off the Stagg Rocks when its net was caught in a propeller of the engine.
The lifeboat crew arrived at the trawler an hour later, but poor conditions did not help the tow of the ship back to shore at Ballyglass.
Lifeboat secretary Garda Insp Tony McNamara described the rescue as "long and difficult". He said that "while Thursday was a lovely day on land, sea conditions were very choppy. The lifeboat's tow rope to the heavy trawler broke three times on the 32-mile journey back to shore".
The two crew on the fishing vessel were uninjured. It was 4.30 a.m. yesterday when both vessels were safely back at Ballyglass pier.
The crew members on board the lifeboat included: Mr J.T. Gaughan, Mr Gerry Reilly, Mr Joe Murray, Mr James Mannion, Mr John Walsh, Mr Michael S. Togher and Mr Hugh Carrolan.