FIVE PEOPLE were rescued from the seas off Clare and Kerry on Saturday.
A Dublin couple was rescued in Co Kerry after one went to the assistance of the other, while in Co Clare, a family of three were taken to safety after their yacht suffered engine and radio failure and began drifting dangerously.
In the first incident, a couple from Co Dublin was rescued on Saturday afternoon after they got into difficulty. The pair had been out on the water near Castlegregory when the man's dinghy capsized. The man's wife, who was in a kayak near by, went to his assistance but she also fell into the water.
Fortunately, the woman had a mobile phone which she kept in a waterproof bag and she raised the alarm. The Fenit Lifeboat was launched and they were brought to safety a short time later. Neither person was hurt.
Meanwhile, in Co Clare, the Kilrush RNLI lifeboat Rose West responded to an incident in the Shannon estuary on Saturday evening after a family of three from north Clare reported that they were drifting without power and VHF radio. The lifeboat crew received a call from the Irish Coastguard and launched at 8.40pm.
The skipper of a 7.4m sailing yacht, with a man, woman and a teenage boy on board, contacted Kilrush Marina via mobile phone to request assistance after both their engine and VHF radio had failed. The family had been cruising when the engine cut out.
Their yacht began drifting dangerously close to the shore between Doonaha Battery and Corlis Point.
Amid failing light, the Kilrush lifeboat proceeded to the area and the yacht was taken under tow to safety. As they approached Scattery Island, the yacht was secured alongside the lifeboat and proceeded through the lock gates and berthed safely at Kilrush Marina.
Both rescue operations were co- ordinated by Valentia Coastguard Radio and no one was injured.
Kilrush Lifeboat press officer Charles W. Glynn said: "Kilrush RNLI also responded to two different incidents last Wednesday evening involving swimmers who got into difficulty.
"One incident occurred at Cappagh were one youth got a leg cramp at the rear of Cappagh Pier while two youths were rescued after getting into trouble while swimming back from Hog Island.
"I would repeat our call for all swimmers to take extra care over the summer months," Mr Glynn added.