Three men whose speedboat had broken down required a joint helicopter and boat search to locate them in blustery weather in the Irish Sea.

The men managed to contact relatives from the stricken vessel, and the Red Bay RNLI launched their inshore lifeboat Sunday morning in an attempt to locate the group.

Having had no success by early afternoon, the RNLI widened the search area in the early afternoon, and the Sligo-based Irish Coastguard dispatched their rescue helicopter.

Eventually, after more than two hours of searching in difficult weather conditions, the RNLI lifeboat team located the stranded sailors four miles off Garron Point at Red Bay.

The three men were suffering from shock, according to the RNLI, who said: “”These three men were extremely lucky this afternoon as their small vessel had broken down and was drifting out to sea.

“The call out was particularly challenging for the lifeboat crew as the casualties were unsure of where they were and it took a considerable amount of time to find them.

“Our crew is highly trained and they were able to locate the casualties, all of whom were relieved to see the lifeboat, and bring them safely back to shore.”

Related links:

RNLI aid yachtsman and child in separate rescues

10 Irish sailors rescued from stranded yacht on Lough Corrib