Howth RNLI's brave volunteers were hailed as heroes when they rescued two sailors after receiving an SOS to say a boat was sinking off the north Dublin coast.
The quick-acting lifeguards sprung into action on Bank Holiday Monday last in response to a mayday from a sailing vessel which was taking on water.
It took the brave volunteers just 9 minutes to launch their all-weather lifeboat after being alerted of the potential disaster at sea.
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The stricken boat - which had two people on board - was around seven miles east of the north Dublin fishing village when it began to sink.
Howth RNLI told how their pagers sounded at 8.24am and the all weather lifeboat launched at 8.33am to reports of a 48ft Ketch sailing vessel which was taking on water and in danger of sinking.
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They said: "The all weather lifeboat located the casualty vessel seven miles east of Howth with two people aboard.
"Two lifeboat volunteers were placed aboard the casualty vessel with a high powered water pump. The all weather lifeboat took the casualty vessel under tow to the safety of Howth Marina.
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"The two people aboard the yacht were in good spirits and thanked the RNLI for their help.
"The wind was Force 5 westerly and the sea state was a metre a half swell at the time."
Howth RNLI's Deputy Coxswain Ian Sheridan said he was proud of how quickly his team responded, and reminded sea-farers to always respect the open water.
He said: "We were delighted to be able to launch so quickly and locate the sailing yacht fast enough to be able to save the vessel from sinking and bring them back to the safety of Howth Marina.
"We remind everyone going to sea to always respect the water and always have a means of communication aboard.
"The casualty vessel in this instance was able to make immediate contact as soon as they discovered a problem and we were able to act accordingly."
Senator Catherine Noone took to social media to commend the heroics of the Howth based lifeguards.
The Fine Gael senator for Dublin Bay North said on her website: "The heroism of the volunteers of the Howth RNLI, symbolise the best of our society.
"The rescue team sprang into action following reports of a sailing vessel in distress on the Howth peninsula.
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"Their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to protect members of the public is truly inspirational.
"Not only did the rescuers return the two passengers of the vessel safely to land but also managed to prevent the vessel from sinking, due to their speed and efficiency.
"This also serves as a reminder for anyone at sea to make sure they have the proper communications equipment with them at all times. On this occasion the two passengers had the correct equipment and were able to raise the alarm upon getting into difficulty.
"I am sure I am joined in gratitude by everyone in the Howth community and beyond, for their continuing efforts to keep us safe at sea."
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