Three men were rescued after their fishing boat grounded on rocks off the Co Antrim coast this morning.
The volunteer lifeboat crew from Red Bay RNLI were launched at 9.20am on Saturday morning after reports that a small fishing boat with three crew onboard was grounded on rocks one mile south of Glenarm marina.
In a strong easterly wind and choppy waters, the lifeboat crew were on scene in twenty minutes and all three men were safety rescued from the craft and brought ashore.
In a statement, the RNLI said: "When arriving on scene the lifeboat crew observed the vessel stuck fast on the rocks and with visible damage to its hull. Deciding it would be too dangerous to move the vessel and with the tide dropping, the decision was taken to evacuate the crew off their vessel.
"Two lifeboat crew swam ashore and with the assistance of Ballycastle and Larne shore based coastguard units, two men were safely taken off the boat. The third man needed the aid of a stretcher and the agencies worked together to safety move him."
Red Bay RNLI Helm Connor McLaughlin added: "The fishing vessel was stuck fast on the rocky coastline and the crew were unable to move. With the tide dropping fast and visible damage to the vessel, we needed to bring them to safety as quickly as possible.
"Working with the local coastguard agencies, two of our crew swam to shore and brought all three of the men to safety, with one needing a stretcher to be evacuated off the small craft.
"The weather can turn in an instant and it’s important to take note of tide times. Thankfully all of the men were wearing lifejackets and the outcome was a successful one."
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