This article is from page 18 of the 2011-09-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
A SUNKEN boat became the unlikely saviour of a couple who got into in difficulty in the water off North Clare yesterday afternoon.
A man and woman were winched to safety yesterday afternoon after their dinghy capsized in water between Ballyvaughan and Blackhead. The couple were rescued from the waters about 200 metres off the Clare coast when their dingy overturned in rough seas.
The couple were thrown into the freezing water but luckily managed to make their way to an upturned sunken boat in the water. After climbing onto the hull of the sunken vessel, the pair were able to contact emergency services using a mobile phone. The Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter flew to the scene and winched the two people to safety. They were flown to University College Hospital Galway where they were treated for possible hypothermia.
Meanwhile, the search will continue today, September 27, for a man missing from around the Cliffs of Moher since last Friday. The man, who is believed to be from County Cavan, was last seen in the North Clare area some time of Thursday afternoon. The man is described as being in his 30s and is believed to have gone missing from the area around the Cliffs of Moher.
Ennistymon Gardaí as well as members of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard conducted extensive in the searches for a missing man of Friday and Saturday while the Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter was also involved in the search effort as was the SARDA search dogs.
Following unsuccessful searches on Friday and Saturday the search party was joined by members of the Kilkee and Killaloe Coast Guard on Sunday. After an extensive search of the area the operation was called on just after 9pm as a result of deteriorating weather conditions.
The Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard and the Shannon-based Coastguard Helicopter continued the search yesterday but again were forced to stand down the operation for the night without locating a trace of the missing man.