A Spanish fishing vessel which went adrift in a force 10 storm off the west coast was early today waiting to be towed to shore by a second Spanish trawler after a marine emergency helicopter dispatched to assist the nine-strong crew returned to base empty handed.
The skipper of the 30-metre Vierasa Diez refused to abandon the ship, drifting without power in 80-knot winds 90 miles off Slyne Head, Co Galway. .
The Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES) Sikorsky helicopter from Shannon lowered a VHF hand-held radio on to the deck of the vessel, allowing the skipper to establish direct communication with the rescue pilot.
Contact was made with a second vessel, the Vierasa Nuevo, which was due to rendezvous with the stricken trawler shortly after 2 a.m. Both ships were expected to arrive at Rossaveal port, Galway, early this morning. The IMES said last night that the crew of the vessel was unharmed. The alert was raised yesterday afternoon when distress signals from the vessel were picked up by transatlantic aircraft. The signals, emitted by a satellite emergency position indicating radio beacon, were relayed to Valentia coast radio by air traffic control.
At that stage, storm force 10 westerly winds were reported to be gusting to up to 80 knots, with 30-ft waves in a heavy swell and darkness falling.
The IMES medium-range helicopter from Shannon was tasked to fly to the location, while assistance was also sought from the RAF at Kinloss in Scotland.
Eithne Donnellan adds: UP to 1,200 homes in the west and north-west were without power for several hours yesterday when storm force winds brought down power lines. ESB crews had restored electricity to most homes by midnight and a spokesman said they would return at first light to restore power to all remaining households.
He explained that falling trees and branches had caused most of the damage when winds of up to 80 m.p.h. lashed an area from Belmullet in north Mayo to Ballinamore in Co Leitrim, west and north Sligo, and the Boyle area of Co Roscommon.
A major fault in the Bray, Co Wicklow, area also left about 100 homes with reduced power last night.
Met Eireann forecast that strong to gale force west to north-west winds would continue today. However it says the winds should moderate overnight.
