The Arklow Lifeboat was launched at 3:45pm on Saturday afternoon after a lone jet ski was spotted adrift just north of Arklow Harbour.
Lifeboat Ger Tigchlearr and a volunteer crew arrived at the scene within minutes to attend to the jet ski, which had suffered machinery failure and had drifted near the rock armour shoreline at North Beach.
A tow line was established by the crew and the jet ski and its owner were taken aboard the lifeboat; both were returned safely to Arklow Harbour.
Upon arrival at Arklow Lifeboat station a further report had been received that a 9-metre catamaran was adrift and in danger, south of Arklow at Clogga Strand.
Arklow’s RNLI crew immediately went to sea after saving the jet skier and quickly found the catamaran aground having suffering engine failure, with two passengers on-board.
Despite challenging conditions, a towline was put aboard the catamaran and the RNLI crew succeeded in re-floating the vessel and towed it back to safety; all passengers on-board were not harmed.
Following the incidents Arklow RNLI Community Safety Officer Mark Corcoran said: “Its important to stress to all who go on or in the water the importance of having a means of calling for help — the quicker our crew can get to the incident, the better the outcome tends to be.”
