A Vermont couple crossing the Atlantic in a sailboat was rescued in rough seas off the coast of Ireland this weekend, leaving them "delighted to be safe and on dry land," according to an Irish coastal rescue organization.
The couple was sailing from Boston to Scotland but hit deteriorating weather off the coast of Ireland Saturday afternoon, according to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. By 10 p.m. local time, a rescue ship was launched, and it encountered the 37-foot yacht about 10 miles southwest of the port of Castletownbere.
The yacht was in strong winds that approached gale force and a roughly 12-foot swell, and was getting help from a local fishing trawler, according to the RNLI. The rescue ship, the Annette Hutton, helped bring the arrival from America safely into berth at Castletownbere's pier.
The couple weren't identified but told their rescuers, according to the RNLI, "It was so reassuring to see the lifeboat coming – we were tired and sea conditions were challenging and we are so delighted to be safe and on dry land now!"
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Meanwhile on Saturday, a runaway boat with no one aboard was reported on the Stellwagen Bank off the coast of Boston, prompting a U.S. Coast Guard search.
