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winched to safety
Man rescued from overturned yacht 20 miles south of Wexford
A Coast Guard chopper was dispatched after a signal was picked up from a locator beacon.
A YACHTSMAN HAS been rescued from an overturned yacht around 20 miles south of the Wexford coast.
He was airlifted to safety by the Waterford-based Coast Guard helicopter after the service picked up a signal from the sailor’s Personal Locator Beacon last night.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Irish Coast Guard operations manager Gerard O’Flynn said the signal had been picked up at the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Dublin.
The Waterford chopper was dispatched to the scene, and soon located the source of the transmission.
“They discovered a lone yachtsman on an overturned yacht,” O’Flynn said.
The yachtsman was winched onto the helicopter and was brought to Waterford hospital, where we hope he’s doing well. He certainly was in reasonable condition when he was rescued.
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are used by hikers, sailors and other outdoor enthusiasts to raise the alarm if they get into trouble. The signal is relayed via satellite.
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