Six sailors were rescued following a collision between their yacht and a fish farm off the coast of Cushendall, Northern Ireland, early Saturday morning. The 46-foot yacht, traveling from Oban, Scotland, to Portugal, lost power and steering after striking the fish farm in Red Bay amid gale-force winds reaching up to 60 knots.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Red Bay crew was alerted to the emergency at 3:22 a.m. by Belfast Coastguard, which had received a mayday call from the vessel. Coxswain Paddy McLaughlin led the station's all-weather lifeboat, along with five crew members, in launch operations to reach the scene. In addition to the all-weather lifeboat, Red Bay’s inshore lifeboat was deployed to assist during the rescue.

Upon arrival, the RNLI volunteers confirmed all six individuals aboard the yacht were unharmed, but the vessel remained entangled in the fish farm cages. Due to severe weather and rough seas, the coxswain determined it was safest for the sailors to remain on their vessel as the lifeboat maintained a protective presence through the night.

After several hours, with conditions improving at dawn around 7:30 a.m., the RNLI team managed to free the yacht from the netting by 9:30 a.m. The disabled vessel, along with its crew, was then escorted safely into Glenarm, arriving around 10 a.m. Larne Coastguard personnel were on hand to provide additional support upon arrival.

The coordinated effort by the RNLI and coastguard agencies ensured the safe rescue of all six individuals despite the challenging weather conditions. The cause of the yacht’s collision with the fish farm has not been disclosed.