From Afloat.ie
Floating pot marker rope as seen in Clew Bay
Discarded and lost fishing gear remains a serious and often invisible hazard for cruising sailors in Irish and nearby waters. A recent near‑miss in the St George’s Channel, when viewed alongside a previous Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) investigation off the West Cork coast, underlines how quickly these encounters can escalate and how critical early, practical responses can be.
In the early hours of Wednesday 4 March, a cruising yacht was motoring north in very light winds in the St George’s Channel, en route from Milford Haven in Wales towards Bangor, Co Down. At just before 1 am, approximately midway between Wicklow Head and Bardsey Island (position 52°51.16’N 005°17.85’W), the crew felt a sudden thump, and the engine stopped immediately. While the engine would run in neutral, it could not be engaged in gear, indicating that something had fouled the saildrive. In darkness, all that was visible was a long “tail” trailing astern. With only light winds but relatively settled conditions, the crew were able to continue under sail at around 3-4 knots through the water, with reduced speed over the ground due to the tide.
It was not until daylight and later arrival in Greystones Marina that the scale of the problem became clear. What had initially appeared to be a stray line was in fact the cod‑end of a trawl net, over 10 metres long and more than 3 metres wide, wrapped around the saildrive. A tow was required for the final approach to the harbour, and the yacht was safely secured later that afternoon.
