A father-son duo were rescued along with their dog after their boat suffered an engine failure off the Dublin coast.
The boat had lost all power and was being blown towards the cliffs on south side of Howth Head on Wednesday afternoon. Howth RNLI jumped into action and a lifeboat with a crew of seven was deployed.
Howth RNLI Coxswain Fred Connolly took the decision to take the father, son and their black Labrador "Billy" on board the lifeboat and to tow their boat back to Howth, a spokesperson said. A line was cast to the boat to pull it close so the father, son and their dog could be transferred to the safety of the lifeboat.
Read more: Footage shows dog being rescued after falling onto rocks in Dublin Bay
The boat was towed back to Howth Harbour and Billy and his owners were safely brought to shore. Mr Connolly said: 'The owner of the boat in difficulty did the right thing in calling the Coast Guard for help straight away. When the winds are blowing onshore and a boat is broken down, every minute counts.
"Our volunteer crew responded quickly once the pager went off and we launched the lifeboat within minutes. This type of call-out for the RNLI provides a good opportunity to remind boat owners to have a means of calling for help at all times and if you do get into difficulty that you're prepared.
"We were delighted to be able to return 'Billy' and his owners safely ashore."
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