Crew members trying to row around Great Britain have been saved for the second consecutive time in less than a week.
Five members of the crew were rescued by the GB Row Challenger, near Scotland’s Mull of Kintyre, in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre received notification of the emergency. A coastguard helicopter was dispatched in order to airlift the crew.
They were saved without any injuries, but they have decided to give up on their attempts.
After their boat capsized, the crew was rescued by rescuers on 26 June. They were then able to right their boat in bad weather close to County Down coast, Northern Ireland.
All three teams that took part in the challenge were rescued in separate incidents near the coasts of Northern Ireland or Wales during the weekend.
These boats participated in the GB Row Challenge, which aimed to circumnavigate Great Britain. It also collected environmental data for a project that was being done with the University of Portsmouth.
HM Coastguard responded at 00:30 BST to a mayday phone call from the GB Row Challenger vessle on Monday morning.
According to a Coastguard spokeswoman, a helicopter was deployed from Prestwick along with another Coastguard team from Campbeltown in Scotland as well as two RNLI lifeboats – one from Campbeltown the other from Cushendall (North Ireland).
Following advice from the RNLI, Monday’s incident led to the crew being asked to leave the “epic challenge”.
A spokesman for GB Row Challenge stated that: “Collectively we would like to express our gratitude to the Coastguard, RNLI and all those who helped to bring the crew from GB Row Challenger safely to safety last night.
“This was after bad weather and difficult seas off Mull of Kintyre.”
A spokesperson for the company stated that crew members were safe and well, and they are extremely grateful for all the support they received.
He said, “The crew was collecting data to understand how human activity affects marine ecosystems and climate changes.”
