THREE FAMILIES got the Christmas present they wanted early yesterday morning when the crew of a trawler feared lost at sea made it safely back to shore.
Family members braved wind and rain on the pier at Rossaveal in Co Galway to greet the three men as the Banríon na dTonn (Queen of the Waves) limped into port shortly after 5am.
The 42-ft trawler left Donegal on Wednesday afternoon for Rossaveal but the alarm was raised when they failed to arrive as planned on Friday.
Skipper Ted Doherty, an experienced fisherman on the west coast, had recently bought the timber-hulled vessel and was taking it to the Connemara port for works to be carried out on it.
It left Killybegs, Co Donegal, at lunchtime on Wednesday and was due in Rossaveal at about midday on Friday. A massive search was launched when they failed to arrive and when they could not be contacted either on VHF radio or by mobile phone.
On board were Kildare native Ted Doherty, a single man in his 40s, and two men in their 30s from Galway city, Aidan Murphy, a father of two from Mervue, and Padraic Ganley, a single man from Castle Park, Ballybane.
Their families feared the worst on Friday as a large-scale search along the west coast failed to locate them and radio contact could not be made.
Two Coast Guard Sikorsky S-61 helicopters and the Air Corps Casa plane searched the west coast for the missing trawler as fishing boats and other vessels joined in the search.
The search was made more difficult as stormy seas lashed the west coast and fears for the safety of the three men increased when there was no sign of them as darkness fell on Friday night.
The search got under way again at first light on Saturday morning as family members travelled to Rossaveal fearing the worst.
However, their anguish turned to joy shortly before midday on Saturday when a Spanish fishing trawler spotted the Banríon na dTonn, about 80km off Slyne Head.
A Coast Guard Sikorsky S-61 helicopter was dispatched to the scene and confirmed the identification of the vessel and the safety of the three on board.
Aidan Murphy's sister Linda said they could scarcely believe it when it emerged that the men were safe. "I wasn't able to sleep and even Aidan's little girl was asking if her daddy would have enough to eat. It has been a terrible time," she said.
The rescue services were told that the trawler had developed engine trouble and had drifted out to sea. At one stage it was more than 160km off Achill Island and could not make radio contact because it was so far off off the coast. The crew managed to get the engine restarted and told emergency services that they could make it to Rossaveal on their own steam.
They were greeted by family members with Ted Doherty's mother Kathleen saying she feared they were lost. "We had a dreadful night, not knowing what was going to be the outcome. Thank God, all is well. We thought he was gone, but thank God, he's not," she said.
The skipper's sisters, Anna Ward and Noeleen Whooley, thanked emergency services and fishermen for helping to find them. "We will have a lovely Christmas now, a fantastic Christmas and we're looking forward to it. He will be home for Christmas," said Ms Ward.
Pádraic Ganley and Aidan Murphy were driven away from the quayside by family members, without talking to the waiting media. Mr Doherty also declined to talk about what they had experienced. "No thanks, I'm not interested," he said, in response to an interview request.