In strong and gusty winds, Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Lifeboat was called out to a dismasted yacht on Dublin Bay this morning. 

The lifeboat launched at 10.10 am to go to the assistance of a crew of five on a First 310 type yacht dismasted three-quarters of a mile east of Bulloch harbour.

While the sea state was moderate westerly winds were gusting to over 40 knots, according to RNLI coxswain Mark McGibney.

The yacht's mast had broken in the strong winds, and the rig was lying over the side of the yacht's hull. 

"the spinnaker, main boom and assorted sheets were still in the water"

The crew had managed to get half off of the mast back on board the vessel, but the spinnaker, main boom and assorted sheets were still in the water and under the boat, which meant the crew could not risk using their engine for fear of propellor entanglement.

The lifeboat towed them back to Dun Laoghaire marina. No injuries were reported.

Due to the strong winds, Dublin Bay Sailing Club had earlier cancelled its first race of 2022 at the AIB sponsored Spring Chicken Series.

As part of a master plan to improve connections between Dun Laoghaire town centre and its harbour, the wall that long blocked the view of the sea from Marine Road has been demolished. 

Removal of the sea wall at St. Michael’s plaza (previously Victoria Wharf) to the right of the Royal St. George Yacht Club has opened up a bright new vista for the town.

It is one of several efforts by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County council to improve the physical connection between the town centre and its waterfront.

Above a couple peering over the wall for a sea view and (below) two views of the works this month that reveal a new glimpse of harbour waters visible from the town's Marine Road

The wall will be replaced with specially strengthened glass. 

The council is engaged in a number of remedies to improve 'vitality and range of uses along waterfront' including a new public national watersport campus to provide access to the sea at all stages of the tide as well as shore-based public marine leisure facilities across the harbour.

An Cathaoirleach @Lettiemccarthy recently spoke to Tim Ryan, Operations Manager at Dún Laoghaire Harbour about the installation of a new glass wall at the Ferry Terminal Building.#Accessibility #PublicRealm #HarbourView pic.twitter.com/lJF73qslbm

— Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (@dlrcc) February 7, 2022

A Fine Gael Senator has raised the importance of funding for heritage harbours as part of the plan to support and rejuvenate coastal communities and infrastructure.

Speaking in the Seanad, Dún Laoghaire-based Senator Barry Ward welcomed the Government’s announcement of €35 million for local authority-owned piers and harbours, as part of the Brexit Infrastructure Fund.

However, he said that this must not be to the exclusion of heritage harbours and piers that may be less commercially viable.

“Many heritage harbours around the country are in dire need of investment to secure their futures and useability. This new €35 million fund, while very welcome, must not operate to the exclusion of heritage harbours, which play their own role in trade and as public amenities of historical importance. I hope that the Minister’s statement that this funding is an ‘unprecedented opportunity for us to invest in our publicly-owned piers and harbours’ includes all such piers and harbours. 

"This is particularly true of ancient harbours like Bullock and Coliemore, whose role in early trade in this island is unparalleled, and which are now in significant stars of disrepair.

"Many heritage harbours around the country are in dire need of investment to secure their futures and useability"

Dun Laoghaire Harbour equally occupied a unique position in Irish history, both as a departure point for Irish emigrants and an arrival point for British monarchs and troops. Dún Laoghaire is a substantial Victorian engineering achievement that now badly needs repair and attention.

“Heritage harbours and piers may not be commercially viable, but they play a vital role in local communities as historical amenities and landmarks. I welcome the fact that the Minister’s task force noted the decline of many of these coastal structures, both in terms of their structural integrity and effective use, and I hope that local authorities will use this opportunity to apply for money to rejuvenate publicly-owned maritime heritage infrastructure throughout the country.”

The actor Niamh Cusack temporarily enlisted with the Naval Service to give a professional reading of a significant poem on board the L.É.James Joyce while alongside Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Her nuanced, balanced and knowing delivery of the work, recorded by the Defence Forces Audio Visual Section, can be viewed below.

For this phase of the Naval Service’s 75th Anniversary year, a poem submitted by a serving member of the Navy was selected by Naval Headquarters to mark the occasion.

The poem is entitled ‘Statio Bene Fida Carinis’ (Latin for ‘A Place Most Suitable For Ships’). It envisages the Navy’s fleet circumnavigating Ireland from its Base in Cork Harbour, touching on Irish maritime historical and mythological events en route.

The poem makes the point that Ireland’s maritime tradition spans the centuries.

More from the Dublin Gazette here.

The RNLI has awarded volunteer lifeboat crewmember Rory Bolton with a medal recognising his twenty years’ service to the charity at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Over the course of two decades, Rory has been a volunteer crew member on both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats based at Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station and been passed out as a mechanic for both lifeboats.

Rory was presented with his medal recently by Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Edward Totterdell and RNLI Area Lifesaving Manager Peter Harty. Joining the RNLI back in 2001, Rory came on board after a friend who was already on the lifeboat crew, invited him to come to the station and see if he’d like to join. Already an outboard engine mechanic, Rory had seen the lifeboat in the harbour but didn’t know how to join the lifeboat crew. He was welcomed with opened arms and started his lifeboat journey on the smaller inshore lifeboat before moving onto the All-Weather lifeboat as well. He became a Helm and then the Senior Helm on the inshore lifeboat and has since passed out as a mechanic on both lifeboats and is currently third mechanic on the All-Weather lifeboat. On the personal life front, Rory also met his wife, Dr. Sarah Brookes, through the lifeboat, as she volunteers as the station’s medical advisor.

Commenting on the honour Rory said, ‘Dun Laoghaire RNLI is an amazing team to be a part of and the last twenty years have flown. We all come from different backgrounds but when we are out on a callout, we work as a team and there is nothing like it. Being a volunteer with the RNLI has been a huge part of my life, I met my wife Sarah through it, and we now have two beautiful children, Alice (7) and James (3). Alice already wants to join the lifeboat when she’s old enough. It’s been a wonderful twenty years.’

Reflecting on his most memorable callout Rory remembers a New Year’s Day callout around eight years ago to a kitesurfer who had lost the kite and was left in the water. ‘Conditions on the day were very challenging and right on the edge of what the inshore lifeboat can launch in. We went to Sandymount and there was no way he was able to get in to the shore by himself. With waves breaking over the lifeboat and the casualty struggling in the water, we pulled him to safety in the most difficult conditions. I’ll never forget it.’

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Edward Totterdell added his congratulations to Rory, ‘This recognition, by the RNLI, of twenty years of dedicated service and volunteering by Rory, is one he thoroughly deserves. Those two decades have seen countless rescues and launches and he has helped so many people, along with his colleagues on the crew. Our grateful thanks to Rory for all his tireless work and for his continued service to the lifeboat crew and hopefully we will have a few more years yet.’

RNLI Area Lifesaving Manager Peter Harty presented Rory with his medal on behalf of the RNLI. Peter said, ‘It’s an honour to work with a group of incredible men and women who give so much to their community. In being part of a lifeboat crew, they carry a pager day and night, ready to launch at a moment’s notice when people get into trouble on the water. Twenty years’ service is an incredible record. My thanks to Rory and also to his family, who support him and help our lifeboat crews saves lives at sea.’

The Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard team was tasked to assist National Ambulance Service (NAS) with a casualty on a yacht at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on St Stephen's Day.

The RNLI Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat and Dublin Fire Brigade also attended. The casualty was treated on scene by the inshore lifeboat crew and staff at the town marina until paramedics arrived.

The casualty was then stretchered to an awaiting ambulance.

While packing up after the incident, a member of the public alerted the Coast Guard to someone who had fallen on the road near the marina. An ambulance was already called for by other members of the public but the Coast Guard team provided initial first aid treatment and care until they arrived. 

The annual Dun Laoghaire RNLI Christmas Eve ceremony was held this afternoon to honour the memory of 15 lifeboat volunteers who died on service 126 years ago. This year’s ceremony also marked the 200th anniversary of the death of four crew members who died on a call-out at Christmas time in 1821.

The short service at the end of the East Pier commemorated all lives lost around our coasts and on inland waters in 2021.

Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s volunteer crew traditionally hold this annual ceremony at the East Pier lighthouse as part of a long-standing local custom to acknowledge the sacrifice of their colleagues in carrying out their duty.

Wreaths were placed by the lifeboat crew at sea off the East Pier Photo: Conrad Jones

The lifeboat service on Dublin Bay is one of the oldest in the world, dating back to 1803 and a lifeboat was based at nearby Sandycove as one of several local stations.

During a service to the brig Ellen in an easterly gale on 28 December 1821, the lifeboat with 14 crew members onboard, was swamped and the crew were washed out of the lifeboat with four people losing their lives; Hugh Byrne, Thomas Fitzsimons, John Archbold and Thomas Grimes.

On Christmas Eve in 1895, the number two lifeboat was capsized in gale force winds while proceeding to the assistance of the SS Palme of Finland that had run aground off Blackrock. All 15 crew members onboard, drowned.

During today’s ceremony, wreaths were placed by the lifeboat crew at sea off the East Pier in memory of all lives lost at sea.

The Covid-19 compliant ceremony beside the lighthouse, featured musician William Byrne performing The Ballad of the Palme and Sports broadcaster Des Cahill who reading a newspaper account of the disaster, which was published at the time. An ecumenical blessing was given by Reverends Bruce Hayes and Fr. Padraig Gleeson before a lament was played by piper Paul McNally.

There was a joint guard of honour provided by representatives from the Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard Unit and Civil Defence.

As the ceremony came to a close, Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was called out to rescue a dog that had fallen from the West Pier at Coal Harbour. They immediately raced to the scene, retrieving the dog from the water and reuniting it with the owner, before returning back to station and standing down.

Poignant ceremony at Dún Laoghaire Harbour where members of the RNLI, Coast Guard & Civil Defence gathered to remember the 4 volunteers from Sandycove RNLI who died on 28th Dec 1821, the 15 volunteers from Dún Laoghaire RNLI who died on Christmas Eve 1895 & all those lost at sea. pic.twitter.com/aS0yv4UMd1

— Cormac Devlin TD (@CormacDevlin) December 24, 2021

The names of the 15 volunteer crew members who died in 1895 were John Baker, John Bartley, Edward Crowe, Thomas Dunphy, William Dunphy, Francis McDonald, Edward Murphy, Patrick Power, James Ryan, Francis Saunders, George Saunders, Edward Shannon, Henry Underhill, Alexander Williams and Henry Williams.

The lifeboat capsized when about 600 yards from the distressed vessel and, although every effort was made to render help to the lifeboat and to the SS Palme, nothing could be done.

The number one lifeboat also put out with only a crew of nine and obtained six further volunteers from HMS Melampus. She also capsized under sail but fortunately, all regained the lifeboat.

DMYC has launched a dinghy racing “Christmas Cracker” event for Dun Laoghaire Harbour on December 27th. 

Supported by Viking Marine and with the kind permission of the Harbour Master, the fixture will see a mass start PY race on Monday, 27th December @ 1.00, doing port rounding circuits of the Harbour, for all those looking to burn off the excesses of the Christmas Dinner, according to DMYC race organiser Neil Colin.

"This is a novelty Charity race in aid to the RNLI, with the aim of creating a spectacle for all those strollers on the piers", Colin told Afloat.

The course as above will feature marks in the extreme corners of the harbour and should provide a welcome break from regular format races, enabled by the lack of moored vessels in the harbour and the generally lower levels of waterborne activity in the harbour.

Entries will be capped at 90, with the expectation of higher participation than the regular Frostbite race days.

This is an “Open” event. While the main waterfront clubhouses will be closed, regular sailors will be able to access the dinghy parks, on a “sail and dash” basis.

DMYC are hoping to have a “Socially Distanced” prize giving in front of the DMYC approximately an hour after racing concludes.

Entries @ €5 per entry to cover costs and a donation to RNLI can be found here

DMYC wishes all sailors a happy and safe Christmas and we look forward to a nice day for winter sailing on Monday 27th.

With over 1,500 volunteers around Ireland, each RNLI crew member signs up to save every one from drowning – the charity’s mission since 1824. This Christmas Dun Laoghaire RNLI has a number of new volunteer lifeboat crew who are currently undergoing training to be able to save those in trouble at sea and who will form part of the team of lifesavers at the south Dublin lifeboat station. Corkman Aidan Sliney and Ballinteer native Ailbhe Smith are no strangers to the sea and are among a host of recent recruits to join lifeboat crews in Ireland during the pandemic. The two new volunteer lifeboat crew are asking the public to support the RNLI this Christmas.

While new to Dun Laoghaire RNLI, Aidan Sliney is no stranger to the world of lifeboating. In Ballycotton the name Sliney is famous in lifeboat circles as his great grandfather and grandfather were involved in one of the most famous rescues in the history of the RNLI, the Daunt Rock rescue in February 1936. Aidan’s father was also on the lifeboat for many years and his brother, well known comic book artist Will Sliney, is on the Ballycotton lifeboat crew today. Work took Aidan abroad to Stockholm and Manhattan for a few years and he recently moved back to Dublin with his wife and their young child. In joining Dun Laoghaire RNLI, Aidan has gone back to basic training to refresh his skills on the lifeboat and is currently training on the station’s D-class lifeboat.

Commenting on his decision to join the lifeboat crew in Dun Laoghaire Aidan said, ‘I’m delighted that I am able to put my lifeboating experience to good use in Dublin and be a volunteer with Dun Laoghaire RNLI. We have the same All-Weather lifeboat in Ballycotton but now I’m getting to grips with the station’s inshore lifeboat, which carries out a lot of the close to shore rescues. This is a busy lifeboat station with an amazing crew and I’m learning new skills and working with a new team but it’s the same wherever you go in the RNLI.

‘Everyone is passionate about what they do and wants to help people in trouble on the water. The training is outstanding and I’m happily starting at the beginning and getting familiar with it again, you can’t take anything for granted. We’ve had a couple of new starters at the station, and we are helping each other through the training. We all have different backgrounds which means we are also learning from each other. The current lifeboat crew have been hugely generous with their time helping us skill up.’

Ailbhe Smith was raised in Ballinteer but moved to Dun Laoghaire during the pandemic. A hugely experienced Mermaid Sailor, Ailbhe competitively raced the traditional wooden ‘Mermaid’ boats for years. Some years ago, when she was in Sligo, she witnessed the local lifeboat crew rescue a diver and once she moved to Dun Laoghaire, Ailbhe messaged the lifeboat station about the possibility of volunteering and was welcomed aboard.

Adding her support to the RNLI Christmas Appeal Ailbhe commented, ‘When I saw the RNLI rescue a diver at Rosses Point in Sligo some years ago, I knew I’d love to do that, and I sort of filed it away for later. You have to live near the lifeboat station to be able to make a ‘shout’ and then a few years later I found myself living in Dun Laoghaire and it seemed like fate. I love the sea and my years sailing have given me a healthy respect for the power of it. It has been a little bit surreal to join up during a time of restrictions but that hasn’t stopped us as there is a lot to learn. We are always looking to get out on the lifeboat and train and with Dun Laoghaire being such a busy lifeboat station, I’m eager to put my training into practice and to help people.’

‘When the pager goes, no lifeboat volunteer hesitates to answer the call, and these rescues would not be possible without the donations from the RNLI's generous supporters, helping to fund the essential kit, training equipment needed by Lifeboat crews all year round. Thank you to everyone who supports the appeal this Christmas.’

To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal visit: RNLI.org/Xmas

From Thursday onwards the forecast for the penultimate round of the Viking Marine sponsored Frostbites, hosted by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, showed winds of the order of fifteen knots with gusts in the high twenties. With a projected wind direction from the south, the harbour would still be relatively sheltered, but the high twenties gusts gave cause for concern. A change of Race Officer for the day’s proceedings, meant that this correspondent wasn’t on the water but watched the first race from the western breakwater inside the harbour.

A PY Start Photo: Ian Cutliffe

A balmy 12°, according to the car thermometer, greeted the competitors but there was no evident sign of the promised 15 knots. Indeed, the water of the inner harbour, on the doorstep of the DMYC was very calm and some boat would subsequently need a tow out to the race area. Race Officer Ben Mulligan (Flying Fifteens) certainly had his hands full as the breeze in the outer harbour was very fickle and shifting around very considerably. The committee boat was set up off the end of the western breakwater and the weather mark went in to the west of the Hi-speed ferry dolphins. That left the gybe mark of the triangular course in the approximate area of the harbour mouth and a leeward mark close to the green pontoon of the INSS.

Light winds for the PY fleet

For the PY Fleet’s first start there was a traffic jam at the pin end as boats struggled to cross the line on starboard and instead tried to line up to make a snappy pin end port-tack start. Even from the inshore end of the breakwater, I could hear loud voices asserting their rights to do whatever they thought was right. It led to a right/left split of the fleet and Frank Miller scored by going left. For the subsequent starts of the ILCAs, there was further chaos, multiple sound signals and coloured flags flying. The Race Officer subsequently shortened the PYs to a single triangle and once they were finished started proceedings again with the ILCA 7s and 4s getting away first followed by the ILCA 6s.

ILCA start Photo: Ian Cutliffe

The PYs then went into a second two-triangle race. The two ILCA fleets were then afforded a second one-triangle race so that all fleets went home with two races under their belts. The balmy, blue skies gave way to greyer clouds and more gusty conditions and some well-known combinations found themselves swimming a great deal more than they would have expected.

Viking Marine Frostbites, Round 6

1st Race
PY Fleet (28 boats)
1. Noel Butler
2. Mark Gavin
3. Mick McCambridge (All Aero 7s)
4. David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (GP14 -14069)
5. Frank Miller & Ed Butler (FB – 14713)
8. Jemima Owens & Henry Start (RS200)
9. Tom Murphy (K1)
11. Pierre Long & Son (IDRA)

ILCA 7s (7 boats)
1. Gavan Murphy
2. Conrad Vandlik
3. Chris Arrowsmith
ILCA 4s (8 boats)
1. Emily Cantwell
2. Daniel O’Connor
3. Ava Ennis
4. Donal Walsh
5. Dylan de Vreeze

ILCA 6s (19 boats)
1. Alan Coakley
2. Sophie Kilmartin
3. Alison Pigot
4. Peter Kilmartin
5. Conor Clancy

2nd Race

PY Fleet (26 boats)
1. Mark Gavin
2. Brendan Foley
3. Noel Butler
4. Stephen Oram (All Aero 7s)
5. Roy Van Maanen (Aero 5)
6. Frank Miller & Ed Butler (FB 14713)
7. Sarah Dwyer (Aero 5)
8. David Mulvin & Ronan Beirne (GP14 14069)
10. Pierre Long & Son (IDRA)

ILCA 7s (6 boats)
1. Chris Arrowsmith
2. Conrad Vandlik
3. Gary O’Hare
ILCA 4s (7 boats)
1. Daniel O’Connor
2. Brian Carroll
3. Ava Ennis

ILCA 6s (15 boats)
1. Brendan Hughes
2. Archie Daly
3. Conor Clancy
4. Sophie Kilmartin
5. Judy O’Beirne

Fireballs Race within a Race

As usual, the Fireballs had their race within a race, with eight Fireballs starting amongst the mixed PY fleet. With wildly oscillating winds and probably an expectation that the wind would swing right the start line for Race One had a massive port bias making it almost impossible to get off the line on starboard.

In the midst of the chaos, Neil Colin sailing with Marjo Moonen (14775) managed to flip over to port and found a gap to pop through, pulling off a brave but perfectly safe and legal start. Frank Miller and Ed Butler (14713) played dodgems and managed to get off the pin without any contact. The pair found what there was of decent air and favourable shifts and led around the windward mark by several boat lengths. The pair extended their lead on the chasing fleet on the first reach, initially two-sailing it in the very light winds and hoisting only when there was enough wind to make a difference. Along the second reach, they were ahead of all PY boats by almost half a leg and rounded the leeward with a big lead. However, a third the way up the beat they were told the race was being shortened and sailed downwind again to dip the line and head up again for a windward finish, giving them line honours. They were followed home by Colin/Moonen (14775) and McKenna/O'Keeffe (15016) while Aero sailor Noel Butler won on handicap.

For Race Two Miller/Butler got off the boat-end favoured line cleanly about a third the way along and used their weight to good advantage in gusty conditions to pull away from the rest of the fleet. They led the two-triangle race to the finish this time followed home by McKenna/O'Keeffe while Colin/Moonen had a swim caused by the very difficult airs surrounding the weather mark. On handicap race two was won by Mark Gavin in an Aero.

The final race of Series 1 will be hosted next Sunday, 19th December. Competitors should note that due to the ongoing measures necessitated by Covid there will be no Series 1 prize-giving in the DMYC Clubhouse after racing. Regatta Director Neil Colin advises that prizes will be either be available for collection at the DMYC by individuals, or a plan will be made to get prizes to winner’s home clubs.