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Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Lifeboats Rescue Two People after Jet Skis Suffer Engine Problems

25th July 2020
Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboats assisted the jetskis Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboats assisted the jetskis

At 9:11 pm last night (Friday 24 July), Dublin Coast Guard requested Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI to assist two people on separate jet skis which had engine issues just off the North Bull wall in Dublin Bay.

The all-weather lifeboat was launched at 9:20 pm under Coxswain Stuart Kane with five crew on board and made its way to the scene arriving at 09:35 pm. The all-weather lifeboat crew assessed the situation on arrival and saw that the two jet skis had drifted north towards Bull Wall and into shallower water which was out of the all-weather lifeboats reach. The crew swiftly made a decision and requested the help from the stations smaller inshore lifeboat “Realt Na Mara” which was launched at 09:55 pm.

Arriving on scene at 10:10 pm the inshore lifeboat took the two vessels in tow, after nearly two hours at sea the two lifeboats arrived back in Dun Laoghaire Harbour at 23:20 pm.

Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a slight wind and good visibility.

Speaking following the call out, Liam Mullan, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer said: ‘ The volunteer crew’s involved were happy to have located the two people quickly last night with light fading fast in an area with a lot of shipping traffic and return them to shore safely. It's important to remind everyone to make sure that their vessel engines are thoroughly checked regulatory by a professional before taking to the water and always have a suitable means of communication to call the Irish Coast Guard for help.’

Afloat.ie Team

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Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

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