#RNLI - The Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat was tasked yesterday (7 April) to assist two windsurfers in difficulty near Duncannon in Waterford Harbour.

In rough conditions yesterday afternoon, with south-east winds force 6/7 blowing, coxswain Pauly Daniels reached the casualties' position within 30 minutes. 

By this stage one of the surfers had made it ashore safely at Duncannon. The Dunmore East lifeboat quickly located the other windsurfer a quarter of a mile north of Duncannon. The casualty was safely recovered from the water and landed ashore nearby.

Neither casualty was injured and did not need medical attention.

Nearby in Wexford, five teenagers were rescued from a small speedboat after it suffered engine failure and ran aground on the River Slaney around 1.20pm yesterday.

According to Lorraine Galvin, volunteer press officer at Wexford RNLI, the teens' "fast call for help to the coastguard greatly helped in ensuring their speedy rescue in cold, rough weather conditions".

At the time of the rescue there were wind speeds of force 5 south-easterly and a rough sea state. All of the passengers were starting to suffer from the cold and were treated for mild hypothermia.

Meanwhile, on Upper Lough Erne last Friday the volunteer lifeboat at Enniskillen RNLI (Carrybridge) launched to reports of a vessel that had run aground.

The RNLI lifeboat and rescue water craft were both launched and proceeded to the casualty's last known location 2.5 miles upstream from Carrybridge at Innishmore viaduct.

On route to the scene at the Innishmore viaduct, the volunteer crew got further information that the vessel had managed to refloat and was currently at Killygowan Island.

A full inspection was carried out and none of the crew on the casualty vessel were found to be in need of medical attention.

It was decided with the owner's permission that the volunteer crew would escort their vessel back to Carrybridge with the lifeboat leading and rescue water craft following as the navigation lights were not working.

#MissingSwimmer - RTÉ News is reporting that a swimmer taken from the water after going missing off Dalkey Island in Dublin Bay this morning (Sunday 7 April) has died.

Earlier this evening The Irish Times reported that the 35-year-old man was in a critical condition in Tallaght Hospital after being recovered from the water off Sorrento Terrace.

Lifeboat volunteers with Dun Laoghaire RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard's Dublin-based helicopter Rescue 116 were involved in the search which began around 11am today after the swimmer failed to return to shore.

#loughderg – At 3pm yesterday, April 6, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist two people on board their 31ft cruiser, after their boat grounded on rocks by St. David's in Dromineer Bay. SEE VIDEO BELOW

The lifeboat launched at 15.13hrs with Helm Lian Knight, Ger Egan and Keith Brennan on board.  

Winds were easterly, Force 2. The lifeboat was alongside at 15.17hrs. The two people was safe and unharmed.  An RNLI crew member was transferred to their boat to assess for damage.

When it was established that the cruiser was not holed, it was taken off the rocks and towed out into safe water, where drives and steering were checked.  With all systems in full working order and with an RNLI volunteer still on board, the crusier was driven to Dromineer Harbour.

Lough Derg RNLI Helm Lian Knight, advises boat users to be aware that the 'lake is down by about two feet and to extra take entering and leaving harbours'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 16.10hrs.

#RNLI - Rather than accept gifts for their 50th wedding anniversary, a Portstweart couple have asked their family and friends to make donations to Portrush RNLI.

As the Coleraine Times reports, Ewart Toms and his wife - who are well known butchers in the area - raised £500 for the RNLI which they were more than happy to hand over to lifeboat station volunteers at Portrush.

They said: “We wanted to mark this special occasion in our lives, by making a donation to a cause close to our hearts, and to the volunteers who risk their lives to save others.”

The Coleraine Times has more on the story HERE.

#RNLI - Enniskillen RNLI at Carrybridge was tasked on Tuesday afternoon (2 April) by Belfast Coastguard to reports of a boat taking on water and sinking on Lough Erne.

The lifeboat travelled 4km towards Enniskillen to the last known position of the sinking vessel. On arrival at the scene, the lifeboat crew saw that the occupants of the vessel were on land and that the vessel had been secured to a tree on the bank, though it was still taking on water.

The voluntary crew checked that everyone was present and there were no injuries. Once this was established, the lifeboat crew assessed the casualty vessel and found that the bung was missing.

They located two corks and these were made into a temporary bung. A salvage pump was set up and the water was removed.

The owner of the vessel was contacted and came to the scene. The vessel was judged by the RNLI crew to be capable of making the short distance back to Carrybridge where it was recovered onto a trailer. 

#RNLI - Newcastle RNLI’s always-on-call lifeboat crew had to abandon their buckets and sponges during a fundraising car wash at the weekend to respond to an emergency at the Co Down town’s harbour.

The RNLI volunteers were busily soaping and rinsing cars for their annual Easter fundraiser on Saturday when they were alerted to a woman in trouble in the freezing water a few yards from one of the piers.

The car wash was immediately abandoned and within minutes the inshore lifeboat Aldergrove II was launched and rushed to the woman’s aid.

At the same time, crew member Shane Rice grabbed a lifebelt from the pier and jumped into the water to assist the woman. He kept her afloat while the Aldergrove II came alongside.

The woman was helped into the rescue inflatable, wrapped in blankets to prevent hypothermia, and taken back to shore where an ambulance was waiting to take her to hospital.

Newcastle RNLI’s deputy launching authority Clifford Moorehead said afterwards: "The lifeboat crew are always ready to respond in an instant to any emergency. It is fortunate that the car wash was in progress at the time and the crew members were on hand to swiftly deal with this case.


"After the rescue the crew members came back to the harbour and resumed their car wash. It’s just all in a day’s work for the RNLI."

It wasn't the only callout of the weekend for the RNLI in Co Down, as Bangor RNLI assisted a lone sailor who got into difficulty on a sailing dinghy Easter Sunday.

At 1.10pm the volunteer lifeboat crew received an urgent request from Belfast Coastguard to launch the lifeboat and rescue one person from a 17ft dinghy. 

The sailing dinghy had reportedly gone aground on ‘Cockle Island’ off Groomsport Harbour on the southern shores of Belfast Lough.  
  


Upon arrival at the scene, the volunteer crew found that the occupant onboard the dinghy had been assisted by another boat owner and the vessel had been safely tied to a mooring buoy.  
 

Meanwhile, last Wednesday evening Portaferry RNLI was launched to reports that red flares has been sighted on Strangford Lough off Kircubbin in Co Down.

They were joined by a coastguard team that searched the shoreline and after some time recovered a spent flare casing. The inshore lifeboat and its volunteer crew were stood down after a number of hours with the callout proving to be a false alarm.

Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian Bailie said: "A member of the public acted in good faith ... alerting the emergency services to what they understood to be a distress flare on the lough."

He reiterated that flares "should only be used in emergency situations".

#WaterSafety - RNLI lifeguards in Northern Ireland are to feature on a new television series on UTV.

The Magazine starts on Sunday 7 April at 7.30pm with host Sarah Travers in her home town of Portstewart to introduce viewers to some of her favourite people, places and topics.
 


As part of the first programme, TV presenter Emma-Rosa Dias will find out what it takes to be a lifeguard with the RNLI when she visits the charity’s area support centre in Ballymoney - before being put through her paces by RNLI lifeguard supervisor Tim Doran to see if she is ready for the challenge.



After a test in the swimming pool, Dias experiences a slice of the real thing when she pays a visit to Portrush East Strand on the Causeway Coast, one of the five beaches in Northern Ireland which begins its Easter season on Good Friday tomorrow 29 March.



As previously reported on Afloat.ie, this lifeguard cover will run throughout Easter week until Sunday 7 April.



Filming took place on Monday afternoon and despite the unseasonal weather, the charity’s highly trained lifeguards took the opportunity to demonstrate that they will be ready to assist the visitors who will brave the elements and take a trip to the seaside over the Easter break. 



Speaking following the afternoon’s shoot, Tim Doran said filming with UTV was a great way to show how highly trained RNLI lifeguards are.

"Our lifeguards spot potential dangers before they develop, and are on hand to give appropriate safety advice and respond immediately if anyone gets into difficulty," he said. "Because our lifeguards work closely alongside our volunteer lifeboat crews, it means the RNLI offers beach-goers and water-users a seamless rescue service from beach to open sea."

While Easter is often the time when people are getting back in the water after the winter, and while it’s good to see people enjoying the beaches, the RNLI is encouraging visitors to make sure they have the right kit to keep warm.



"It’s much colder now then it was this time last year," Doran added, "and our lifeguards will be wrapping up and we’d encourage everyone else to do the same. So, if you are heading into the sea, make sure you’re wearing a good wetsuit or drysuit, go with other people and keep an eye on each other.

"Keeping warm in cold weather can take a lot of energy, so fatigue can be an issue, plus watch out for the wind chill factor – even a slight breeze can have a dramatic effect on how cold it feels."



Meanwhile, to find out how Emma-Rosa Dias gets on, tune into UTV at 7.30pm on Sunday 7 April.

#loughdergrnli – This afternoon at the request of Valentia Coast Guard, Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat went to the assistance of two people who were in difficulty after their 25ft cruiser grounded on rocks inside the area known locally as the Goat Road, midway down the lake.

The lifeboat launched at 14.50hrs with Helm Eleanor Hooker, Owen Cavanagh and Ben Ronayne on board.  Winds were easterly, Force 4. It was cold with sleet and snow showers.

The lifeboat located and was alongside the cruiser within thirteen minutes of launching. The two people on board were safe, unharmed and warm. They had mis-read their charts and glanced off a rock. While they were dealing with that situation, they became disorientated and passed the wrong side of the navigation mark and grounded.

An RNLI crew member went on board and assessed the boat and once it was established that it was not holed, the cruiser was taken off the rocks and out into safe water.  A line which had fouled the boat's propellors, was removed with some difficulty.  The drives, propellors and rudder were checked again and and found to be undamaged.  En route to Dromineer, two RNLI members remained on board to make sure the skipper and his crew were certain of their charts and course.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Pat Garland, said that 'coming up to the holiday season, it is important for lake users to be familiar with their charts, and not to deviate from the recognised routes'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 16.30hrs.

#HowthRNLI - Howth locals Jennifer Murphy and Brendan Mulligan will be taking part in the London to Paris Bike Ride in aid of Howth RNLI.

The 377km charity challenge will take place between 23 and 26 August. Riders will depart from London and cycle past Hampton Court and through the North and South Downs to Portsmouth.

After crossing the English Channel on a ferry they will arrive in France at Caen and travel through the French countryside to Evreux. On the final day, all the cyclists will head to their final destination of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
 


Murphy said: "We decided to do the challenge for Howth RNLI because it is a local charity. We know some of the volunteer crew, including my boss!"

The duo are collecting sponsorships at their MyCharity.ie page HERE.  
 


And according to Howth RNLI's Rise Michael, the funds they raise will ensure the north Dublin volunteer lifeboat crews can go to sea with the best equipment available, preserving their safety when saving lives at sea.

Meanwhile, Howth RNLI is hosting a 'boat jumble' sale at Howth Sea Angling Club from 10.30am to 1pm on Saturday 13 April.

All are welcome to bring along boat gear, fishing gear, dinghies, wetsuits, sails, books and any other nautical-related items.

Tables cost €20 each, with 25% of sales donated to the RNLI. Alternatively, items can be donated to ‘The Bosun’s Locker’ with all sale proceeds going to the RNLI.

The RNLI Sea Safety Team will be on hand to check lifejacket safety and give advice, and RNLI souvenirs will also be available. For more details contact Barbara Sargent on 01 832 5392 or Rose Michael on 087 255 2726.

Michael adds that the funds raised by the jumble sale will go towards Howth RNLI's current fundraising project to fund the running and maintenance costs of the lifeboat station for a week.

#rnli – Lifeboat crew with Fenit RNLI and three local families worked together last night (Tuesday 26 March) to save the life of a stranded dolphin in the Kerry town. The mammal was running out of time after he was washed up into a deserted channel on a remote beach on Fenit Island and was not able to return to the water.

In a rescue operation that involved members of the Egan, Tobin and McCarthy families, three RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew, an inshore lifeboat and a jeep, the dolphin was given a fighting chance and was safely deposited by the lifeboat crew out in deep water.

The drama began when local woman Breda McCarthy was out walking her dog on Fenit Island when she came upon the stranded dolphin.  It was lying in a small channel quite a few metres from the sea. It is believed the dolphin had swam in at high tide a few hours earlier and had got cut off from the sea.  Mrs McCarty contacted family members who came down to see if they could return the dolphin to the water.  Unfortunately this was not possible as the mammal kept to the shallow waters and would not return to the sea.

With their concern growing the families contacted Ger O'Donnell, Fenit RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager to see if the RNLI could assist them.  Ger in turn made contact with Valentia Coast Guard who put him in contact with a dolphin expert.  After discussing the situation with the expert it was decided that the best course of action for providing a safe outcome would be to transport the dolphin down to the harbour and then transport it by RNLI lifeboat out to sea to be released.

The dolphin was carefully wrapped up and transported by jeep to the harbour where RNLI lifeboat crew were already waiting in the inshore lifeboat to launch.  They took the dolphin onboard the lifeboat and proceeded immediately out to sea.  On releasing the dolphin into the water the lifeboat crew watched as the mammal slowly started to swim around the lifeboat in ever increasing circles, gaining confidence as it went.  Once they were satisfied the dolphin was able to safely swim away, the lifeboat crew returned to shore.

Commenting on the unusual callout Fenit RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Ger O'Donnell said, "This was not your run of the mill rescue for the lifeboat crew.  We were very anxious that we did everything right and gave the poor thing the best chance of survival.  I want to thank everyone involved.  It was a real community effort, from the local families, the RNLI crew and the Coast Guard, who were able to put us in touch with the expert advice we needed.  It was almost as if the dolphin knew we were working to save him and I sincerely hope that he made it and we can count him as another life saved."

Local woman Mary Tobin, whose son Michael captured some photos of the incident said, "It was great to see everyone working together.  I can't thank them enough, we were so worried the poor creature was not going to make it. When my sister Breda found him it was clear that he was in a bad way and his breathing was very laboured. We knew that with the RNLI on our doorstep that we would have a good shot at a successful outcome.