#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's inshore lifeboat launched shortly after 5pm yesterday evening (Sunday 25 September) to assist a person on a broken-down personal water craft.

The man had set off from Wicklow Harbour and was about a mile offshore when the engine cut out, leaving him adrift and unable to get ashore.

The lifeboat was alongside the casualty within minutes of launching and the crew carried out a quick assessment before towing the craft back into Wicklow Harbour and landing the man safely ashore.

Members of Howth RNLI lifeboat will gather at the lifeboat station this Sunday (2 October 2016) to name their new inshore lifeboat Aideen Cresswell in memory of the incredible woman who funded it. Aideen Cresswell (nee Stokes) was born in London in 1921 to Irish parents but came to live in The Baily, Howth. At a young age she met her husband John Cresswell at an RNLI ball and they spent their honeymoon on board a yacht sailing from Dublin to Waterford.

Mrs Cresswell passed away in 2011after a short illness but she will be remembered during the naming ceremony and service of dedication for Howth RNLI’s new inshore lifeboat. She will be represented at the ceremony by her two nephews, Andrew O’Hanlon and Seymour Cresswell, who will hand the new lifeboat into the care of the RNLI and officially name the inshore lifeboat Aideen Cresswell after their aunt.

Aideen Cresswell

Following the ceremony the new lifeboat will launch in Howth Harbour to the accompaniment of a lone piper. The well-known Dublin lifeboat station was established before 1825 and taken over by the RNLI in 1862. During its tenure Howth’s volunteer lifeboat crew have been awarded eleven medals for Gallantry: seven silver and four bronze. The station also operates an all-weather lifeboat.

The inshore lifeboat remains the workhorse of the RNLI as it has for nearly 50 years. The inflatable rescue craft is highly manoeuvrable and specifically suited to surf, shallow water and confined locations – often working close to cliffs, among rocks or even in caves.

Equipment includes VHF radio, night-vision equipment, and first-aid kit including oxygen. It has a maximum speed of 25 knots and can carry three crew members and five survivors.

Colm Newport, Howth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘We are grateful to our donor for her generous gift which has funded our new lifeboat and we look forward to welcoming representatives of her family to Howth to share this day with us. Our volunteer lifeboat crew will be proud custodians of this search and rescue vessel for many years to come.’

‘We hope people will come down and join us for the ceremony and see the wonderful legacy Mrs Aideen Cresswell has left the people of Howth.’

#RNLI - Larne RNLI's volunteer crew are throwing open the doors of their lifeboat station this coming Friday 30 September as they host a coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan, the cancer support charity.

Doors open at 10am at 11 Olderfleet Road and the crew are already planning a 'bake off' to entice the public along and to dig deep for the charity.

The main organiser of the fundraiser is Larne RNLI lifeboat mechanic Derek Rea, who lost his uncle to cancer when he was younger and has had some close friends battle the illness.

It is a cause that is close to the heart of the entire station. Second coxswain Norman Surplus recently had his own battle with the disease and raised funds for cancer charities when he flew his gyrocopter round the world last year.

Commenting on the fundraising event, Rea said: "This will be a fundraiser with a difference for us here. As a charity we are thankful to the people of Larne for supporting the lifeboat but we also want to help others and raise funds for this worthy cause.

"There is hardly a person whose life has not been touched by cancer, either through battling it themselves or seeing someone they care about suffering with it. Support for cancer sufferers and research into treatment is ongoing and the Macmillan coffee morning is a great way to raise awareness and funds for this work."

Learn more about the Macmillan coffee morning fundraisers HERE.

#RNLI - Two British naval war ships, three helicopters and a fishing vessel joined Peel RNLI in the dramatic rescue of a trawler between Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man in the early hours of Wednesday morning (21 September).

The 20m converted fishing vessel from Kilkeel in Co Down was on passage in the Irish Sea from Glasgow to Conwy in Wales when it started taking water through the stern tube and was in danger of sinking some 11 miles west of the Isle of Man.

Peel's all-weather lifeboat Ruby Clery, under the command of coxswain Paul Cain, launched shortly after the volunteer crew were alerted at 1.30am.

Northern Irish fishing vessel Stephanie M gave shelter to the casualty until the lifeboat crew were able to put a pump on board to evacuate the water.

The vessel, with three adults and one child on board, was soon stabilised and helicopters and other vessels stood down. The trawler was then taken in tow by the lifeboat bound for Peel.

During this time, a young woman and the child were taken ill, so the tow was dropped about 15 minutes from Peel and the two taken to a waiting ambulance where they were treated and then removed to Nobles Hospital.

Meanwhile, the lifeboat returned to the stricken vessel, which was now under its own power, and escorted it into Peel Harbour at about 5am.

"We advise people to always check their equipment before leaving port," said Cain after the callout.

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI was presented with a cheque for €5,749 last Friday 16 September by Ring of Kerry cyclists towards the charity’s special appeal in aid of a new inshore lifeboat which is due on service at the end of 2017.

A team of nine cyclists came together in March and set their sights on completing a 160km Ring of Kerry challenge on Saturday 27 August.

The team, comprising Paddy Kehoe, Philip and Richard Roche, John Summers, Jim Mernagh, Nicky Walsh, Renee Mullens, David Curtis and Damian Cahill, also undertook to fundraise in aid of the Fethard RNLI special appeal.

"This was a once in a lifetime achievement," said Kehoe. "Each member of the team are overwhelmed and extremely thankful for the support received.

"We all have families living on the coast and could call on the services of the lifeboat at any time, therefore it was important for us to support our local station."

Oonagh Hearne Messette, Fethard RNLI fundraising chair, said: "To have raised this amount of money on our behalf is outstanding and has had an unbelievable impact on our appeal. Without this community support we would not be able to seek to fundraise €65,000 for our new lifeboat appeal.

"It is credit to the team and we thank each and every one together with their extended family for their support."

The recent Waves Music Festival raised €35,000 towards the lifeboat station's €65,000 target, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Four teenage girls who got into trouble whilst swimming at Main Beach in Bundoran on Saturday (17th September) have issued an appeal to find the body boarders who helped them out of the water.

The girls were in the water just after 6.30pm on Saturday evening when they found themselves caught in a rip current. A member of the public dialled 999 and the Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat and Rescue 118 helicopter were both requested to launch by Malin Head Coast Guard. Within minutes the Bundoran Lifeboat was on the scene having made the short trip from the nearby station, however, on arrival the girls had already been helped to safety by a number of bodyboarders who were in the water at Main Beach at the time.

A number of RNLI volunteer shore crew, trained in Casualty Care, also attended the scene and assisted the girls until the arrival of the Sligo based Rescue 118 helicopter which landed in the Astoria Car Park.
As a precautionary measure, the girls were airlifted to Sligo University Hospital from where they were subsequently released after having been given an all clear.

Now the girls are appealing for their rescuers to come forward so that they may thank them in person.

#RNLI - Newcastle RNLI's inshore lifeboat Eliza was requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard just before 2pm on Saturday afternoon (17 September) to investigate a vessel adrift four miles east of Newcastle in Co Down, near the mouth of Dundrum Bar.

The lifeboat was launched within minutes and made best speed to the casualty's position in calm seas. Once close enough, it was established that the cruiser had one person on board and had no means of contacting emergency services due to power failure.

A tow was quickly connected between the lifeboat and the casualty vessel and it was brought into and secured on its mooring at Dundrum Harbour. Both lifeboat and crew were back on station by 3.30pm.

#RNLI - Lifeboat volunteers with Wicklow RNLI responded to two callouts over the weekend, assisting a lone yachtsman and a person in the water.

The first came on Saturday 17 September as the all-weather lifeboat Annie Blaker launched at 2.55pm to assist a small yacht south of Wicklow harbour.

The vessel, with one person on board, had developed mechanical problems near the horseshoe buoy. With light winds, he was unable make his way back to Wicklow Harbour.

English yacht Amica, which was passing, made contact and attempted to tow the vessel back to Wicklow. However, with the tide against him and strong currents, they were unable to make much headway around Wicklow Head.

The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh, located the vessel off Wicklow Head and a towline was quickly established. The yacht and the lone sailor were brought safely alongside the East Pier shortly after 3.45pm.

The second callout came yesterday morning (Sunday 18 September) at 6:45am after the Irish Coast Guard received a report of a person in the water at Wicklow Harbour. The inshore lifeboat crew arrived on scene at the South Quay a short time later.

Lifeboat volunteer Ian Thompson entered the water to rescue the casualty, who was disorientated and injured.

Thompson was able to assess and reassure the casualty before bringing him to a nearby ladder and, with the assistance of gardaí, the person was lifted to safety and transferred to a waiting ambulance for medical treatment.

This multi-agency rescue operation involved the the coastguard, Wicklow RNLI, Wicklow Garda and the Wicklow Ambulance Service.

Elsewhere, the body of a man was recovered from the River Lee in Cork city last night hours after a car was reportedly seen entering the water at Kennedy Quay. BreakingNews.ie has more on the story HERE.

#RNLI - The Waves Music Festival on Sunday 28 August raised €35,000 towards Fethard RNLI's special in aid of a new inshore lifeboat which is due on service at the end 2017.

Some 2,500 people turned out for the family-friendly day-long music event at Loftus Hall on Hook Head, which saw Nathan Carter, Hometown, Corner Boy, Friends in Low Places and Elmore hitting the stage along with a number of local acts.

"To have raised €35,000 from a first-time event is beyond our expectations and highlights the strength of community feeling towards the charity that saves lives at sea," said Fethard RNLI press officer Rebecca Doyle.

"We were also overwhelmed with the support of Loftus Hall for providing us with the most fantastic backdrop and for their donation of €12,000 to the lifeboat appeal."

Aidan Quigley, proprietor of Loftus Hall, added: "The RNLI plays such a vital role in the lives of those who live, work and visit our coasts.

"This festival has become part of Loftus Hall’s legacy in the year where we celebrate 666 years of history, heritage and intrigue."

Quigley added that there will be another Waves event at Loftus Hall in 2017.

#RNLI - Larne RNLI launched last Friday 9 and Sunday 1 September to help recover a total of three yachts that had broken from moorings in severe weather.

The inshore lifeboat launched at 4.05pm on Friday to reports of a 29ft yacht broken free of its mooring in the shipping channel.

Due to the severe weather, with Force 8 winds, the Larne all-weather lifeboat under coxswain Frank Healy launched at 4.25pm and made its way to the scene near Curran Quay.

Two crew members boarded the yacht to set up a tow. The conditions were particularly challenging with a broken mast, loose rigging and a very heavy sea, but the yacht was secured safely to a mooring in Larne Lough.

On Sunday, the volunteer RNLI crew completed weekly training by midday but were paged only a matter of hours later to launch after reports of two yachts encroaching on the shipping channel.

As winds were gusting up to Force 10, it was decided to launch the all-weather lifeboat to attend the yachts, one of which had broken from its mooring while the other was dragging its mooring into the shipping channel.

Lifeboat crew were placed aboard the first yacht and a tow established, it was then secured to another mooring. Once the first yacht was secure, the RNLI crew and the yacht’s owner were placed abroad the yacht dragging its mooring.

Due to the wind and sea conditions in the lough, the decision was made to head for safe harbour in Glenarm rather than attempt a mooring pickup.

Once the casualty vessel was safely on its way to Glenarm under its own steam, Larne lifeboat returned to the station.

Speaking following the callouts, Larne RNLI deputy launching authority Philip Ford-Hutchinson said: "The strong southerly winds and heavy sea state within the lough made these three incidents extremely challenging for our volunteer crews to deal with.

"All their training was called upon in removing the vessels from further danger."