Arklow RNLI launched on Sunday (8 October) at around 11am following a pager alert by the Irish Coast Guard reporting swimmers in difficulty at the Co Wicklow town’s South Beach.

The volunteer crew made their way to the lifeboat station and within minutes of the request were aboard the all-weather lifeboat Ger Tigchlearr and en route to the reported location just outside Arklow Piers.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew were made aware that there were two open-water swimmers in the area, with another person on a paddleboard.

Thankfully, it was established that they were not in difficulty and the lifeboat stood by the swimmers as they completed their swim and returned to shore.

Initial reports had said there were swimmers in difficulty and shouting for help but it was established they were communicating within the group and the shouts for help were misheard.

Following the call-out, Mark Corcoran, volunteer lifeboat press officer at Arklow RNLI said: “In this case, it turned out there was no one in difficulty. However, we would always encourage anyone who suspects they have heard any kind of call for help to phone 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

The volunteer lifeboat crew from Larne RNLI in Northern Ireland will feature in the new series of popular TV show Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two at 8pm next Thursday 12 October.

Featuring footage captured on helmet and boat cameras, viewers watch dramatic rescues through the eyes of RNLI lifesavers while meeting the people behind the pagers and those rescued by the charity’s lifesavers.

The popular 10-part documentary is now in its eighth series and includes the lifesaving work of RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards from around Ireland and the UK.

It’s also available to watch on the BBC iPlayer for viewers in the UK following broadcast.

Including interviews with lifeboat crews and lifeguards, the series will also hear from those rescued and their families who, thanks to RNLI lifesavers, are here to tell the tale.

This forthcoming episode, on Thursday 12 October, includes Larne RNLI’s rescue of a capsized kayaker alongside rescue stories from their colleagues at other stations and beaches around the coast.

Larne RNLI helm Barry Kirkpatrick, who was on the call-out and will feature in the upcoming episode, said: “Our lifesaving work would not be possible without donations from the public and we are delighted to be able to share a frontline view of the rescues they support with their kind generosity.

“This is the first time Larne RNLI features on the Saving Lives at Sea series and this rescue is a good example of where our volunteers’ training, skills and experience all come to the fore in helping bring a casualty to safety. It also highlights the great teamwork not just among our own volunteers but with our colleagues from the various emergency services.

“The call for help in this rescue comes late at night following reports of a person capsized from their kayak. After a search, we locate the casualty floating on his back in the middle of the bay, who is estimated to be in the water for up to one hour and very cold.

“We bring him onboard the lifeboat and make our way back to the beach as quickly as possible while beginning first aid to try and warm him up but we are concerned about signs of hypothermia. Once on shore, we are assisted by our colleagues in the coastguard and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

“In this rescue, the casualty's wife does the right thing by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard when she realises her husband is in difficulty in the water. The kayaker also does the right thing by floating on his back with his arms stretched out. He is floating to live.”

If you get inspired to volunteer with the RNLI by the series, there are a variety of roles from lifeboat crew, to fundraiser, lifeguard to shop volunteer. Fund out more at rnli.org/volunteer

Larne RNLI came to the aid of a swimmer who got into difficulty half a mile from Portmuck Harbour on Wednesday afternoon (4 October).

The station’s volunteers were requested by Belfast Coastguard to launch both their all-weather and inshore lifeboats before 12.30pm.

It followed a 999 call from a member of the public who raised the alarm after they observed two swimmers who they thought were not making any progress against a strong offshore wind on Northern Ireland’s East Antrim coast.

There was a Force 4-5 south-westerly wind blowing at the time that the all-weather lifeboat, under coxswain Barry Kirkpatrick, and the inshore lifeboat, helmed by Chris Dorman, were launched.

Arriving on scene first, the all-weather lifeboat crew quickly located a casualty around half a mile from the harbour and brought him onboard the lifeboat. He was cold but otherwise safe and well and in good spirits.

The second swimmer had managed to make his way safely back to shore unaided. The inshore lifeboat crew checked he too was safe and well before taking the first swimmer onboard and bringing both ashore and into the care of the Portmuck Coastguard team.

Speaking following the call-out, Phil Ford-Hutchinson, Larne RNLI’s deputy launching authority said: “We would like to commend the member of the public who raised the alarm today when they spotted what they thought was two swimmers in difficulty; that is always the right thing to do. We would also like to commend the swimmers who had swim floats with them.

“We would remind anyone planning an activity at sea to always go prepared. Check weather and tide times before venturing out, let someone on the shore know where you are going and when you are due back, carry a means of communication such as a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch and should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112, and ask for the coastguard.”

Former president Mary McAleese recalls her close family connections with the lifeboat service in the latest episode of the RNLI “200 Voices” series.

McAleese was born in Belfast, grew up on the shores of Carlingford Lough and now lives close to a lake in the west of Ireland.

The podcast, “Storms and Teacups”, which is released this week as part of the series to mark the RNLI’s bicentenary, notes that Jeremiah O’Connell, her son-in-law’s grandfather, was coxswain of Kerry’s Valentia lifeboat nearly 150 years ago.

McAleese admits to “not being the strongest of swimmers” in the interviews. She also recalls many of the charity events she attended during her term as president, and pays tribute to the RNLI’s volunteering spirit.

The podcast series involves people connected to the RNLI in Ireland, and those whose lives have been touched by the lifesaving charity.

Initiated in August, it has already recorded interviews with Niamh Fitzpatrick, sister of the late Rescue 116 helicopter Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, and Fr Tom Dalton, an RNLI crew member in Courtown, Co Wexford.

Baltimore RNLI’s Kieran Cotter recalled his involvement in responding to the 1979 Fastnet yacht, while the challenge of saving lives in a remote place was the theme of an interview with recently retired Aran islands GP Dr Marion Broderick.

Later in the autumn, the series will also hear from “ambassadors”, including musician Phil Coulter, who speaks about writing the RNLI anthem, “Home from the Sea”.

The RNLI’s 200 Voices is available wherever you get your podcasts or at RNLI.org/200Voices.

To find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary, visit www.RNLI.org/200.

The Wicklow RNLI inshore lifeboat rescued two foil surfers who were in distress due to tidal conditions on Saturday afternoon (30 September), according to the Coast Guard's alert. The Inshore lifeboat was launched around 3:40 pm and quickly found the surfers at the entrance of Wicklow Harbour, who were struggling to get back ashore due to the changing tidal conditions. The sea state was slight, and there was a south-westerly wind force of 3/4 at the time. However, the weather was poor, with mist and rain hindering visibility.

The lifeboat crew safely rescued the surfers and their foil boards. One of the surfers had become exhausted while paddling against the falling tide and was thoroughly checked by the crew, but did not require medical attention. The lifeboat crew landed the two surfers safely ashore and returned to the station. It was the first official "Shout" for a trainee crew member, Deirdre Rizo, who performed commendably.

Tommy Dover, Wicklow's Lifeboat Press Officer, praised the trainee crew for their hard work and dedication throughout the past year of training as lifeboat volunteers. Dover also reminded everyone to check their engine and fuel before going offshore, wear a lifejacket or buoyancy aid, and carry a means of calling for help throughout the journey. He advised people to dial 999 and ask for the Coast Guard if they see anyone in difficulty on or near the water.

The Baltimore RNLI lifeboat crew carried out a rescue mission during storm Agnes on September 27th.

The Irish Coast Guard called for assistance to rescue a yacht in trouble in the Ilen River in West Cork. At 3.48 pm, the Baltimore lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat and reached the yacht at 3.59 pm.

Despite the storm-force winds gusting to force 12 (65 knots), the volunteer lifeboat crew managed to tow the yacht to safety. The yacht with one person on board had gone aground and required a tow to the nearest safe and suitable port in Baltimore Harbour.

Due to the severity of the storm, Coxswain Pat Collins requested the launch of Baltimore's inshore lifeboat to assist the all-weather lifeboat in berthing the casualty vessel to a secure mooring within Baltimore Harbour.

(Above and below) Baltimore RNLI lifeboats assist yacht during Storm Agnes - RNLI/Gerald O'Brien

The inshore lifeboat was launched at 4.23 pm and attached a line to the mooring to expedite the attachment of the yacht. The all-weather lifeboat arrived at the mooring with the casualty vessel in tow, and the volunteer lifeboat crew on the inshore lifeboat passed a line to the two volunteer lifeboat crew on the yacht, who then secured the vessel to the mooring.

The rescue mission was carried out by seven volunteer crew members on board the all-weather lifeboat, including Coxswain Pat Collins, mechanic Cathal Cottrell, and crew members Jerry Smith, Michael Cottrell, Don O'Donovan, Colin Whooley, and David Ryan. Four volunteer crew members were on board the inshore lifeboat, which included Helm Kieran Collins and crew members Kieran O'Driscoll, Rob O'Leary, and James Kitt.

Baltimore RNLI lifeboat volunteer crew Photo: RNLI/Gerald O'Brien

The rescue operation was also assisted by Rianne Smith, Marion MacFeely, Seamus O'Driscoll, Brian McSweeney, and Sean McCarthy.

A solo sailor who sought assistance off the west coast in Storm Agnes is being towed to safety.

RNLI lifeboats from Achill and Clifden responded to the alert when the yacht, believed to be Norwegian, reported being in difficulty ten miles west of Clare Island, Co Mayo, this morning.

The yacht is now being taken under tow into Cleggan by the Clifden lifeboat.

In recognition of their dedication and commitment of time, energy and skills, seven members of the Galway RNLI crew were presented with long-service awards for achieving 50, 100, 150 and 200 services.

Each time the crew members respond to their pagers and head out to sea on a rescue counts as a service. The seven crew had amassed a total of 900 services between them, including 200 services by David Oliver — who has been with the Galway RNLI crew since the station opened in 1995.

Mike Swan, lifeboat operations manager with Galway RNLI said: “Every year we recognise the dedication of our volunteer crew by presenting long-service awards. This year we have a number of crew who achieved significant milestones including Lisa McDonagh with 50 services; Shane Folan and Olivia Byrne with 100 services; Declan Killilea, Brian Niland and David Badger with 150 services; [and] David Oliver with a record 200 services.

“Our lifeboat volunteers have all kinds of backgrounds and jobs. At a moment’s notice, they readily exchange work, comfort or sleep for cold, wet and fatigue. They spend many hours of their own time training together so they can meet the dangers and challenges they face on search and rescue missions at sea.

“The awards are not just to celebrate the achievements of the crew who are willing to drop everything at the sound of their pager, but also their families and friends who play a key role in supporting our crew to spend time saving lives at sea and being there for them when they get home after what may sometimes be a very challenging day or night on the water.”

Swan continued: “Our volunteer lifeboat crew is on call 24/7, 365 days a year. The average time from the call from the coastguard requesting the lifeboat and crew to launch, to the boat and crew being on the water is approximately 10 minutes, day or night.

“The area covered by the Galway RNLI Lifeboat and crew is the section of Galway Bay east of a line between Black Head in Co Clare and Spiddal, Co Galway and includes Barna, Salthill, Galway city and the mouth of the River Corrib, Oranmore, Kinvara, Newquay and Ballyvaughan.

“Last year our crew and lifeboat launched 33 times and came to the aid of 31 people. This is only possible due to the dedication of our crew who go to sea and the wider group of volunteers who provide shore support and fundraising support which in turn relies on the generosity of our community in Galway further afield.”

A team of volunteers from the Wicklow RNLI launched an all-weather lifeboat early on Sunday morning to rescue a sailor who was stranded on a yacht with mechanical and electrical issues.

The yacht, a 36ft sailing vessel, was located approximately half a mile northeast of Wicklow Harbour, and the sailor was in distress. The Coast Guard paged the RNLI crew at 1:48 am, and they immediately sprang into action. At 2:00 am, the RNLB Joanna & Henry Williams set sail in force 6-7 winds blowing from the northwest.

The crew, led by Coxswain Tommy McAuley, quickly assessed the maritime emergency and decided to take the yacht under tow back to the safety of Wicklow Harbour. The yacht was safely secured alongside at approximately 2:45 am, and the RNLI volunteer crew prepared the lifeboat to be of further service.

Coxswain Tommy McAuley expressed his pride in his team after the heroic maritime rescue, stating: “A call out during the hours of darkness always adds an extra challenge, but the crew are very well prepared throughout the year with the training they undertake.”

Sligo Bay RNLI’s volunteer crew were requested to launch by Malin Head Coast Guard shortly after 4pm on Sunday (17 September) to assist a lone sailor aboard a 38ft yacht eight miles out at sea.

The inshore lifeboat Sheila and Dennis Tongue at launched at 4.17pm with four crew members onboard and was on scene half an hour later amid good sea conditions.

Following an assessment, the lifeboat crew found the sailor to be fine but the wind had dropped and the yacht had experienced engine failure so was not able to make any headway.

The sailor reacting quickly, had called 999 and requested assistance from the coastguard who in turn paged the lifeboat.

A lifeboat crew member went onboard to assist the sailor with setting up a tow before the yacht was brought to the nearest safe port in Sligo town.

Speaking after the rescue, Sligo Bay RNLI helm Michael Waters said: “We launched to a 38ft steel-hull yacht with one crew onboard that found itself becalmed due to no wind and engine failure eight miles west of the Wheat Rock buoy.

“One of the lifeboat crew was put onboard to help the sailor with the tow back to Sligo. The tow was quickly established, and we proceed to the pontoon in Sligo town arriving at 7.20pm.”

Once the yacht was safely tied up, the lifeboat returned to the station where it was was washed down, refuelled and made ready for service again by the volunteer shore crew.