#rnli – As the August Bank Holiday weekend gets underway, the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, is encouraging anyone thinking of using the water, to bear safety in mind.

Whether the sun shines or the rain pours, RNLI volunteers who are located at 44 lifeboat stations across Ireland will be on call and prepared to help anyone should the need arise.

The RNLI is committed to preventing tragedies in and around the water by raising awareness and increasing safe behaviour.

Last year, Irish lifeboats launched 17 times over the August Bank Holiday weekend. These included 13 call outs to boating incidents and four incidents involving people in the water or who were cut off by the tide.

Kevin Rahill, RNLI Sea Safety Manager for Ireland, said: 'We want everyone using the water this weekend to enjoy themselves without getting into any difficulty. Being aware of the dangers and preparing yourself before heading out, can greatly reduce the risks of having an accident'.

Before going afloat, the RNLI encourages that you always wear a properly fitted and serviced lifejacket.

'Tell someone where you are going,' Kevin continued, 'who you are going with and what time you can be expected back and let them know what to do if you don't report back.
'Remember to check the weather, tides and sea state before you go and if you are in doubt ask someone locally. Avoid strong tides and currents that will take you out to sea. Check your engine and fuel before setting off. Run the engine before departing to warm it up and make sure you carry spare fuel. A useful rule of thumb is the one third rule – one third out, one third back and one third to spare. And, remember, coming back into a strong tide or wind will use up more fuel. You should always wear the killcord with an outboard engine where it is fitted.
'Remember to have a reliable means of raising the alarm if you get into difficulty such as a marine VHF, distress flares, personal location beacon or EPIRB. A mobile phone might not have coverage or enough battery life in an emergency'.

For anyone who wants to go fishing from the shore, the RNLI has the following advice.
Knowing the times of high and low tide will help avoid being cut off by a rising tide. Windy weather will create waves which can wash you off a rock or pier.
Spend a while observing your chosen fishing spot before venturing down. Watch for waves, if the tide is rising or falling.
Avoid exposed areas where there are breaking waves.
Keep an eye out for wash from passing boats which might create larger waves.
Wear a lifejacket. If you do get washed in or fall in, it will help keep you afloat.

If you are in danger, or see someone else in trouble, call the Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16, or phone 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard

#RNLI - Two red flare sighting in recent days prompted launches by the Baltimore RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew - the first from the new station at Bullpoint.

On Saturday last (27 July) a red flare was reported after 8pm in the area of Inisbeg on the Ilen River, near Skibbereen in West Cork.

Helm Micheal Cottrell and his crew carried out a search as far upriver as the rowing club, making inquiries with vessels on the river. With no trouble found, the search was stood down and the lifeboat returned to the station at 9.10pm.
 


Then on Tuesday night (30 July) the alarm was raised when a member of the public reported sighting a red flare to the southwest of Tragumna Beach just before 11pm.

The all-weather lifeboat proceeded to Tragumna Bay, where a local fishing boat had already begun a search. Coxswain Kieran Cotter spoke by mobile phone with the observer of the flare, and the lifeboat searched west along the shoreline towards Tragumna Beach in response to the observer's directions.

By midnight nothing had been found, and the search was stood down as all indications were that this was most likely a firework or chinese lantern launched from the headland southwest of Tragumna.
 


Baltimore RNLI lifeboat operations manager Tom Bushe commented that he was "delighted with how the new carriage launching system worked" and thanked the volunteer crew and shore crew for all their hard work in learning new procedures.

Furthermore he advised that if people are setting off fireworks or releasing chinese lanterns in coastal areas to notify the coastguard of their intent.
 


Volunteer crew on board the inshore lifeboat were helm Micheal Cottrell, Tadhg Collins and Connor Dempsey, with shore crew comprising Jerry Smith, Rianne Smith and Seamus O'Driscoll. Volunteer RNLI crew on board the all-weather lifeboat were coxswain Kieran Cotter, mechanic Cathal Cottrell, Jerry Smith, Sean McCarthy, Tadhg Collins, Shane McSweeeny and Eoin Ryan.

#RNLI - Enniskillen RNLI will host the revived Castle Island charity swim and family fun morning in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh on Sunday 11 August.

The swim traditionally took place each year with the support of the Blake family.

And Enniskillen RNLI have hailed as a "great honour" the opportunity for its local volunteer crew to revive the swim in association with sponsors Blakes the Hollow, Western Cars and The Print Factory.



The 750m swim on Lough Erne is open to swimmers of all ages either individually or in small groups such as youth clubs, sports clubs or simply groups of friends.

Enniskillen RNLI says the emphasis for this swim is for everyone to have fun and for that reason, if required, novice swimmers may complete the swim in a well-fitted lifejacket or buoyancy aid but must be confident that they can complete the distance. 



Lifeboat crew not swimming themselves will also be present on the day to provide safety cover for the event.



Registration for the swim will take place at 12 noon on the day, followed by a short safety briefing. Sponsorship forms are available by email or can be collected at The Wig & Crown, Blakes the Hollow and Western Cars. For further information contact Adrian at 07974 730456.

In other news, RTÉ Radio 1’s The Business will broadcast live from Bundoran RNLI lifeboat station this Saturday morning 3 August.

The focus of the show will be on the business of Bundoran being a seaside resort - a reputation the Donegal town has enjoyed for more than two centuries. 

Speaking ahead of his visit, programme host George Lee said: "I'm really looking forward to broadcasting from Bundoran, particularly on a bank holiday weekend. I'm hoping to experience lots of surfing, slots machines and ice-creams.

"On the show we'll be looking back at the heyday of the dancehalls, we'll be joined by Bundoran regular Ramona Nicholas from Dragon's Den, we'll be speaking to two men making money from oil exploration and lots, lots more."


The Business is broadcast Saturday morning at 10am on RTÉ Radio 1.

#RNLI - Kilmore Quay RNLI has assisted a fisherman after his boat got into difficulty off the Wexford coast, while Wicklow RNLI attended to a fishing boat in trouble south of Wicklow Harbour.

The Kilmore Quay all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 9.04am on Monday morning (29 July) to go to the assistance of a local lobster boat with one person on board,

The fishing boat had fouled its propeller while hauling pots a mile to the south-east of the Little Saltee Island.



Weather conditions at the time were blowing a light southerly breeze and there was good visibility.

When the lifeboat arrived on scene, a tow was set up and the vessel was brought safely to the harbour at Kilmore Quay.

Shortly afterwards, Wicklow RNLI launched at 9.30am in response to a call for assistance from a fishing vessel in difficulties six miles south of Wicklow Harbour.

The vessel with three crew was fishing north of Brittas Bay beach when a rope got fouled in the propeller and she lost steering. The skipper contacted the coastguard for assistance.



Wicklow town's lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh, located the vessel drifting close to the Wolf Rock 20 minutes after launching.

A towline was quickly established and the stricken vessel was towed back to Wicklow Harbour, where she was secured safely alongside the East Pier at 10.40am.



The crew on the call out were coxswain Nick Keogh, mechanic Brendan Copeland, Tommy McAulay, Kevin Rahill, Carol Flahive, Paul Sillery and Graham Fitzgerald.

#RNLI - A drifting yacht with three people on board was towed to safety by Wicklow RNLI on Friday morning (26 July). SEE VIDEO BELOW

The volunteer lifeboat crew was alerted by pager shortly before 8am after the Irish Coast Guard received a call for assistance from a yacht in difficulties off Wicklow Head.



The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh, was alongside the yacht 20 minutes after launching.

Crew member Ciaran Doyle was put on board the boat to assist with establishing a tow line. He remained onboard the yacht as it was towed into Wicklow Harbour.

The boat with the three people was secured safely alongside the east pier at 9.20am.



Weather conditions in the area at the time were described as wind south west force two, and the sea state was calm.



Speaking after the incident, Keogh said: "We located the 14-metre yacht drifting five miles south east of Wicklow Head. The yacht had lost engine power and with the light winds they were unable to make any headway." 



The crew on the call out were coxswain Nick Keogh, mechanic Brendan Copeland, Ciaran Doyle, Dave O'Leary, Carol Flahive, Tommy Murphy, Alan Goucher and Peter McCann.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew of the Courtown lifeboat launched last Wednesday evening (24 July) to a report of a small fishing boat that was overdue on its time to return to Cahore Pier.

The Courtown RNLI lifeboat, Cahore Inshore Rescue, the Rosslare RNLI lifeboat and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 were all tasked at 7pm to search the area of Cahore on the north Wexford coast, where the boat was last reported fishing.

After searching for some time, the small fishing boat made contact to say they had beached their boat some eight miles north of Cahore Pier at Kilgorman Beach. Both men were safe and well and all rescue services were stood down.


The Courtown lifeboat has since urged all boat users carry a proper means of communication - ideally a VHF radio - and to keep friends and family up to date on their location, especially if they decide to change their location.

That same evening, Rosslare Harbour RNLI was involved in a search for two fishermen after they reported getting into difficulty off the Wexford coast.

The volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 7.30pm to assist in the search following a request from the coastguard to attend a fishing boat that was reported to be taking on water.



Weather conditions at the time were described as good, with a southerly force three wind.



The fishing boat had set out from Cahore Harbour before getting into trouble. The two crew raised the alarm using a mobile telephone.



Rosslare Harbour RNLI and lifeboats from Courtown RNLI and Cahore, along with the Rescue 117 helicopter, joined in the search.  



At 7.50pm, Rescue 117 located the two fishermen safe and well and their vessel on the beach at Glasgorman, near Cahore.



Speaking after the call-out, Rosslare Harbour RNLI deputy volunteer lifeboat press officer Jamie Ryan said: "The emergency services responded swiftly and were on scene quickly.

"The two fishermen did the right thing by raising the alarm when they got into difficulty and thankfully they were both found safely ashore."

#rnli – Lifeboat crew with Tramore RNLI were called out this weekend when a member of the public raised the alarm after seeing three men out at sea on a homemade raft without lifejackets. On arriving at the scene with the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117, the lifeboat crew managed to convince the three men to return to shore on the lifeboat for their safety.

The call for assistance came at 6.40pm on Friday evening with the initial location of the men incorrect. Using local knowledge the lifeboat crew located the men at Kilfaraissey beach and were then joined on scene by Rescue 117. The men who were 600 metres offshore insisted that they were not in need of help and the lifeboat stood by.

Following a discussion with Rescue 115 a decision was made that due to the unsafe structure of the raft and with no lifejackets being worn that the men would have to return to shore with the lifeboat crew. The three men agreed to return onboard the lifeboat and they were taken onboard and brought back to the beach. They were met on their return by members of An Garda Siochana.

Commenting on the callout Tramore RNLI crewmember Paul Tuohy said, "This could have so easily ended in tragedy. The men were a good distance out from the shore and between two islands where there is a racing tide that changes rapidly. The raft was very poorly constructed and the men were unprepared for any change in their circumstances. The raft could have broken up or they could have been thrown from it and with no lifejackets they would have found themselves in trouble very quickly. With the recent drownings we would appeal to everyone to take care in the water and to wear and use the proper equipment including a lifejacket.

#rnli – Baltimore RNLI lifeboat was called today at 6:36pm Friday 26 July to assist a yacht in difficulty west of the Stags Rocks near Baltimore Harbour in West Cork. The 30ft yacht had 2 people on board, a man and a woman, when their engine failed and they were unable to sail into Baltimore against a strong tide. The Tamar class all weather lifeboat Alan Massey, located the vessel and took her in tow to the safety of Baltimore Harbour.

Baltimore RNLI Coxswain Kieran Cotter commented that 'while the yacht was in no immediate danger, it was prudent to seek assistance during daylight hours before the situation could escalate'.

Volunteer RNLI crew on board were Coxswain Kieran Cotter, Mechanic Brian McSweeney, Micheal Cottrell, Cathal Cottrell, Brendan Cottrell, Don O'Donovan and Diarmuid Collins.

#TallShips - Four RNLI lifeboats were involved in the rescue of 30 crew from the tall ship Astrid, which sank off the Cork coast earlier today (Wednesday 24 July).

The 42m Dutch training vessel reportedly hit rocks inside the Sovereign Islands at Ballymacus Point, near Kinsale.

All on board were brought to safety when the Kinsale lifeboat transferred the casualties from the sinking ship onto the Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat and a local vessel. They were then taken to Kinsale.

Both Kinsale and Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboats were called out at 12 noon today to go to the immediate aid of the sail training vessel that had got into difficulties on the western entrance to Kinsale Harbour in Cork.

Ballycotton and Crosshaven RNLI were also launched, though the Kinsale RNLI lifeboat was first on scene. There was a 2m swell and winds were force five to six.

The training vessel had lost power and was apparently driven on to rocks by a strong southerly wind at the western entrance to Kinsale Harbour. The grounded vessel was taking on water and a crewmember from Kinsale RNLI was put onboard.

Eighteen of the casualties were taken off the Astrid by Kinsale RNLI lifeboat and transferred to Courtmacsherry lifeboa, before being brought to safety. The remaining 12 were put onto a liferaft deployed by the Astrid’s crew, which was towed to safety by the Kinsale lifeboat and picked up by a local vessel.

The people on board the liferaft were then taken to Kinsale harbour and assessed by medical teams.

Irish Coast Guard helicopters from Waterford and Shannon were also on scene along with ambulances and medical crews from Cork.

Speaking about the call-out, Courtmacsherry RNLI coxswain Sean O’Farrell said: “Everyone was very fortunate. I want to praise the quick thinking of the skipper and the crew from the Astrid. They kept calm and did everything we asked them to do. We were able to get them to safety quickly and a major tragedy was averted. To be able to recover 30 people safely was a great day for everyone involved.”

Meanwhile, the Irish Sailing Association has issued the following media statement on behalf of the tall ship Astrid:

Tall Ship Astrid was on a voyage from Southampton to Cherbourg calling in to Kinsale. On board were 23 trainees from France, Ireland, the Netherlands, UK and Spain. The crew were from Belgium and the captain, Pieter de Kam was from the Netherlands.

As the Astrid was leaving Oysterhaven, as part of The Gathering Cruise parade of sail to Kinsale, the vessel experienced engine failure. They notified a nearby RIB which was being helmed by Irish Sailing Association (ISA) CEO Harry Hermon.

The RIB attempted to take a line from Astrid. However, due to the onshore winds and swell this was not possible. Captain de Kam issued a May Day.

The ISA RIB and the yachts in The Gathering Cruise flotilla stood by until the RNLI arrived. There was a safe rescue of all 30 crew who were brought to Kinsale on board the yacht Spirit of Oysterhaven and the lifeboat. All crew were brought to Kinsale Yacht Club where they were provided with showers, food and dry clothing. They were all medically checked and are in good health.

Sail Training Ireland and Kinsale Yacht Club are working together to make arrangements for accommodation and for returning the crew to their homes.

Commenting on the rescue, Captain Pieter de Kam of the Tall Ship Astrid stated: “I would like to thank the lifeboat and the coastguard for the safe rescue of all my crew. We very much appreciate their outstanding work.”

Harry Hermon, CEO of the Irish Sailing Association, commented: “It is thanks to the rescue services that all crew were rescued quickly and safely without injury. I would also like to thank all the sailors from the Gathering Cruise who stood by Astrid providing support to the crew.

"Kinsale Yacht Club has also been fantastic providing food and clothing and helping Sail Training Ireland find accommodation for all the crew”.

#rnli – Howth RNLI have had four call outs over the course of Sunday and Monday this week. Three of the calls were to incidents at Malahide with the fourth being local to Balscadden Bay in Howth.

At 0820 on Sunday morning Howth RNLI's Inshore Lifeboat were tasked along with Rescue 116 when three males in there late 20s were attempting to swim from the Donabate side of Malahide harbour back to the marina. One male got into difficulty and his friend managed to get him to a nearby dinghy, they were brought to safety by two men heading out fishing. They raised the alarm and Howth RNLI Inshore Lifeboat picked up the third male from the beach while rescue 116 brought the male swimmer who had suffered an epileptic fit hospital.

At 1343 on Sunday afternoon Howth RNLI's Inshore Lifeboat were tasked to Malahide again with reports of a rowing boat with six persons onboard in the channel were struggling to make way in the strong current. Once on scene it appeared that the rowing boat had their own rescue boat with them and were safely back in their berth.

Later that afternoon at 1654 Howth RNLI's All Weather Lifeboat were tasked to two yachts aground in the channel at Malahide. Howth Coast Guards water unit were on scene when the All Weather Lifeboat arrived, they had already tried to free the casualties but to no avail. The XP Boat was deployed from the Trent class lifeboat, which is able to access shallower water, with two crew members on board. This managed to push one of the yachts off which then made its way up to Malahide marina. The second yacht was then towed off and out to sea by XP boat and continued on its way unassisted.

On Monday afternoon at 1346 Howth Inshore Lifeboat were tasked to Balscadden beach in Howth when a member of the public spotted a 19ft day sailor in difficulty with an onshore breeze. On arriving on scene a tow was established and the vessel with two persons on board were brought back to the safety of Howth harbour and returned to its mooring.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Rupert Jeffares said 'We would ask that all people taking to sea in any sort of vessel to please check tide times and weather conditions as well as being prepared with the suitable clothing and life jackets.'