#RNLI - Skerries RNLI responded to reports of a car submerged on Gormanston beach yesterday afternoon (17 September) following an emergency call to the coastguard.

Shortly before 2.30pm, Skerries RNLI were tasked by Dublin Coast Guard to investigate a submerged car on Gormanston beach after they received a 999 call from a concerned member of the public.

The lifeboat – with Joe May at the Helm and crewed by AJ Hughes, Laura Boylan and Ian Guildea – launched and made their way directly to Gormanston Beach. Conditions at the time were relatively calm with Force 3 westerly winds.

After arriving on scene, the crew located the car and were able to confirm that it was unoccupied.

As a precaution, Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 carried out a sweeping search of the coastline while the lifeboat carried out a search of the immediate area. Skerries Coast Guard unit also conducted a search of the shoreline.

Nothing was found and Gardaí later confirmed that the car had been reported as abandoned.

Speaking after the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "This was a positive outcome as it turned out nobody was in danger. The member of the public did the right thing by dialling 999 and asking for the coastguard."

#RNLI - Clifden RNLI launched to an emergency medical situation at 12.50pm yesterday (Thursday 17 September) in Clifden Bay.

A male angler had become unwell and as a result sustained a head injury, leaving him in need of urgent assistance.

The Irish Coast Guard requested the immediate launch of both Clifden RNLI’s Atlantic 85 and all-weather lifeboats.

Clifden RNLI volunteer crew members Kenneth Flaherty and Barry Ward boarded the angling boat and administered first aid to the casualty. Oxygen was administered and the casualty was placed in the recovery position.

Lifeboat helm Thomas Davis then requested two more crew members from the all-weather lifeboat, which was standing nearby, to assist in the transfer of the casualty to a stretcher.

Speaking after the callout, Clifden RNLI helm Thomas Davis said: "The lifeboat crew responded quickly and calmly to this situation, in which the casualty was seriously unwell.

"Having the additional crew members nearby in the second lifeboat was vital and the total time between the pagers going off and recovery to shore was around 38 minutes."

The casualty and another angler were transferred to shore where an ambulance was waiting. At this point the coastguard helicopter Rescue 118 had also landed and with the assistance of Cleggan Coast Guard, he was transferred to University College Hospital Galway.

Clifden RNLI lifeboat operations manager John Brittain added: "Well done to the Clifden volunteer crew members for a seamless rescue and for once again working well in conjunction with the coastguard and other emergency services."

#Coastguard - Ireland's coastguard is about to get a boost to its IT infrastructure thanks to its new computer system for co-ordinating rescues nationwide.

As the Irish Examiner reports, Critical Software won the Irish Coast Guard's tender for an incident management system with its Oversee product, which will be adopted by the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) in Dublin as well as the control centres at Valentia and Malin.

As well as handling live tracking and tasking of services, the Oversee system also provides for performance analysis of historical missions and incidents for greater efficiencies in coastguard resources.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

#Rescue - Howth's coastguard unit rescued a man on Howth Head who became trapped on a cliff ledge some five storeys above the beach below yesterday evening (Monday 7 September).

Unable to find a way off the beach, the man had climbed up the sea cliff near Ceanchor Road but soon found himself crag-fast, unable to move up or down.

Howth Coast Guard was tasked at 5pm and located the casualty on a small ledge 15 meters above the shoreline rocks.

A sea cliff rescue climber was lowered in from the top of the cliffs and, using a rescue strop, secured the casualty into a safe position clear of rockfall.

The response team used a rope rescue haul system to recover both climber and casualty to the cliff top. The casualty required no further medical assistance and was assisted by gardaí back to their transportation.

The Irish Coast Guard thanked the members of the public who alerted the emergency services using CASPER: Call 112; Ask for the correct service; Speak clearly and slowly; give a good Position; Explain the emergency; and Remain where you are.

If you spot somebody in difficulty on the coast, at cliffs or at sea, call 112 and ask for the coastguard.

#Coastguard - TheJournal.ie reports that a man is in critical condition after a fall from a cliff at Portrane in north Co Dublin last night (Saturday 20 June).

The Irish Coast Guard's Dublin-based helicopter Rescue 116 attended the scene with the Dublin Fire Brigade after a call from a member of the public.

Subsequently the casualty was airlifted to Tallaght Hospital, where he was being treated for severe head injuries.

#Coastguard - Howth Coast Guard were tasked yesterday (Tuesday 16 June) at 4.15pm to an initial report of a faller on the cliff path at Howth Summit.

When a coastguard member arrived at the reported scene, he could find nobody requiring assistance.

However, just at that time a second call came through to Dublin MRCC informing that a person had fallen at the cliffs at Balscadden, and that the original caller had been mistaken in their 112 call location.

The team assembled and went to Balscadden car park. On searching they found a person that had fallen about 10 metres to the bottom as they were ascending the cliff path and was in need of immediate medical attention. 

Howth RNLI's inshore lifeboat was requested to launch immediately by the coastguard to provide further assistance to the rescue efforts.

A secure cliff line was set up and four members of the coastguard team, one of them an emergency medical technician, were lowered to the position at the bottom of the cliff.

Along with the lifeboat members, they gave medical assistance and prepared the casualty for stretcher transfer to the awaiting lifeboat.

The casualty was stabilised on scene and transferred back via the lifeboat to the RNLI station in Howth Harbour, where a HSE ambulance crew took over.

Howth RNLI adds:

Howth RNLI inshore lifeboat launched at 4.50pm Monday 16th June to assist Howth Coast Guard in the rescue of a young girl who had fallen approximately 10 metres in the vicinity of Pucks rocks, Howth head.

Howth RNLI launched inshore lifeboat to assist a rescue team from Howth Coast Guard who has already located the female casualty who had fallen in the vicinity of Puck's Rocks Howth head and was in need of immediate medical attention.
A Coast Guard Emergency Medical Technician gave medical assistance and prepared the casualty for stretcher transfer to the awaiting lifeboat.
The casualty was stabilised on scene and transferred back via the inshore lifeboat to Howth Harbour. The casualty was taken by ambulance to hospital and treated for a leg injury and concussion.

Tom Ryan, inshore lifeboat helmsman said "The young girl fell on recently collapsed old concrete footsteps and we would advise any walkers in the area to be vigilant in the area of Pucks Rocks"

#foylerescue – A group of canoeiests are safe after capsizing on the river Foyle this afternoon and sparking a major resuce operation. At 2.05pm Belfast Coastguard was alerted by Police Service Northern Ireland, (PSNI) to an incident in the River Foyle involving two large capsized canoes with 26 people in the water.

Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team was sent to the area and the Coastguard requested lifeboats from Foyle Search & Rescue, the Irish Coastguard rescue helicopter and Irish Coastguard boat from Greencastle. Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service also joined the search and rescue operation.

Lifeboats recovered 26 adults from the water and 12 people were transferred to hospital by helicopter and also by Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to be checked for hypothermia.

The group of 26 adults had got into difficulty after their two large canoes capsized.

The canoeists were taking part in a fundraiser for the YMCA. All 26 are now at Altnagelvin hospital with mild hypothermia, it has been reported.

The Coastguard recommends: 

Safety Advice for Sea canoeing / kayaking: Ensure that someone at home knows your passage plan including points of arrival and departure, timescale, number in group and other relevant information. Check weather forecasts and tidal conditions and ensure that your skill levels are appropriate for where you are kayaking. Wear a buoyancy aid and check that equipment is functioning properly, that your distress flares are in date and are stowed where you can reach them. Carriage of a 406 Personal Locator Beacon is highly recommended for more remote locations.

Carry a VHF marine band radio (fitted with DSC if possible) and learn how to use it. Where there is good network coverage then it is worth carrying a mobile phone in a waterproof bag. Call the Coastguard if you get into difficulty, preferably via channel 16 on your radio or if not by calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard.

#Coastguard - Two helicopters from the Irish Coast Guard's new long-range rescue fleet were dispatched in a multi-agency response to a sunken fishing trawler off the Isles of Scilly in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday 19 May).

As TheJournal.ie reports, the coastguard's Rescue 115 from Shannon and Rescue 117 from Waterford were both tasked to respond to the emergency 75 miles west of the islands off the tip of Cornwall in south west England – themselves some 150 nautical miles south of Waterford.

Luckily the trawler's skipper and five crew were picked up from their liferaft by passing Irish trawler Cu Na Mara, on which they are expected to reach Castletownbere this afternoon.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

#Coastguard - Waterford's Rescue 117 helicopter evacuated a fisherman with a crush injury to his leg from a trawler some 180km off the Irish coast yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 29 April).

The Irish Independent has dramatic video of the Irish Coast Guard medevac operation south-west of Kinsale, recorded by an Air Corps Casa as it provided search and rescue cover.

The fisherman was later transferred from Cork Airport to Cork University Hospital for treatment.

#collisio – At a hearing today in the County Court Division of South Down, Lindsay Haugh, the Skipper of the fishing vessel Onward N336, was fined a total of £2,500 plus costs of £231 after pleading guilty for failing to keep a proper lookout, according to the UK's Maritime and Coastguard agency.
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On 12th September 2014 at approximately midnight the fishing vessel Onward N336 was heading back from fishing grounds in thick fog to its home port of Killkeel when it collided with the Clipper Pennant, a Seatruck Ferries vessel at anchor off Carlingford Lough, Northern Ireland.

Lindsay Haugh, aged 44, from Killkeel pleaded guilty to unlawful conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals off Carlingford Lough, contrary to section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, in that he omitted to monitor the recognised VHF channels, omitted to view radar in reduced visibility and omitted to keep a proper look out and as such omissions were deliberate or amounted to a breach, or neglect of duty.

In passing sentence His Worship District Judge King said, "Haugh fully accepted his responsibility and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

"Sea collisions are a serious responsibility. You as captain at sea are responsible for the boat, the crew and other persons at sea.

This is a serious matter and thankfully there was no serious damage or loss of life."

David Carlisle, Consultant Surveyor at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) said: "This was a serious avoidable incident. Mr Haugh did not keep an effective watch in what was serious reduced visibility, nor did he observe the warning signals sounded from the Clipper Pennant."