#rnli – Volunteer lifeboat crew with Lough Ree RNLI were stood down at this evening (Thursday 20 March 2014) following a major search for a man believed missing when a boat carrying three men set off for Carnagh, from Hodson Bay in Athlone, earlier this afternoon.  As Afloat.ie reported earlier, two men, who were on the boat were rescued by the lifeboat crew from the water and have been taken to hospital. Rescue 118 and members of the Athlone Sub Aqua Club, and Lanesborough SubAqua Club were also involved in the search for the third man.

The alarm was raised by a local man this afternoon when he witnessed the group setting off for Carnagh in a 15–foot boat. Conditions on the Lough were described as gusty with a force five to six wind. Lough Ree RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched and came upon a man in the water at 4pm. They recovered the semi-conscious casualty onto the lifeboat and transported him to Hodson Bay where he was handed over to a waiting ambulance.

The lifeboat crew immediately returned to the scene to continue the search and located a second casualty in the water at 5.15pm. He was again transferred by lifeboat back to Hodson Bay and met by ambulance.

The RNLI lifeboat crew along with the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 and members of the Athlone Sub Aqua club and Lanesborough Sub Aqua Club were engaged in a full scale search for a third man until they were stood down due to fading light, and the search is expected to resume at first light tomorrow.

Commenting on the search Lough Ree RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Damien Delaney said, "This was a major search and rescue operation on Lough Ree involving the RNLI, Coast Guard, Athlone Sub Aqua, Lanesborough Sub Aqua, and other local boats. The lifeboat crew were able to rescue two men from the water but a third remains missing.

#RNLI - Arklow RNLI’s dedicated volunteers were delighted to be awarded the top prize at this year's St Patrick's Day Parade in Arklow.

This year saw the highest number of parade entries for the Co Wicklow town, including three floats paraded by lifeboat volunteers and fundraisers alike - all of whom had an early start on the day!

Speaking yesterday, chair of fundraising Michael Mordaunt said: “I am simply delighted our St Patrick's Day parade crew have received this award.

"The St Patrick's Day parade is a great opportunity for ourselves as a charity to showcase some of the other events we hold throughout the year to a very large audience.

"As well as this, it is one of the best opportunities we have in the year to say thank you to all of our local supporters.”

The RNLI's next big fundraising drive will be its annual Mayday event in a little over a month from now.

#rnli – The RNLI is issuing its own call for help, appealing for volunteers to help with 'Mayday' – the charity's forthcoming national fundraising event in Ireland – which will be taking place from 1–5 May this year.

The charity is calling on people to show their support by volunteering to help with street collections and a range of other fundraising events, which will be taking place across Ireland during the five days.

The charity is asking if people can give just a couple of hours of their time – maybe to get involved with a street collection or to help run an event.
Events will have a 'welly' theme, in a nod to the iconic yellow wellies – an essential piece of kit – worn by the charity's volunteer lifeboat crew members. Welly walks and 'Wear your wellies to work' are just two examples.

Last year, RNLI lifeboat crews from Ireland's 44 lifeboat stations launched 1,087 times, rescuing 1,278 people. They are on-call 24/7, every day of the year, ready to respond to emergencies at sea.

Emma Gibson, RNLI Community Fundraising Area Manager, says:

'The RNLI's dedicated volunteer lifeboat crews around Ireland are always ready to respond to the Mayday calls of those in distress at sea. We're now hoping people will respond to our call for help, by volunteering a bit of their time to help run some of the great events we have planned for the five days spanning the Mayday bank holiday weekend.

'Mayday is the RNLI's national fundraising event for Ireland. Last year we raised over €114,000 and we're hoping we can exceed that this year, with people's help. We're encouraging anyone who can spare some time to help us to get in touch. We have some fun events planned, so hopefully people will enjoy themselves while also doing their bit to support this lifesaving charity.'

All money raised through Mayday fundraising events in Ireland will support the RNLI's work in Ireland – it will be used to fund crew training, buy new crew kit, or contribute towards the running costs of a lifeboat station.

Stan Bradbury, Lough Ree RNLI crew member, pictured, said: 'Thanks to the money raised through campaigns such as Mayday, the RNLI's volunteer crew can continue to train so we are highly skilled and efficient to carry out our lifesaving work. There are many ways to get involved with Mayday and no matter how small, your generosity will help'.

Anyone interested in getting involved can see what is going on in their area and sign up to volunteer at www.rnli.org/Mayday or call 01 895 1837.

#RNLI - Courtown RNLI's lifeboat was launched on Saturday evening (1 March) to reports of a dump truck submerged off Ardamine Beach in the Wexford town.

The driver of the 25-tonne dump truck had managed to get out of the cab and onto the bonnet before the tide completely submerged it. 

He was rescued from the top of the vehicle by the lifeboat crew of Glen Deacon, Áine Stafford and James Mahon and taken back to the lifeboat station.

The truck was later recovered from the sea at the next low water.

#RNLI - Bangor RNLI received a request from Belfast Coastguard yesterday evening (1 March) to launch their lifeboat and assist four people onboard a 23ft rigid inflatable boat, or RIB, that experienced engine failure north of Ballyholme Bay on the southern shores of Belfast Lough.

Within minutes of their rescue pagers being activated, the crew had assembled and had launched their inshore lifeboat, which proceeded at full speed towards the stricken vessel.

Upon arrival, the crew found that the four on board the RIB, who were experienced mariners, had followed procedure and made the correct decision to call for assistance at the first sign of trouble.

Calm on scene, weather conditions allowed for a tow line to be quickly rigged, and the vessel was then taken under tow to the safety of Bangor Marina.

Following the rescue, RNLI volunteer helmsman Iain Dobie took the opportunity to underline an important safety message.

"We always urge everyone going afloat to make sure their engine and fuel systems and are well maintained and in good working order," he said. "Engine failure close to shore and commercial shipping routes could lead to a life threatening situation."

Dobie added: "We're happy that everyone is now safely ashore."

#WaterSafety - The RNLI will host four free Surfers Survival Clinics next weekend, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 March, on the East Strand in Portrush.

The clinics, which are run by the charity’s lifeguards, are open to surfing enthusiasts of all abilities and are aimed at developing both knowledge and skills in surf safety.

The RNLI programme, which is now being run for the third year in Northern Ireland, will show surfers how to develop their rescue techniques, learn basic first aid and surf etiquette and learn them how to help themselves and others if they get into trouble in the surf.

More people are taking to the sea every year for enjoyment and the Causeway Coast is a popular area for water sports including surfing and body boarding. The clinics have proved popular with surfers who use them as a chance to brush up on their knowledge and skills and pass on their experiences to others.

There are 10 seasonal RNLI lifeguarded units in Northern Ireland, each equipped with lifeguards ready to respond in the event of an emergency. RNLI lifeguards aim to reach any casualty up to 300m from shore within the red and yellow flags within three and a half minutes. Lifeguards are also on hand to provide advice and assistance to all water users.

Last year, Northern Ireland experienced one of its hottest summers for years and this was reflected in a busy season for the lifeguards located across the Causeway Coast in Co Down.

In all, RNLI lifeguards responded to 302 incidents compared to 159 in 2012 and came to the aid of 330 people who found themselves in difficulty, which is an increase of 153 from the year before.

The Causeway Coast, where there are seven units, was the busiest area, with lifeguards responding to 222 incidents and assisting 247 people.

Speaking ahead of next weekend’s clinics, RNLI lifeguard supervisor Tim Doran said: “Surfers of all abilities will benefit from the Surfers Survival Clinic. Amateur surfers will get the chance to learn safety skills, duck diving and surf etiquette which should help them minimise any injuries should they get into trouble.

“The more experienced surfer will be shown rescue and first aid demonstrations so that they can continue developing their skills in the surf.”

Spaces are limited for each session so advance booking is essential to avoid disappointment. Anyone who wishes to take part in the RNLI’s Surfers Survival Clinic should be aged 18. To book a space or for more information contact Tim on +44 (0) 77 899 25998.

#dancingRNLI – Despite its battering at the hands of the winter storms Baltimore's maritime community made the best of things by producing an upbeat video to show how resilient the little village is.Filmed on 16th February 2014 hours after storms had ravaged West Cork - this coastal community turned out to dance. Look out for a cast of familiar faces, including a dancing RNLI Lifeboat crew. 

#RNLI - One hundred years ago, nine volunteer lifeboat crew from Fethard RNLI lost their lives as lifeboat crews rescued 10 people after Norwegian vessel, the Mexico, struck rocks off the Wexford coast.

Hundreds of people gathered to attend events in Wexford this weekend to mark the centenary of the Fethard lifeboat tragedy.

At Fethard Quay, four RNLI lifeboats from Fethard, Rosslare, Dunmore East and Kilmore Quay gathered, and their lifeboat crews lay wreaths in the sea from the lifeboat stations, relatives of the lifeboat men who were lost and of those who survived, along with wreaths from relatives of the crew of the Mexico who had travelled from Norway for the anniversary.

#RNLI - Portrush RNLI volunteer Karl O’Neill is becoming one of the RNLI's all-rounders, for as well as being helm for the Portrush inshore lifeboat and senior RNLI lifeguard, he is now a part of the lifesaving charity's Flood Rescue Team (FRT).

The FRT is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to deploy to flooding events in the UK, Ireland and abroad for search and rescue (SAR) operations.

The team comprises RNLI members from across the network who have been specially trained for the risks involved when working in or around fast moving flood water. The team are all either serving volunteer lifeboat crew or operational RNLI staff who volunteer to be part of the team.

As part of his training, O'Neill had to go to Loch Etive, near Oban in Scotland, for a period of four days' intensive training. The training exercises are designed to ensure that the team are fully prepared for dangerous and unpredictable flood waters, which differ greatly from the sea environment.

These exercises allow the volunteers to practise their skills in fast-flowing water, simulating the conditions they could face in a real life situation.

"It was a great experience to be trained for this type of emergency and has equipped me to respond in an emergency when the call comes," said O'Neill on his return to station.

"The training I had already received from the RNLI had given me a good foundation already, but the flood water training was very different to being in the open sea."

Lifeboat operations manager Robin Cardwell added that "the team at Portrush are very proud of Karl in terms of this training. He will be a great asset to any of the FR Teams when called to respond."

Karl O'Neill's family has a long association with Portrush Lifeboat Station, as his grandfather was a mechanic and cox, his uncle Anthony Chambers is the present mechanic and RNLI Bronze Medal awardee, and his cousin Jason Chambers is also on crew.

In other Portrush news, O'Neill and his inshore lifeboat crew got their first service of 2014 last Sunday (16 February) just after their usual training session, when they were called to the assistance of two surfers who got into difficulties off Portstewart Strand.

The weather was unusually mild for a Sunday in February and perfect conditions for surfing. However, the surfers were caught in strong currents and were swept out to sea.

The Inshore lifeboat quickly located the first surfer and got him on board. They then found the other surfer and, after getting him on board, transported both surfers back to the beach.

"It was a beautiful day for surfing on the North Coast but it goes to show that everyone needs to be mindful about sea safety," said Cardwell.

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched shortly before 4pm yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 19 February) to assist a fishing vessel in difficulties off Wicklow Head.

The skipper of the fishing vessel contacted the Irish Coast Guard for assistance after his vessel developed engine failure in a position east of Wicklow Head.

The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Dave O'Leary, located the fishing vessel twenty-five minutes after launching.

Weather conditions in the area were described as wind direction south easterly, force six to seven with a three metre swell.

A towline was quickly established, but progress with the tow was slow returning back to Wicklow due to wind and tidal conditions.

The fishing vessel with three crew was finally secured safely alongside the Packet pier at Wicklow Harbour at 7.45pm.

Lifeboat crew on the callout were coxswain Dave O'Leary, mechanic Brenda Copeland, Carol Flahive, Brian Sinnott, Tommy Murphy and John Vize.