#rnli – Members of Dublin City University's (DCU) Surf 'n' Sail club recently presented a cheque for €823 to Howth RNLI. The students raised the money by organising a Christmas Charity Swim in aid of Howth RNLI.

On 12 December 2012, 30 students from DCU braved the wintry waters of Balscadden Bay near Howth for their charity swim. Some of the swimmers even dressed up in costumes for the event. After thawing out around a bonfire, they retreated to Howth Yacht Club for hot lunches.

"We decided to raise money for the Howth RNLI because, we are all water users and wanted to show our appreciation for those who would be rescuing us if anything was to happen, most of us sail in various clubs around Dublin Bay. We are a water sports club, so it made perfect sense for us to support a water based charity. Overall the whole committee thought that the RNLI is a very deserving charity and the obvious choice for us to raise funds for", said Grace Newport, Secretary of DCU Surf 'n' Sail.

'The funds raised by the students in DCU will go towards our current fundraising project to fund the running and maintenance costs of the lifeboat station for a week,' said Howth RNLI Fundraising Chairperson Rose Michael.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Kilmore Quay RNLI in Co Wexford responded to an 11-hour callout yesterday morning (Sunday 10 March) involving a 23-metre fishing vessel that had got into difficulty 40 miles south of the harbour. See video of the operation below.

With a biting easterly wind, the lifeboat crew made their way just after 8am to the vessel, which had suffered machinery failure, and arrived on scene at 10.40am. 

Establishing a tow between the lifeboat and the fishing vessel with five crew onboard, the two vessels made slow progress back to shore in worsening conditions.



Commenting on the long callout, Kilmore Quay RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew member Aidan Bates said: “It was a bad day for a callout yesterday but the fishing vessel needed our assistance and the weather was worsening by the hour. By the time we were returning with the boat under tow the winds were blowing gale force seven to eight and it was choppy enough.

"Thankfully everyone was safe and the lifeboat crew were able to return home after a long day at sea.”

#RNLI - Donaghadee lifeboat station was delighted yesterday (7 March) to welcome RNLI chief executive Paul Boissier, who was on a two-day visit to the Northern Ireland division.

Operational and fund raising volunteers crowded into the station to meet Boissier, who thanked them for coming out so early on a cold and wet morning. 



While sitting enjoying the hospitality of the station, Boissier listened to the views of both crew and fundraisers on a wide range of topics. He said he was delighted to be in such a beautiful part of Northern Ireland and could not help but be impressed with the enthusiasm of all the volunteers.



He praised and thanked them for their commitment to the RNLI while remembering the support from the local community, and went on to say that the commitment of the operational volunteers supported by all at the station made the sea around the local coastline that much safer for everyone.

Meanwhile, Arklow RNLI was delighted to welcome the charity's newest lifeboat Kiwi and her volunteer crew to Arklow Harbour on Monday evening.

Prior to arriving in Arklow, the Tamar class lifeboat – which features the latest in search and rescue technology – had visited Torbay, St Mary’s on the Scilly Isles, Falmouth and Rosslare on her passage home to Wales. The weary crew arrived in Arklow after more than eight hours at sea.

The new vessel is a replacement station boat for Moelfre and replaces a Tyne class lifeboat similar to the one stationed at Arklow's flank RNLI station in Wicklow.

Kiwi was funded from a bequest by Reginald James Clark, a New Zealander who had been rescued by an RNLI lifeboat during World War II.

The crew from Moelfre was welcomed by Arklow RNLI's crew, fundraisers and station management along with members of the public.

Following her overnight stay in Arklow, she departed at 8.30am on Tuesday morning for her new home at Moelfre.

#RNLI - Arklow RNLI came to the assistance of three fishermen whose vessel got into difficulty off the Wexford coast yesterday (6 March).

The volunteer lifeboat crew was alerted shortly before 1.30pm following a report that a fishing vessel was adrift four miles east of Courtown Harbour.

The all-weather lifeboat, the Ger Tigchleaar, was launched within minutes and proceeded to the scene where the vessel, the MFV Telstar, had lost steering power.

Having located the casualty, the crew members established a tow and began the journey back to Arklow. All three crew members who remained on board the MFV Telstar were returned safely ashore.

Speaking ashore, the vessel’s skipper James Russell, himself an Arklow RNLI volunteer crew member and experienced seaman, paid tribute to his fellow lifeboat crew members Eamon Kavanagh, Matt Heaney, Scottie Heaney, Michael Fitzgerald, Andy Loughlin and David Lee who came to his crew’s assistance.

"I thought we were well prepared for situations which might happen at sea but knowing the lifeboat is there when needed is a great help," he said. "When anyone gets in to difficulty they should have no hesitation in calling for help as I did today."

#News - TheJournal.ie is reporting news of the tragic drowning of a man and a young child off West Cork in the early hours of this morning (6 March).

The bodies of the man and the three-year-old girl were recovered by emergency teams after the Goleen unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked to the area following a missing person's report.

Coastguard volunteers found the child on the beach but attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. The body of the man was later discovered in the shallows by the Baltimore RNLI lifeboat.

It's being suspected that the man and the young child entered the water.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

#RNLI - Two men are in training to complete the first RNLI Station to Station challenge on Saturday 6 April travelling from Bundoran Lifeboat Station to Arranmore Island Lifeboat Station in 10 hours – by foot, bicycle and kayak.

Leaving Bundoran lifeboat station at 6am on Saturday 6 April, Niall Clancy and James McIntyre will take two different routes and two different means to complete their challenge.

Clancy is set to run the entire distance of 100km door to door, including using a treadmill on the final leg from Burtonport Ferry Port via ferry to Arranmore Island, while McIntyre will cycle to Barnesmore Gap, run across the Blue Stacks down to Glenties, cycle to Portnoo and then kayak the remainder of the journey to Arranmore Island.


Clancy, a HSE advance paramedic, has already completed three marathons including Belfast and Dublin and also a half Ironman triathlon in Galway. He decided to do the challenge following a conversation with the Arranmore lifeboat crew during a recent visit.

He said: "The RNLI is a fantastic charity and as it is voluntary I wanted to do my bit to help raise funds for both Bundoran and Arranmore so, with James, we’re aiming to do that on 6 April."

Initially the plan had been to run 36 miles but when the idea was put to him to run from Bundoran to Arranmore, which is a further marathon distance of 26 miles, Clancy thought it was a great idea.

"Running 100km is something different and definitely a challenge – I definitely believe we can do it."


Meanwhile, McIntyre is no stranger to such challenges having completed a Coast to Coast challenge for Parkinson's last year, again using the combination of mountain running, cycling and kayaking to traverse Northern Ireland and end up at Creevy Pier.

McIntyre is always looking for the next idea to top his last one and is always happy to do it for charity.

On the day the two boys and their entourages will have support from the Bundoran and Arranmore lifeboat crews as well as runners, cyclists and members of the Tir Chonaill Athletic Club. Donations can be made in advance via the RNLI Station to Station website. The boys’ progress on the day can be followed on the Bundoran RNLI Facebook page, on Twitter @atlantic85 and also on the website.

#rnli – Skerries RNLI volunteer crew and station committee have this week received their new Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat.  The lifeboat was officially put on service last night (Thursday 28 February 2013). The north county Dublin lifeboat station is the beneficiary from a legacy that is three quarters of a century old. The new lifeboat is named in loving memory of Louis Simson, by his widow Charlotte, who passed away in Paddington in 1938.
The lifeboat arrived into the North Dublin coastal town on Monday 25 February from the Inshore Lifeboat Centre in Cowes on the Isle of Wright to start a week of trails and training with the Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew. During the handover and training the relief lifeboat Pride of Sherwood remained on service, ready to respond to any emergencies.
The lifeboat is named Louis Simson.  Mr Simson was born in 1844 in London and ran a large sharebroking firm, with his bother Augustus, in Tasmania.  Louis died on the 28 July 1922 aged 78 and was survived by his wife Charlotte.  Mrs Simson wanted a lifeboat named in Louis's memory and this has now been made possible 75 years later. They have no surviving friends or family.
The new lifeboat has some advancements on its predecessor at the station.  The Atlantic 85 design allows room for four crew members and more kit than the Atlantic 75 lifeboat, which only had room for three crew.
The lifeboat is powered by two 115horse power engines and has a stronger hull and greater top speed of 35 knots. The added radar allows the crew to operate more effectively in poor visibility and there is also VHF direction-finding equipment.

The Louis Simson. Photo: Eric Walsh

The vessel also has a manually operated self-righting mechanism which combined with inversion-proofed engines keep the lifeboat operational even after capsize. The lifeboat can also be beached in an emergency without causing damage to its engines or steering gear.
The Atlantic 85 carries a full suite of communication and electronic navigation aids, as well as a searchlight, night-vision equipment and flares for night-time operations.
Commenting on the arrival of the new RNLI lifeboat to the town, Mary Courtney Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer said: 'Everyone involved with Skerries RNLI is delighted with their new state of the art lifeboat and is looking forward to familiarising themselves with it over the coming weeks.  All lifeboat crew have already undergone a familiarity briefing and are currently undergoing intensive training onboard the vessel.
The volunteers with Skerries RNLI would also like to acknowledge both Louis and Charlotte Simson and their generosity to the lifesaving charity.  Each time the lifeboat launches, it will have been made possible by this couple who lived a century ago on the other side of the world. We are eternally grateful to them'.
Overseeing the transition is RNLI Divisional Operations Manager Owen Medland added: 'We've had a wonderful week in Skerries familiarising the volunteer crew with their new lifeboat. Skerries RNLI is a busy lifeboat station on the east coast and the crew have handled many challenging callouts.  They deserve the very best in lifeboat technology and I wish them well with their new lifeboat'

#RNLI - Children from Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa in Kilcloon, Co Meath yesterday visited the Howth RNLI lifeboat station to present a cheque for €1,300 raised by pupils through a Christmas fair and a 'Chore Tuesday' at their school.

Project teams from the class presented posters and poems about sea safety, the crew kit and the lifeboat. They also met lifeboat station mechanic and crew member Ian Sheridan, who was so impressed by their work that he presented them with a special RNLI flag to hang in their classroom. All of the pupils then had the opportunity to get onboard the inshore lifeboat.
 


Following a visit to the school by the RNLI Education Team before Christmas, pupils became interested in the lifesaving work carried out by the volunteer lifeboat crews, and were inspired to organise a fundraiser to help save lives at sea.
 


"The funds raised by the pupils of Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa will go towards our current fundraising project to fund the running and maintenance costs of the lifeboat station for a week," said Howth RNLI fundraising chair Rose Michael.

#RNLI - Kilrush RNLI launched on Thursday afternoon (21 February) after pagers were set off by Valentia Coast Guard to the Foynes area, where it was reported that a boat had lost engine power with five people on board.

Within minutes the crew assembled and set out to the location to investigate. Within 25 minutes they located the vessel and quickly set up a long tow. Tides were running and weather conditions were reaching force 7 to 8.

For their safety the five men were taken on board the lifeboat, while a lifeboat crew member was transferred onto the casualty vessel to oversee the tow. On establishing that the men were fine, the lifeboat proceeded to Tarbert Pier. At this stage the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 from Shannon was also on scene.

Within an hour the Kilrush RNLI lifeboat reached Tarbert Pier, where the lifeboat crew assisted the men in tying up their vessel.

Lifeboat helm Tom Blunnie praised the work of his crewmen in this rescue, stating that “under such conditions it’s great to know that our training pays off when calls like this occur.”

The crew on the day were helm Tom Blunnie, Pauline Dunleavy, Fintan Keating and Charlie Glynn.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI went to the assistance of two people whose powerboat got into difficulty off the Balbriggan coast in north Co Dublin yesterday.

Shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday 19 February) the station’s volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch after the alarm was raised by gardaí that a 4-metre speed boat was in difficulty just off Hampton Cove in Balbriggan.


The boat, which was approximately three miles out from Skerries, had fouled its propeller.

Weather conditions at the time were described as cold and dusk was settling into dark.

The 
Skerries RNLI crew put to sea accompanied in the air by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter, which had been on exercise locally.

Arriving on scene, it became apparent that the two people on board had managed to paddle their boat safely to the shoreline. The 
Skerries lifeboat crew proceeded to tow the speedboat back safely to Balbriggan Harbour.