#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI were called out in the early hours of yesterday morning (Friday 23 March) to a fishing trawler with five people on board which had broken down close to shore.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 5.20am after the Irish Coast Guard requested  assistance for a 22m fishing trawler that had suffered engine failure close to the shoreline off the West Cork harbour’s mouth. 

Arriving on scene six minutes later, the lifeboat found the casualty vessel had an anchor shot and the crew, all in lifejackets, were working to resolve their mechanical difficulties. Weather conditions at the time had a south-westerly Force 5 wind and a 1.5m sea swell with good visibility.

Within 20 minutes, the trawler was underway by its own power, under escort of the Baltimore lifeboat, to the safety of Baltimore Harbour.

Speaking following the callout, Baltimore RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Kate Callanan said: “If your boat is in danger close to the shoreline, always remember to try not to panic. 

“Use the resources available such as deploying an anchor, ensure all people aboard are in lifejackets and seek assistance as soon as possible. If you get into difficulty at sea or on the coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

The volunteer crew on this callout were coxswain Kieran Cotter, mechanic Cathal Cottrell, Pat Collins, Davie Ryan, Colin Whooley, Aidan Bushe, Emma Lupton and Don O’Donovan. Sean McCarthy assisted at Baltimore lifeboat station.

Elsewhere on the Irish coast, Skerries RNLI launched to reports of individuals in distress on two separate occasions earlier this week.

Shortly after 4am on Monday morning (19 March), Skerries volunteers launched their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat after Dublin Coast Guard received a call that a person in distress had entered the water near Laytown.

The lifeboat, with Emma Wilson at the helm and crewed by Steven Johnson, JP Tanner and Paddy Dillon, had just launched the boat when they were stood down as a garda had managed to help the person ashore to a waiting ambulance.

The lifeboat launched again on Tuesday evening (20 March) shortly after 11.30pm, this time helmed by Peter Kennedy with volunteers Jack Keane, JP Tanner and Paddy Dillon on board. 

Concerns had been raised about a person who was in danger of entering the water near Bettystown. Again the lifeboat was stood down shortly after launching as shore-based emergency services had taken the person into their care.

Speaking about the callouts, Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “It’s been a restless start to the week for our volunteers, but they are always ready to answer any call for help. 

“The most important thing is that there wasn’t a tragic outcome in either case and we hope that the casualties make a full and speedy recovery.”

Investigations have concluded and no prosecution will be directed by the DPP over the death of a fisherman off Skerries last summer, as the Irish Examiner reports.

Garda divers recovered the body of Jamie McAllister (28) on 27 May 2017, close to where the razor clam boat he had been working on with his uncle sank the previous day.

The inquest into the incident is now adjourned for full hearing on Thursday 1 November.

#RNLI - Clogherhead and Skerries  RNLI  rescued a man whose fishing boat got into difficulty north of Dublin Bay yesterday afternoon (Thursday 1 February).

The volunteer crews were requested to launch the all-weather lifeboat from Clogherhead and the inshore lifeboat from Skerries at around 1pm after a request from the Irish Coast Guard to assist the skipper of a 10m fishing vessel, which had got into difficulty four-and-a-half miles northeast of Skerries.

The vessel had lost engine power while on passage from Kilmore Quay to the Shetland Islands.

Skerries RNLI was first on the scene, and after assessing that no one was in immediate danger, they worked with the skipper to take the fishing boat under tow.

With winds from the northwest gusting up to 30 knots at the time and seas up to three metres high, a decision was made due to the weather conditions to transfer the tow line to the Clogherhead all-weather lifeboat.

The fishing vessel was then successfully towed into Skerries Harbour and tied up at 2pm.

Speaking following the callout, Clogherhead RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Gerry Kelly said it was “a fine example of RNLI volunteers from neighbouring stations working well together to help bring someone to safety.

“We would remind anyone going to sea, regardless of their activity, to always respect the water. Always wear a lifejacket and always carry a means of calling for help and keep it within reach.”

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI assisted a 12-metre razor fishing vessel that developed steering problems near Loughshinny last night (Friday 17 November).

Shortly before 9pm, one of the volunteer crew raised the alarm after receiving a phone call from a fisherman on the razor boat, stating that it had fouled its rudder.

The Skerries RNLI volunteers launched their lifeboat with Conor Walsh at the helm and crew Joe May, Steven Johnson and JP Tanner.

The lifeboat located the casualty vessel, with one man on board, near Loughshinny Harbour and proceeded to tow the boat safely back into the harbour.

Weather conditions at the time was calm with a Force 1 to 2 westerly wind.

Speaking about the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “It was a cold and dark night for our volunteers to be out, thankfully they were able to resolve the situation very quickly.

“This kind of thing can happen to anyone at any time, but the RNLI are always ready to respond to a call for help.”

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI rescued two fishermen from a sinking razor fishing boat near Laytown early this morning (Thursday 2 November).

Shortly before 5.30am, Dublin Coast Guard received an emergency call from the skipper of a razor fishing boat with two men on board that was taking on water off Laytown and was beginning to list dangerously.

Lifeboats from both Skerries RNLI and Clogherhead RNLI were requested to launch to assist the casualty.

Volunteers from Skerries RNLI launched their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson with Emma Wilson at the helm and crewed by Eoin Grimes, Steven Johnson and Jack Keane.

Weather conditions at the time were fair with a Force 1-2 northwesterly wind.

The lifeboat proceeded to the area off Laytown given as a position by the casualty vessel. There was a number of razor fishing vessels in the area, but the lifeboat soon located the casualty off the mouth of the River Nanny, where it was grounded and was being overcome by the rising tide.

Clogherhead RNLI arrived on scene shortly afterwards and stood by while the inshore lifeboat was alongside the stricken boat.

The two fishermen were taken on board the lifeboat, where they were assessed before being brought safely back to Skerries.

Speaking about the callout, Wilson said: “When we got on scene, it was quite difficult to spot the fishing vessel as it was almost underwater and there was only one remaining light in the wheelhouse.

“The crew did the right thing in calling for help, wearing their lifejackets and staying with the boat for as long as possible.”

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched yesterday evening (Sunday 22 October) after receiving reports of a medical emergency on Lambay Island.

Shortly after 8.30pm, the alarm was raised by a member of the crew when they received a call from Lambay Island, indicating that a person was unwell and requiring immediate medical assistance.

Skerries RNLI volunteers launched their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson with David Knight at the helm and crewed by Steven Johnston, JP Tanner and Jack Keane.

The lifeboat proceeded to the island where they went ashore and began to administer first aid to the casualty — as well as prep a landing area for the Dublin-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116, who transferred the casualty to a waiting ambulance on the mainland for treatment at Beaumont Hospital.

“There were multiple rescue agencies involved in this rescue and it’s great to see everyone working so well together,” said Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning. “Our thoughts are with the casualty tonight and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

In other rescue news, PSNI officers have been praised for their “swift action” in saving a man whose car entered Lough Neagh in the early hours of yesterday morning.

As the Belfast Telegraph reports, four officers entered the water to free the man, who was unresponsive, from the partial submerged Volkswagen. He was later transferred to hospital with suspected hypothermia.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (Thursday 12 October) for the second time in less than 24 hours.

Shortly after 12pm, Dublin Coast Guard received information that a RIB with one person on board had suffered engine failure north of the harbour at Lambay Island.

Skerries RNLI were tasked and the lifeboat was launched with volunteer Eoin Grimes at the Helm and crewed by Joe May, David Knight and Jack Keane.

Arriving at Lambay, the lifeboat crew spotted the vessel which had put out an anchor. A tow was established and the boat was towed safely to port.

Just hours before, shortly before 9pm on Wednesday (11 October), the lifeboat escorted a razor fishing vessel into Skerries Harbour.

The vessel had contacted Dublin Coast Guard for clarification on a navigational issue while approaching Skerries for an unscheduled stop. They were also having some slight mechanical problems with their steering.

It was decided as a precaution to request the lifeboat to escort the vessel to shore. On that occasion Joe May was on the helm, and the crew consisted of Conor Walsh, Jack Keane and JP Tanner.

Gerry Canning, lifeboat press officer for Skerries RNLI, said: “Both these call outs were to experienced seagoers who were just unlucky. Things can go wrong at sea no matter how prepared you are.

“Our volunteer crew are ready to respond 24/7 and it’s great to see some of our new volunteers gaining invaluable experience.”

Sailing instructor Kerri-Ann Boylan was out coaching kids in Optimist sailing dinghies at the weekend when she spotted a fin in the water in Skerries Harbour in North County Dublin.

'As I brought the kids into land and about to let them jump out of my boat we spotted a fin', she wrote on social media on October 10th. 

'It's a very rare sight of a 'shark' being in that close to land and in the Irish Sea,' she added.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched on Thursday evening (14 September) after the Irish Coast Guard received a number of calls reporting a vessel on fire north of Balbriggan.

The lifeboat was tasked with volunteer Conor Walsh at the helm and crewed by Stephen Crowley, Steven Johnson and JP Tanner.

The fire was visible from the boathouse, and once the volunteers launched their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat, they navigated directly to the scene.

As they approached the area, it soon became apparent that the fire was actually a large gorse fire on the shoreline, and the emergency services had arrived to deal with it. The lifeboat was stood down and returned to station.

Speaking about the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “It was quite deceptive to look at, and you can understand how it may have looked like it was actually a fire at sea.

“In this case it was a false alarm, but with good intent.”

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched on Saturday morning (2 September) to a report of a fisherman stranded on rocks near Balbriggan.

Shortly after 11am, Dublin Coast Guard received a call from a member of the Garda that a sea angler had been cut off by the rising tide and was stranded on rocks at the shoreline near Ardgillan Park, just south of Balbriggan.

Skerries RNLI were tasked and the lifeboat was launched with volunteer Robert Morgan at the helm and crewed by David Knight, Gerry Canning and Jack Keane.

The lifeboat proceeded directly to the area indicated by the caller, heading initially towards a well-known outcrop of rocks that extends out a distance into the sea.

Once on scene, the crew began an initial search of the area. They then noticed a garda on the shore waving to attract their attention.

The lifeboat was manoeuvred in very shallow waters against a strong breeze to be close enough to shore for a member of the crew to go ashore and speak to them. It transpired that the fisherman, once alerted to his predicament by the Garda had waded ashore and was no longer in danger.

The lifeboat was stood down and returned to station.

Speaking about the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “In this case, the man hadn’t even realised that he had been cut off by the rising tide and was in a dangerous situation. Thankfully the Garda were able to alert him and he managed to wade ashore.

“If you see anyone in danger in or near the water, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.”