#RNLI - Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat launched yesterday morning (Sunday 6 May) following a request by Belfast Coastguard to assist a 37ft cruiser taking on water on the lough near Belturbet, Co Cavan.

The lifeboat Douglas Euan & Kay Richards, with helm Chris Cathcart, David Reid, Kyle Boyd and Colin Beacom on board, launched at 7.28am from Upper Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh and arrived shortly after in Belturbet.

Winds were southerly, Force 1 and visibility was good with sunny skies.

The lifeboat crew located the casualty vessel moored alongside the public jetty, but still taking on water. Belturbet Fire and Rescue Service were also in attendance. The owner and his dog were unharmed.

The RNLI volunteer crew set up their salvage pump, and started to pump the water out of the casualty vessel. Once the water level started to lower, the access point of the water was located and a temporary seal put in place. 

The casualty vessel was then pumped out dry, and the lifeboat towed it to the public slipway where it was beached to avoid it sinking. The lifeboat departed the scene at 9.40am.

Following the callout, Cathcart said: “The crew were glad to be able to assist the owner this morning with his vessel, and hope he continues to have an enjoyable holiday.”

Much earlier on Sunday, the Portrush all-weather lifeboat crew in Co Antrim happened upon a casualty on land after a callout was stood down.

Three volunteer crew — Karl O’Neill, Jason Chambers and Ben Durrant — were returning home after the 1.40am call when they discovered a man who had fallen and had suffered significant injures to the face. 

The crew dialled 999 to request assistance. O’Neill, who is also an RNLI lifeguard supervisor, had his responder bag to hand and was able to administer first aid to stop the bleeding from the casualty’s face. Durrant then took the casualty to the local emergency department for further treatment.

Keith Gilmore Portrush RNLI lifeboat operations manager, commented: “Once again our volunteer crew have shown that the skills and training they have received as lifeboat crew members can be applied to assist in any situation. 

“I am very proud that the men on their way home at 2am stopped to help a member of the public who was obviously injured and in distress. We wish him a full recovery.”

At 4.25pm on Sunday May 6, Lough Derg RNLI launched following a request by Valentia Coast Guard to assist three people, two adults and a child, aboard a 27ft cruiser reported to be aground near Kilgarvan on the eastern shore of Lough Derg.

Winds were south-westerly, Force 1. Visibility was very good.

The Lifeboat, with helm Owen Cavanagh, Keith Brennan and Joe O'Donoghue on board, arrived on scene at 4.38pm. An RNLI volunteer was transferred across to the casualty vessel, where all on board were found to be safe and unharmed and wearing their lifejackets. The RNLI crew member made a thorough check of the cruiser and found that it was not holed, but had suffered damage to its propellers.

The lifeboat took the cruiser off the rocks and towed it to Dromineer Harbour, where, at 6.15pm, it was safely tied alongside.

The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 6.30pm

Owen Cavanagh, helm on the Lifeboat, advises boat users to ‘plan your passage before setting out, and take particular care to navigate the correct side of the navigation marks to avoid running aground.'

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (Saturday 5 May) to help a Dutch tourist when his motorboat lost power 10 miles north of the Co Wexford port.

The sole occupant of the 33ft motorboat was a Dutch man who was travelling from Dun Laoghaire to Cork when his vessel lost power and he ran into difficulty.

The lifeboat crew responded to the call at 1.55pm and were quickly on scene to establish a tow.

Conditions were good for the journey back to land; there was a slight haze but the sea was calm.

The lifeboat crew towed the vessel back to the Fisherman’s Wall in Rosslare Harbour and the tourist was welcomed ashore.

Commenting on the callout, Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat operations manager Dave Maloney said: “It was perfect conditions for a callout. As the man was travelling on his own we put one of our lifeboat crew onboard to help establish the tow and to check everything was okay.

“Thankfully it was nothing too serious and we were able to bring him safely to Rosslare where he could get his vessel seen to and hopefully continue on with his journey.”

The RNLI and Irish Coast Guard issued a joint call earlier this week for people to stay safe on or near the water this May Bank Holiday weekend, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#RNLI - For more than 100 years, the crews of Courtmacsherry Harbour Lifeboat Station have laid a wreath over the site of RMS Lusitania.

In Courtmacsherry Bay, the old British Royal Navy watch tower of the Seven Heads peninsula is the closest point of land to the Lusitania tragedy at 11.2 nautical miles.

Courtmacsherry Harbour is also home to a one of the earliest established lifeboat stations in Ireland, founded in 1825, and at the time of the Lusitania tragedy located at Barry’s Point in Courtmacsherry.

On 7 May 1915, the Lusitania, a British Cunard line ocean liner, was on passage from New York when she was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat south of Courtmacsherry Bay, with the loss of 1,201 lives.

The Courtmacsherry RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew was alerted to the tragedy and due to the fine weather that day, the sails were of no use, so they rowed the Kezia Gwilt lifeboat to the scene of the sinking.

The sea was strewn with the dead, some with lifebelts on, others holding on to pieces of rafts. The volunteers of the Kezia Gwilt spent six hours on scene, taking bodies from the water.

In 2015, the present lifeboat crew and residents of Courtmacsherry village, many of whom are related to the original 1915 lifeboat crew who were called to service, staged a re-enactment of that heroic row by the then lifeboat crew to the site of the Lusitania.

Since that ill-fated day in 1915, the crew of Courtmacsherry RNLI annually pay tribute to those lost by laying a wreath over the wreck of RMS Lusitania.

If anyone would like the crew to lay a wreath on their behalf for those lost on the Lusitania, they can bring it to Courtmacsherry Harbour Lifeboat Station before 12.30pm on Monday 7 May.

The RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard are issuing a joint call this May Bank Holiday weekend for people to stay safe on and near water as the expected warmer weather and brighter evenings will see more people spending time outdoors. The maritime organisations caution that an improvement in the weather does not mean warmer water temperatures and people should make sure they apply common sense and observe basic safety precautions when engaged in any activity either at sea or along the coast.

While the temperatures increase, Irish waters rarely exceed 15C, making them cold enough year-round to trigger cold water shock, which causes the instinctive reaction to gasp and swim hard, which can quickly lead to drowning. Over half of accidental coast drownings happen to people who never though they would end up in the water and are not prepared for an emergency.

The Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI are asking people to take the time to check that they have all essential safety equipment and that is fully serviced and that anybody who needs to use it knows what to do.

Always wear the correct equipment for your activity and always wear a lifejacket or proper personal floatation equipment

The RNLI and Coast Guard recommend attaching a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) to your Lifejacket or Personal Floatation Device. The small devices are worn on your person and can send a distress message to the Coast Guard from any location.

Always tell another person where you are going and when you will be back

If you see someone get into difficulty dial 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. If possible look for something that floats or that they can hold on to and throw it out to them.
Check that all your safety equipment is working and fully serviced

Sean Dillon, RNLI Lifesaving Manager said: ‘The May bank holiday is traditionally a time when a lot of people get out and enjoy the coastline and our beautiful loughs and lakes. Last year Irish lifeboat crews launched 1,145 times to all types of incidents. The RNLI’s ‘Respect the Water’ campaign will be running throughout the summer but drowning prevention should be carried out year round.’

Gerard O’Flynn, Irish Coast Guard Operations Manager added: ‘If you are getting into a boat our message is ‘Stay afloat – Stay in contact’. Always wear a PFD or Lifejacket and ensure that you can raise the alarm if you need assistance be that by marine VHF radio, mobile phone or PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), which will enable responders to quickly locate and assist you”

IF YOU SEE SOMEBODY IN DIFFICULTY OR THINK SOMEBODY IS IN DIFFICULTY DIAL 112/999 and ASK FOR THE COAST GUARD

At 1.20pm on Tuesday May 1, Lough Derg RNLI launched following a request by Valentia Coast Guard to assist a fisherman in an 18ft lake boat reported aground by the Goat Road on the north eastern shore of Lough Derg.

Winds were south-southeasterly, Force 4/5. Visibility was good, but with mist and frequent rain squalls.

The Lifeboat, with helm Ger Egan, Owen Cavanagh and Keith Brennan on board, arrived at the Goat Road 1.36pm, but there was no evidence of the casulty vessel. The lifeboat searched the area and located the fisherman in his boat at 'Russell Cabin', north of the Goat Road.

"An RNLI volunteer waded in to the lake boat and found the fisherman to be safe and unharmed and wearing his lifejacket"

As the lakeboat was aground in a particularly rocky and shallow area, the lifeboat dropped anchor and veered back to the location. An RNLI volunteer waded in to the lake boat and found the fisherman to be safe and unharmed and wearing his lifejacket.

The RNLI volunteer and the fisherman bailed the water taken in over the gunwales of the lakeboat. They eased the vessel off the rocks and out to to the lifeboat, where it was taken under tow to Skehana. The lakeboat was tied safely alongside at 2.56pm

The lifeboat returned to station and the lifeboat was ready for service again at 3.35pm

Liam Maloney, Volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager advises boat users to ‘check the conditions before going afloat and make sure your vessel is able for the conditions forecast.'

#RNLI - Lough Ree  RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew conducted a search of the River Shannon yesterday morning (Saturday 28 April) after a report of someone entering the water.

The Irish Coast Guard alerted the lifeboat station at 5.14am after a report from a member of the public to the possibility of someone entering the River Shannon in Athlone town.

The volunteer crew of lifeboat The Eric Rowse were quick to respond and were soon conducting a search above and below the weir in the centre of Athlone town. Conditions were very calm as dawn turned into a clear bright morning.

After searching a large area of the river and with regular communication with the Irish Coast Guard at Malin Head, the decision was made to stand down the search at 6.54am and the crew returned to station.

Speaking after the callout, Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat operations manager Tony McCarth said: “If you suspect you have seen someone fall into the river, throw one of the many life rings that are along the river banks to them with the end of the safety rope secured so doesn’t end up in the river too, then pull them back to the shore and call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

#RNLI - Fenit RNLI launched to the rescue of a man whose boat capsized near Derrymore Island in Tralee Bay at the weekend. 

Following a call for assistance from Valentia Coast Guard at 4.47pm on Saturday last (21 April), Fenit’s volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat and were on scene 10 minutes later.

Reports had been received of a person in the sea near Derrymore Island, but the man had managed to swim ashore by the time the lifeboat crew arrived, after having been in the water for some 30 minutes.

Weather conditions would have been calm when the man set out to sea but Force 4-5 south westerly winds had developed when the incident occurred.

The man, who did not require medical assistance, was brought by the RNLI to his overturned boat where it was righted. The boat was towed to Fenit Pier with its owner onboard the lifeboat. Gerard O’Donnell, lifeboat operations manager at Fenit RNLI, was at the station to meet the rescued man.

Using a salvage pump, the crew proceeded to help draw the water out of the sunken boat so it was in a position to be moved to a more protected area close by.

Speaking following the callout, Fenit RNLI helm Lee Sugrue said: “Our crew responded with a very quick launch time as we were in the vicinity of the lifeboat station at the time our pagers went off. Weather conditions had deteriorated over the course of late afternoon and we are very pleased that there were no casualties today. 

“We would advise all seafarers to respect the water and always wear a lifejacket. If at any time you see someone in trouble in the water or need assistance at sea, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

#RNLI - Saturday 30 June has been confirmed as the date for the seventh annual WLRfm Waterford Viking Marathon to raise funds for the RNLI.

The most exciting running event in Waterford, the Viking Marathon following a spectacular route that takes in Waterford City’s Viking Triangle.

Runners will cross both Rice Bridge and the N25 suspension bridge and running along the Waterford Greenway before returning to the state-of-the-art WIT Arena at Carriganore.

Runners can also choose from the full, half or quarter marathon and help raise funds for the RNLI lifeboats, the nominated charity for this year’s event.

Register now on www.waterfordvikingmarathon.com.

The news comes after ‘Lap of the Map’ runner Mary Hickey joined the RNLI to launch its own annual Mayday fundraiser taking place next month, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#RNLI - Dunmore East  RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched on Saturday (21 April) to assist an injured crewman onboard a fishing trawler.

The crewman sustained an injury while fishing 70 miles offshore, and the trawler was intercepted by Dunmore East lifeboat 50 miles south of Dunmore East to conduct the medevac.

At 11:50am, the Trent Class lifeboat Windsor Runner launched with a transit time of two hours and 35 minutes to the scene, where it came alongside the trawler to transfer the casualty.

The injured crewman was administered first aid treatment and monitored by the lifeboat crew while routing back to Dunmore East Harbour, where he was handed over to the Ambulance Service at 4.45pm.

Dunmore East RNLI coxswain Michael Griffin said: “The sea conditions [on Saturday] were very good which helped in the transfer of the casualty to our lifeboat, our crew are highly trained in casualty care, and the injured man was very well looked after until he was handed over to the ambulance crew.”