Waterford City and County Council has been criticised for its use of bleach to disinfect streams that enter the sea near two popular coastal bathing areas, as TheJournal.ie reports.

The council says it uses sodium hypochlorite to sanitise streams near beaches at Dunmore East and Tramore during the summer bathing season, citing the prevalence of children playing in the waters.

But the chemical compound is considered harmful to flora and fauna by various State agencies, with NGOs like Coastwatch Ireland also expressing their concern.

TheJournal.ie has much more on the story HERE.

As Afloat reported on August 16th, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it is investigating the “very concerning” claim. 

Tramore RNLI were on a training exercise on Saturday afternoon (23 April) when they were tasked by MRCC and redirected to assist a group of kayakers in difficulty.

Upon arrival at the scene minutes later, the crew learned that the men involved were a party of five who were attempting to return to Newtown Cove having paddled out to Great Newtown Head. When they realised the conditions were far from favourable they turned and tried to battle against strong wind and considerable chop.

A number of the group capsized and this accelerated the onset of hypothermia.

Three men were recovered into the lifeboat and brought directly to the RNLI boathouse at the Pier for medical attention. The remaining two of the party made it safely to Newtown Cove where they were assisted by Tramore Coastguard Unit.

On return to the safety of the boathouse, two of the men were treated for mild hypothermia while another was treated by paramedics and transferred to University Hospital Waterford for further assessment and treatment.

Strong offshore winds contributed to the difficulty encountered by the group.

Tramore Sea Rescue Association (CRBI) lifeboat also launched to assist in the rescue and recovered the kayaks that had been abandoned.

The speed of the response and the positive outcome was helped by the prompt reaction of a member of the public who was concerned about the group's lack of progress in the conditions.

This was a great interagency response example from Tramore Lifeboat RNLI, Tramore Coastguard, Tramore Sea Rescue Association (CRBI), National Ambulance Service and Rescue 117.

The crew of Tramore RNLI and Tramore Coastguard in County Waterford were tasked to assist a swimmer in difficulty this afternoon close to the Guillamene Cove.

The swimmer was rescued from the rocks by the RNLI crew and brought immediately to Tramore Lifeboat Station.

The casualty was then transferred to the care of paramedics from Waterford Ambulance and Dr Matthew Sills.

Tramore RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers were tasked to the aid of a female swimmer in difficulty at the Guillamene cove in Co Waterford yesterday afternoon (Sunday 27 September).

The inshore lifeboat was lunched at 1.55pm and within eight minutes was at the scene, where three people had been swimming near the rocks.

Easily identifiable by her yellow swimming hat, as WLR FM reports, the casualty had suffered a cramp and her companions swam back to shore to raise the alarm.

The woman was recovered from the water and on further medical attention was necessary.

Fergal McGrath, one of the helms at Tramore RNLI, said later: “This was our 23rd shout this year, making it our busiest year to date.”

This summer, Waterford’s ‘marathon man’ will attempt a 500km open water swimming challenge from the Causeway Coast to Tramore to raise funds for stroke and cancer support.

Alan Corcoran made headlines in 2012 when be became the first man to run a lap of the island of Ireland in tribute to his father, former FAI president Milo Corcoran, who suffered a stroke the year before.

After his father’s death from cancer in 2016, Alan embarked on another ambitious undertaking — to swim from the top to the bottom of Ireland.

Alan first attempted the swim in 2017, but came acropper some 200km in when his support boat sank to shy of the border.

Nevertheless, his efforts still raised €13,000 for his chosen charities, and firmed his resolve to take on the challenge again in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation and Solas Cancer Support Centre.

“Losing my dad has been the toughest experience of my life,” says Alan. “Out of the darkness I am determined to grasp any opportunity to create some positives.”

He adds: “The swim is my small way of feeling like I’m taking some meaningful action.”

As Alan prepares to set out from the Giant’s Causeway on Saturday 1 June, he is also seeking a skipper to sail his 32ft Jeanneau Attalia as a support vessel for the swimming challenge. For more details see the Afloat Marine Market HERE.

#CoastalNotes - The Canadian coastguard hat found washed up on a Co Waterford beach before Christmas may have been traced to Newfoundland, according to CBC News.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Tramore man Craig Butler found the barnacle-encrusted hat while returning from surfing at a local beach on Christmas Eve.

Upon searching the internet for the Latin inscription on the hat, he discovered that it belonged to the Canadian Coast Guard – which has now confirmed that it would be been worn by an officer of its environmental response unit.

It also said that accounting for prevailing winds and currents, the hat most likely entered the water in the Canadian Coast Guard's Atlantic Region, which encompassed the Maritimes and Newfoundland.

CBC News has more on the story HERE.

#CoastalNotes - Just weeks after a US Coast Guard life ring was found on the Clare coast comes news that a hard had belonging to the Canadian Coast Guard washed up in Tramore on the South Coast.

As CBC News reports, the barnacle-encrusted hat was discovered on Christmas Eve in the Co Waterford coastal town by local man Craig Butler, who left it on a sea wall due to its noxious odour.

But the surfer later searched online or the Latin inscription on the hat, 'Saluti Primum Auxilio Semper' – the motto of the Canadian Coast Guard, which translates as 'Safety First, Service Always'.

It's not yet known how old the hat is or how it might have ended up in the sea, nor whether it travelled as far as the 6,000km the life ring found in Kilkee some weeks ago had drifted from Florida more than two years ago, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

CBC News has more on the story HERE.

Tramore RNLI officially named their new D-class lifeboat Isabella Purchase during a ceremony at the National Lifeguard Training Centre in Tramore on Saturday. The honour of naming the new lifeboat went to Mrs Sally Mongey, wife of the late Finn Mongey. Finn was the Lifeboat Operations Manager for Tramore RNLI Lifeboat Station from when it re-opened in 1964 until his retirement in 1984.

The lifeboat was named in honour of Mrs. Ivy Purchase, who was known as Isabella, and who died in September 2012, leaving her estate to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to provide a lifeboat in her name. She lived in Midhurst, West Sussex and was a long-time supporter of the charity. The new lifeboat, which has already launched four times on service since its arrival, replaces the Trá Mhór lifeboat, which was placed on service on 30 June 2005 and launched 127 times, rescuing 100 people, over its lifetime.

Tramore RNLI was the first Irish lifeboat station to receive the original of the D-class lifeboats in 1964. They were specially developed by the RNLI for inshore rescues carried out close to land and hard to access areas.
The D-class lifeboat is built at a cost of €62,000 and has been the workhouse of the charity for nearly 50 years. It is inflatable, robust and highly manoeuvrable, capable of operating much closer to the shore than the all-weather lifeboats. It is especially suited to surf, shallow water and confined locations, often close to cliffs, among rocks or caves. It measures five-metres in length and can carry three crewmembers on board. It has an endurance of three hours at sea, at its maximum speed of 25 knots.

Peter Crowley of the RNLI Irish Council accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the Institution before handing her over into the care of Tramore Lifeboat Station. Speaking during the handover he said,

‘As marine leisure activity around our coast increases, the demand for our rescue services grows in tandem with this increased activity. In Tramore the station’s lifeboat crew have rescued a total of 54 people in the last five years. One can only imagine the life changing impact of these rescues on both the casualties and the volunteer crew members who performed them. I thank you for your invaluable contribution and I am in awe of your selflessness and dedication.’

A photo posted by Afloat Magazine (@afloat.ie) on Sep 13, 2015 at 3:42am PDT

Mrs. Sally Mongey, wife of former Tramore RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Finn Mongey officially names the station’s new D-class lifeboat ‘Isabella Purchase’ assisted by the station’s current Lifeboat Operations Manager Derek Musgrave

‘Every naming ceremony for a new lifeboat is a special occasion and today we are honouring Mrs. Isabella Purchase and her generous life-saving gift to the Institution and the people of Tramore.
‘We couldn’t operate our lifeboat without the dedication of our volunteers. The crew in Tramore provide an outstanding service to their community. There is nothing greater that a person could offer and they deserve nothing less than the best in lifeboats, equipment and training that the RNLI offers. May our lifeboat crew come home safely in the Isabella Purchase and may they bring many home to safety.’

Among the platform party at the service were Mr. Len Bell, Chairman of Tramore Lifeboat Station who welcomed guests and opened proceedings; Peter Crowley, RNLI Irish Council member who accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the RNLI and handed her into the care of the station; Derek Musgrave, Tramore RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, who accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the station; Frank Nolan, President of the Tramore Lifeboat Station, who proposed the Vote of Thanks and Mrs Sally Mongey, who officially named the lifeboat.

Fr. Shane O’Neill and The Very Reverend Maria Janssen lead the Service of Dedication and music was provided by the Doirdan Male Choral Ensemble, Mr. Damien Kehoe, Mrs Claire Musgrave and Mrs. Cecelia Kehoe.

In a special moment during the ceremony three of Tramore RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew received their Long Service Badges and Certificates for 20 years’ service to the life-saving charity. They were Raymond Cowman, Brian Kavanagh and Stephen Murray.

Tramore RNLI has a proud and distinguished record in the RNLI, receiving 13 Silver Medals for Gallantry and the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum on five separate occasions. The lifeboat station was opened in 1824 with the first lifeboat rowed by a crew of eight lifeboat men. The station closed in 1924 but was reopened again in 1964 with a D-class lifeboat; this class of lifeboat has been on service since then with improvements made to successive lifeboats.

#RNLI - The new Tramore RNLI D-class lifeboat D-781 will be officially named the Isabella Purchase during a ceremony at the National Lifeguard Training Centre in Tramore on Saturday 12 September at 3pm.

The lifeboat will be named during a short ceremony and service of dedication by Mrs Sally Mongey, wife of the late Finn Mongey. Finn was the lifeboat operations manager for Tramore RNLI Lifeboat Station from when it re-opened in 1964 until his retirement in 1984.

The lifeboat is being named in honour of Mrs Ivy Purchase, known as Isabella, who died in September 2012, leaving her estate to the RNLI to provide a lifeboat in her name. Isabella lived in Midhurst, West Sussex and was a long-time supporter of the charity.

This new lifeboat replaces the Trá Mhór, which was placed on service on 30 June 2005 and launched 127 times, rescuing 100 people over its lifetime.

Tramore RNLI lifeboat operations manager Derek Musgrave, who will be accepting the lifeboat on behalf of the Waterford lifeboat station, said: "On behalf of all the volunteers with Tramore RNLI I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the late Mrs Purchase for her generous and life-saving gift.

"This lifeboat is the vessel that will carry our volunteer lifeboat crew out to sea to save lives and onboard it, our volunteer lifeboat crew will learn and develop their skills through extensive training.

"We look forward to welcoming the people of Tramore, who have been so generous in their support to the RNLI and our lifeboat station, to show them the newest edition to the life-saving fleet in Ireland."

The D-class lifeboat is built at a cost of €62,000 and has been the workhouse of the charity for nearly 50 years. It is inflatable, robust and highly manoeuvrable, capable of operating much closer to the shore than the all-weather lifeboats.

It is especially suited to surf, shallow water and confined locations, often close to cliffs, among rocks or even caves. It measures five metres in length and can carry three crewmembers onboard. It has an endurance of three hours at sea, at its maximum speed of 25 knots.

All are welcome to attend the naming ceremony and service of dedication. Please note that the Totem Pole car park located at the end of the Lower Promenade along the seafront will be closed to facilitate the ceremony from 9am to 5pm on the day. An alternative car park located adjacent to this will remain open to the public and can be accessed by Estuary Road. Alternative parking will also be available along the Main Promenade.

#WaterSafety - Tomorrow (Monday 9 March) sees the opening of the new National Lifeguard Training Centre in Tramore, Co Waterford, as The Irish Times reports.

The €500,000 inter-agency initiative will have a focus on training people for the growing discipline of surf lifesaving both around Ireland and abroad.

But the three-storey facility on Tramore's Lower Promenade has practical water safety implications for beachgoers over the summer months, as the town's duty lifeguards will have a panoramic view of the strand and shore from the observation deck.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.