#lifeboat – On a sunny Easter Sunday Morning, 20th April 2014, both the all weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat were called upon to give assistance. A yacht had grounded on rocks at a treacherous stretch between Cunnamore Pier and Heir Island in West Cork on a falling tide. The 35ft yacht had 4 people on board at the time. The yacht was well aground when the lifeboats arrived.
The inshore lifeboat RIB crew went aboard the stricken vessel first. A line was secured to the yacht's stern and another line to the masthead. Helm Tadhg Collins on the inshore lifeboat RIB pulled on the masthead line, heeling the yacht over to reduce her draught. Then Coxswain Aidan Bushe on the allweather lifeboat towed the yacht astern to release her from the rocks on which she was wedged.The lifeboat established a tow to bring the yacht to safety. There were no injuries. Winds were fresh North North Easterly.

On the allweather lifeboat Coxswain Aidan Bushe, Mechanic Cathal Cottrell, Eoin Ryan, Ronnie Carthy, Brian MacSweeny, Sean McCarthy, Jerry Smith

On the inshore lifeboat Helm:Tadhg Collins, John Kearney, Jason Pavry

#WaterSafety - The crew of Bundoran RNLI's lifeboat, together with local fishermen and members of Irish Water Safety, recently welcomed a group of students from Lucan, Co Dublin who created a new school’s guide to water safety in Ireland’s rivers, lakes and seas.

The group of students from St Joseph’s College in Lucan are participating in the 2014 Young Social Innovators programme and were tasked with picking an issue of concern in their local area and to take action to change it for the better.

They decided to tackle the ongoing problem of drowning, particularly after the tragic summer last year when so many young people lost their lives needlessly during the hot spell.

Their vision for the information pack is to “think before you splash” – encouraging young people to become more involved in water activities and to increase their awareness of the water.

The pack consists of a lesson plan for teachers as well as a local ecology & water safety survey, 10 water safety rules and more.

Speaking during the visit, Bundoran RNLI crewmember Killian O’Kelly said: "It’s heartening for us who volunteer to save lives at sea to see this initiative being undertaken so enthusiastically by this group of students – they are to be commended for such an excellent piece of work and if it helps to save one life this summer then it’s time well spent."

The group hope to make the booklet available online in the coming weeks.

#RNLI - Last Friday (11 April) was a busy night for the volunteer crew of Kinsale RNLI as they collected two West Cork community awards for bringing to safety the 30 crew members of the training ship Astrid that sank outside Kinsale harbour in July last year.

The first honour of the night was bestowed at the 25th anniversary awards ceremony in Bandon’s Munster Arms Hotel, organised by The Opinion magazine and sponsored by Bandon Co-op. 

Kinsale lifeboat Miss Sally Anne (Baggy) was first on the scene on 24 July 2013 when the Astrid ran aground. Volunteer crew members Liam O’Connell, Nick Searls and James Grennan worked in treacherous conditions to safely evacuate all 30 crew on board. 

They accepted The Opinion/Bandon Co-op Community Award on behalf on the RNLI, along with volunteers from Courtmacsherry RNLI who assisted the rescue.

Next stop was Acton's Hotel for the Kinsale District and Community Awards. Flanked by boat and shore crew and volunteers from the fundraising team, Liam, Nick and James accepted their second trophy of the night.

Lifeboat operations manager John O’Gorman said: “This is a great honour for all the volunteers of the RNLI who give freely of their time to save lives at sea.  As volunteers, our only reward is the satisfaction of a job well done and the respect of our community. We have received that in abundance tonight."

This brings to three the number of awards related to the Astrid. Earlier this year the Irish Cruising Club presented Kinsale RNLI with the Waterford Cup, a perpetual trophy dating back to 1953.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew from Donaghadee RNLI rescued a personal watercraft (PWC) enthusiast from rocks near Millisle in Co Down on Saturday evening (12 April).

A member of the public reported the craft in difficulty south of Millisle lagoon and the RNLI responded to a request for assistance from the coastguard.

The Donaghadee all-weather lifeboat Saxon was at sea within 10 minutes at 7.20pm.

At the scene, the lifeboat crew deployed a small inflatable off the lifeboat, with two crew members aboard, and the PWC with one person aboard was helped off the rocks.

The craft was then towed to a slipway and the lifeboat stood down at 8.20pm.

Donaghadee RNLI lifeboat operations manager Alan Couser said: "If you are planning to visit the coast over the Easter holidays, make sure you check the sea-worthiness of all small craft and that safety equipment is working properly."

#rnli – Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch to a 6m Rib (Rigid Rib) that had run aground last evening in Lough Mahon in Cork Harbour.

Crosshaven lifeboat launched shortly after 10pm last evening after receiving reports that the RIB with four people on board was aground North of Hop Island. The lifeboat with volunteers Alan Venner, Con Crowley and Alan Barton on board quickly made their way to the Lough Mahon Area.

The Rib was eventually located on mud banks between the main shipping channel and the Douglas river channel after the casualty fired distress flares and turned on navigation lights. The lifeboat crew had to slowly work their way up the unlit channel until they were within a hundred metres of the casualty.

Crew member, Con Crowley successfully attempted to swim on his back across the mud with a tow line to the casualty vessel where he medically assessed all the casualties. One casualty was cold and wet after initially entering the mud to push the vessel off.

As the tide was turning and beginning to fill, the crew had to wait until enough water was under the casualty boat to haul it off the mud. Two of the casualties were then transferred to the lifeboat and Con Crowley helmed the casualty vessel back to Crosshaven.

The casualty vessel and the lifeboat arrived back at Station at 1.45am, was cleaned down and refuelled and readied for service at 2.30am

#ByRoyalAppointment - This week's historic first Irish state visit of President Michael D. Higgins to the United Kingdom, also saw the arrival of Royal Navy inshore fast patrol-boats of the First Patrol Squadron call to Dublin Bay ports within the last fortnight, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The increasing relationship between the two countries on many levels is borne out of such visits of the Royal Navy which have become increasingly more frequent over the last decade and by the Naval Service to port and harbours on both sides of the Irish Sea.

One of those visiting patrol boats, the P2000 Archer class HMS Express (P 163) is due to make a return call to Dun Laoghaire Marina later this month, having been a recent visitor this week.

Trainee cadets from one of the University Royal Naval Units (URNU) at HMS Cambria, a Royal Navy Reserve establishment near Cardiff were onboard the Archer class boat, which is one of the patrol boats based at Penarth Marina in Cardiff Bay.

Dun Laoghaire Marina is the marine depot and base for reserve lifeboats that serve the Irish Sea fleet of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) which collectively operates 340 lifeboats and since 1952 the institution's patron is Queen Elizabeth.

There are 9 relief lifeboats in which two of them were noted while walking the Eastern Breakwater of the marina, notably the 'Severn' class RNLB The Duke of Kent (17-45). Her presence is particularly apt given this week's symbolic Anglo-Irish reciprocal relationships reaching a zenith.

The Duke of Kent holds the title of President of the RNLI and less than a year ago in May 2013, he was accompanied by British Ambassador Domnick Chilcott on a visit the Youghal RNLI as well to touring lifeboat stations in Helvick, An Rinn, Tramore and Dunmore East in Co Waterford.

It could also be said, that the naming of the RNLI's latest and fastest lifeboat class the 'Shannon', which historically have all been named in honour of UK rivers was long overdue and is a reflection of maturing ties. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Derry-based naval architect Peter Eyre was instrumental to the design of the class.

Moored adjacent to RNLB The Duke of Kent was the Revenue Commissioners Maritime Unit customs cutter RCC Suirbheir. In 2004 she became the first customs cutter commissioned by the Irish Government since the foundation of the state. She was joined into service by sister RCC Faire in 2009.

#rnli – RNLI lifeboat crew with Aran Islands RNLI will be able to launch their all weather Severn Class lifeboat faster following the installation of a 24 metre pontoon, which will enable the lifeboat crew to board the lifeboat from a newly installed berth. The new stable platform will also ensure that the transfer of casualties onto or from the lifeboat can be done more easily and safer.

The 56 tonne structure is situated in the harbour between the new breakwater and the original pier. The enormous structure was transported to the island by ferry and carefully manoeuvred into place for fit out over a couple of weeks.

The work brings to completion a major building project on Inis Mór which has also seen a new lifeboat station built on the site of the old one, giving the volunteer lifeboat crew better facilities including a crew changing area and training room. It represents a significant investment by the charity for the island based lifeboat station, which has been in existence since 1927.

Speaking on the recent works RNLI Divisional Operations Manger Owen Medland said, 'this development makes the operation of the Aran Islands lifeboat safer for the crew. Maintenance is easier with shore power and water close at hand. Also most importantly the transfer and handling of casualties can be done with minimum disruption and on the shore. It is also safer for the lifeboat crew who can be responding in the middle of the night and in all weathers to life and death situations. This new pontoon does away with the need of a boarding boat to transfer the crew out to the middle of the harbour to board the lifeboat. It has been a long wait but we are all delighted to finally see the Aran Islands RNLI crew and supporters provided with appropriate modern facilities.'

Aran Islands RNLI Coxswain John O'Donnell added, 'This is a very welcome development for the lifeboat station and the whole community. Many of our callouts are medical evacuations and to have this new stable berth for the lifeboat means that a casualty can be safety moved with a minimum of discomfort. It will also shave a few minutes off our launch times which in some search and rescue situations can be vital.'

#rnli – Portrush RNLI volunteer All Weather Lifeboat Crew got their first service of 2014 today, after receiving reports of two jet skiers in difficulties at Benone Beach near Magillian.

The RNLI were alerted by a friend of the two men who noticed that one of the men had fallen off the jet ski into the water.
The weather was blustery and chilly and the sea was very choppy and extremely cold. The All-weather crew quickly located the two men who by this stage were very cold, as they had both been in the water for some time and neither were wearing wetsuits.
The crew got the two young men on board and returned to base were they handed the casualties over to a waiting ambulance.

The crew then returned to the area to recover the jet ski as this could have posed a hazard to other boats and vessels in that area if not recovered. This too was quickly located and a decision was made by the Coxswain to tow the jet ski to the safety of Portstewart Harbour as the surf conditions were not ideal for the Y boat (from the All Weather boat) to tow to the beach.

The crew then returned to station after a four-hour operation

Lifeboat Operations Manager Robin Cardwell commented:

'As this is the start of the summer season we are looking forward to welcoming people to enjoy the North Coast, but we would advise everyone to check their safety equipment after the winter months to make sure it is still in good condition. The Lifeguards will be back on the beaches from 18th April so talk to them before you go out. You can also talk to our crew at the station who can advise of impending weather conditions and the currents and rip tides in the area.

The crew returned to base, refuelled ready for the next shout

#RNLI - Arklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat Ger Tigchelaar was launched yesterday afternoon (Saturday 5 April) to a report of a sailing vessel in danger of sinking off the Wicklow coast.

With challenging seas and with visibility deteriorating, the lifeboat proceeded to the scene approximately four miles east of Arklow.

Upon arrival, two Arklow RNLI volunteers were put aboard the stricken 33ft vessel with salvage pumps in an effort to prevent the yacht from sinking.

After efforts to pump out the vessel proved unsuccessful, the yacht's crew of two were evacuated to the lifeboat.

During the rescue, the Commissioners of Irish Lights vessel Granuaile and Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 were been tasked to the scene.

With the stricken yacht almost beneath the surface, lines were passed to Granuaile from the yacht, which was then secured to the deck of the larger Granuaile.

And with additional salvage pumps put aboard, the yacht was then pumped out and the ingress of water was stemmed.

The lifeboat stood by and our volunteers tended to the two rescued men as the vessel was pumped out. The Granuaile's crew then handed the lines of the yacht back to the Arklow lifeboat crew and a towline was established before heading back to Arklow Harbour.

Arklow RNLI press officer and sea safety officer Mark Corcoran said: “The professionalism shown by Arklow RNLI’s volunteers, Commissioners of Irish Lights crew members and our coastguard colleagues overhead, not only helped save two lives today, [but] the dedication and bravery by all involved also helped us to save the sinking vessel and return her safely to Arklow.

"This shows how all of our training and exercising with the other agencies on our coast pays off.”

A major fund-raising campaign will be launched (April 2, 2014) to save a famous lifeboat which rescued survivors from the Princess Victoria in 1953 and the Fastnet yacht race disaster in 1979. It's the second lifeboat with Irish connections to feature in a restoration project. Last month, Former Ballycotton RNLB lifeboat, Mary Stanford, made famous for a daring rescue of the Daunt Rock lightship crew in 1936, was hoisted out from Grand Canal Dock basin in Dublin and headed to her old east Cork homeport for a restoration project.

Now supporters plan to restore The Sir Samuel Kelly and build a maritime heritage centre around the vessel in Donaghadee where it was stationed for 25 years and crewed by local volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – the charity that saves lives at sea.

Campaign spokesman, former lifeboat crewman, Ken Walsh, said: "The Sir Samuel Kelly is an important part of Ireland's maritime heritage and is on the UK's National Historic Ships register. Restored it will be a lasting memorial to the people who were lost in the Princess Victoria and Fastnet tragedies. It will also be a fitting tribute to the bravery of the RNLI crews who daily risk their lives to save others.

"With public support we believe we can raise the £500,000 needed to save this famous lifeboat and build her a fitting home in a town where she is cherished."

Donaghadee's Lifeboat Operations Manager, Alan Couser, said: "The RNLI fully supports this proposal which will highlight the role of our volunteers in saving lives at sea. I believe it will also prove an important tourist asset for the town."

A public meeting to launch the campaign will be held in Donaghadee community centre, Donaghadee harbour, at 7.30pm on April 2.

Editors' note: The Sir Samuel Kelly was named after a Belfast coal importer and philanthropist who died in 1937. It was built by J Samuel White & Co at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1950. The Watson class lifeboat was stationed at Donaghadee from 1951 until 1976 then was part of the RNLI reserve fleet at Courtmacsherry, Co Cork, until retirement in 1979. It was purchased by the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and leased to the campaign group. An RNLI bravery medal and a British Empire Medal were awarded to the Kelly's coxswain Hugh Nelson for his role in saving 31 from the Princess Victoria in 1953.