#RNLI - Achill Island RNLI was tasked to assist a young woman in distress off the cliffs of Old Head in Louisburgh, Co Mayo yesterday afternoon (28 August).

The volunteer lifeboat crew sped to the scene around 4pm yesterday after the woman, who had been diving from a cliff into the sea, was injured on entering the water and required urgent assistance.

As the lifeboat was en route, some of the woman’s friends managed to pull her from the water onto nearby rocks, below the cliff, to await help.



The lifeboat arrived shortly after and sent two crewmen ashore to administer first aid. Westport Coast Guard Unit and Rescue 115, the helicopter from Shannon, were also tasked to the scene.

The woman was taken on board the lifeboat and transferred to the helicopter, which took her to Castlebar General Hospital where her injuries were treated.



Lifeboat operations manager Tom Honeyman said: “This had been a very busy but fulfilling year for the volunteer lifeboat crew with this, the 20th shout so far in 2013.

"It is also another good example of the different wings of the emergency services working in tandem to affect a successful outcome.”

#rnli – A new Atlantic 85 lifeboat for Skerries RNLI is to be officially named Louis Simson during a ceremony at the lifeboat station in the north county Dublin coastal town at 2pm on Saturday 7 September. The lifeboat which went on service in February was funded by a 75-year-old legacy from the late Charlotte Jordan Simson in memory of her husband Louis.

Charlotte who hailed from Salem, India, married Louis Simson, a native of London, in 1882. The couple relocated to Tasmania where Louis was a mining agent and stockbroker. Following his death in 1922, Mrs Simson returned to the UK where she lived in Paddington London until her death in September 1938. Mrs Simson made provision in her will for a trust fund that would provide various relatives with a modest income for life. She arranged that, once the trust fund had come to an end, the remaining money should fund an RNLI lifeboat to be named in memory of her beloved husband.

Now, three quarters of a century on, Mrs Simson's wish will be granted when Leo Cody, a former Deputy Launching Authority and one of the founding members of Skerries RNLI station, will officially name the lifeboat.

Niall McGrotty, Skerries RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: 'This is a very special occasion for our lifeboat station and we are most grateful to the late Charlotte Simson for her generous legacy which has funded our lifeboat, Louis Simson. Since the lifeboat went on service earlier this year, there have been 21 call outs and 45 people have been brought to safety. We will be proud custodians of this lifeboat, which will go on to rescue and save many more lives in the years ahead'.

The RNLI established a lifeboat station in Skerries in 1854 and a boathouse was built. The station closed in 1930 when a motor lifeboat was placed on service at Howth. The station was re-established as an inshore lifeboat station with a D class lifeboat in 1981. The lifeboat was kept in a stone-built house on the sea front.

In 1997, a B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat was placed at the station for evaluation and a new boathouse was completed in August that year for the Atlantic lifeboat and launching tractor.

The Atlantic 75, B-747 Rockabill, named after a lighthouse off Skerries, was place on service in June 1998.

In 2005, the station was awarded a Centenary Vellum to commemorate an aggregate of 100 years service as a lifeboat station.

Fast, manoeuvrable and reliable, the B class operates in rough weather conditions, capable in daylight up to force seven and at night, to force six winds.

The new lifeboat, an Atlantic 85 is the latest version of the B class, introduced into the fleet in 2005. She is powered by two 115horsepower engines and has a stronger hull and greater top speed than her predecessor. The added radar allows the crew to operate more effectively in poor visibility and she also has VHF direction-finding equipment.

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.

#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI responded to a mayday call about a converted fishing trawler at Ringhaddy Sound in Strangford Lough on Saturday night (24 August).

The alarm was raised by the crew of a nearby yacht who reported two men and two women on board an 80ft converted trawler, which had lost all power and was taking on water.

The Portaferry lifeboat crew launched before 8pm and were on the scene within 15 minutes. The sea at the time was calm with no wind and good visibility.



When the lifeboat arrived, one man and one woman had already transferred to the neighbouring yacht. The lifeboat crew then requested a salvage pump to help pump the water from the stricken boat.



A local vessel from Portaferry lent assistance by taking a pump to the lifeboat crew, and they met halfway between Portaferry and Ringhaddy.



With the assistance of the crew of the yacht who had called in the alert, the lifeboat manoeuvred the converted trawler onto the pontoons at Ringhaddy, and remained while the last of the water was pumped out and all four of its compliment were safely ashore.


Portaferry RNLI volunteer lifeboat operations manager Brian Bailie said: "We would like to pass on our thanks to everyone who helped bring this mayday call to a safe conclusion.


"The prompt actions of everyone involved resulted in a positive outcome and the volunteer RNLI crew for the second time in as many days helped to avert a potentially very serious situation."

Meanwhile, Donaghadee RNLI also launched on Saturday to go to the aid of a 17ft powerboat with four men on board that had run out of fuel off the Copeland Islands.

Belfast Coastguard received a call from the men shortly after 5pm and requested the lifeboat to launch.

The all-weather lifeboat crew, under second coxswain John Ashwood, located the vessel quickly and the decision was made to tow the casualty back to Donaghadee harbour. All returned safely shortly after 5.45pm.

#RNLI - Wexford RNLI rescued two people late on Monday night (26 August) after their yacht went aground on a sandbank on the way into Wexford Harbour.

The volunteer lifeboat crew responded to the report of the yacht which had grounded near Ravens Point around midnight on Monday.
 
Weather conditions at the time were good with a calm sea state and a north westerly force three wind.

But a fast-flowing tide of four knots meant that the inshore lifeboat and crew of the yacht had to work hard to refloat that boat.

Wexford RNLI lifeboat helm Peter Scallan commended the action of the yacht's crew, who he said were experienced sailors.

"The yacht's crew had taken all the correct precautions with the appropriate equipment on board to ensure their safety. They co-operated greatly with the lifeboat crew and as a result both they and their yacht were rescued." 
 


Lifeboat crew member Alan Keville went onboard the vessel to assist in the manoeuvre to get the yacht off the sandbank, which involved using the mast to get the vessel on its side as the keel was stuck hard in the sandbank. The yacht was under tow at 1.14am and back in Wexford at 2.30am.


Elsewhere, the Courtown lifeboat launched on Sunday afternoon (25 August) to a report of a swimmer missing off Ardamine beach.

The lifeboat crew, who were in the harbour at the time, launched within minutes and commenced a search of the area. Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 was also tasked to the scene, along with the Courtown coastguard unit.

After a thorough search of the area between Glasscarrig and Courtown pier, all rescue services were stood down as nothing was found. Courtown RNLI thanked all the members of public who helped and provided information during the call out.

The day before, the Wicklow RNLI inshore and all-weather lifeboats were launched after a member of the public reported seeing a small craft with two people drifting off Brittas Bay beach.

While the lifeboats were on route to Brittas Bay, they were requested to stand down and return to station by the coastguard as the boaters managed to make their own way ashore.

Speaking after the call-out, Wicklow RNLI lifeboat operations manager Des Davitt said: "While this turned out to be a false alarm with good intent, we are delighted that the public are being vigilant and contact the coastguard immediately when they suspect someone is in trouble on the water."

#WaterSafety - The RNLI has posted the above video outlining what kayakers can do to call for help if they get into difficulty on the water.

Taking a whistle along for the trip is one sensible idea, as is ensuring a means of longer-range communication such as a VHF radio or a mobile phone in a dry case.

Carrying a flare may also prove handy, and there's always that old standby if other water users are within earshot - shouting as loud as you can to attract attention.

#rnli – A teenager became very unwell this evening whilst on an angling trip to the Ling Rocks on the south coast.

The skipper of the angling boat became concerned as her condition deteriorated and asked Valentia Coast Guard for assistance.

The volunteers of Crosshaven lifeboat were paged at 5.33 pm and were underway at 5.40pm. The crew of Vincent Fleming with Ian O'Keefe and Warren Forbes were on scene 20 minutes later and assesed the casualty whilst in communication with the lifeboat Doctor, Dr john Murphy.

It was decided to get the casualty ashore as quickly as possible and the lifeboat headed to Roberts Cove and was met by the lifeboat Doctor and the ambulance service.

After assesment the casualty was transferred to Hospital.

#helicrash – The RNLI has released video footage (above) and photographs of the Aith Lifeboat crew at the scene of Friday's helicopter wreckage off the West Coast of Shetland as Afloat.ie reported earlier

The lifeboat footage taken from onboard cameras shows the crew surveying the scene of the incident on Friday evening with lighting rigs erected on the mainland to assist rescuers.

A yellow flotation device can be seen in the images and this is part of the helicopter's safety equipment.

Four people were killed when the Super Puma helicopter came down south of Garths Ness.

#RNLI - Galway Bay FM reports that the Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat was tasked to assist a yacht that ran aground off Inis Mór in the Galway Bay island chain yesterday afternoon (23 August).

The yacht apparently got into difficulty in Killeany Bay while approaching Kilronan harbour, but the lifeboat crew soon helped it get on its way again, and all four people on board were safe and well.

Elsewhere, Portaferry RNLI was called out in the early hours of Thursday morning (22 August) to rescue two people stranded on an island at the north end of Strangford Lough.

The two adults, a man and a woman, had become stranded on Island Hill, a small island which lies just offshore in Strangford Lough between Newtownards and Comber in Co Down.



The island is accessible on foot at low tide via a concrete causeway connecting the mainland to the small island, but the couple had been cut off when the causeway became submerged due to the incoming tide.



Both were taken on board the lifeboat and taken to a nearby car park where they were they were passed into the care of the local coastguard.

#RNLI - Three bodies have been recovered from the water after a helicopter with 18 people on board crashed in the North Sea last night (Friday 23 August).

RNLI lifeboats from Aith and Lerwick in the Shetland Isles have spent the night involved in a multi-agency rescue operation, following reports that a helicopter had ditched into the sea west of Sumburgh airport.

It's believed the helicopter, a Super Puma L2, was carrying 16 passengers and two crew from the Borgsten Dolphin oil platform in the North Sea.

Both volunteer lifeboat crews made their way to the scene throughout the evening and assisted in the search for passengers with other agencies, including two coastguard rescue helicopters, a passenger ferry and a cargo vessel.

Fourteen people were rescued while the lifeboats were still making their way to the scene.

But early this morning Police Scotland conformed that three bodies had been recovered, two of which were recovered by Lerwick RNLI lifeboat and taken to a nearby pier. Work is now underway to recover the fourth individual.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: "Sadly the bodies of three people have been recovered in the aftermath of yesterday’s crash, and we know that agencies are working to recover the body of the fourth person.

"We can confirm that the RNLI lifeboat crew from Lerwick lifeboat station recovered two of those people. The lifeboat crew transported them to Sumburgh and we are liaising with other authorities as things develop.

"Obviously this is the news that everyone, included our lifeboat volunteers, dreaded – our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those four people. We can also confirm that one of our lifeboats has also been involved in reclaiming wreckage from the scene as part of the operation."

The wreckage of the helicopter is in a fairly inaccessible position near cliffs, and weather conditions at the time were described as not particularly good.

Lerwick RNLI lifeboat managed to tow the wreckage off rocks and it was being held in the shelter of a bay until a recovery operation could commence.

#Greystonesharbour – Greystones Motor Yacht Club will have an RNLI Lifeboat presentation night next Thursday 29th August at 8pm.

The venue is upstairs at the nearby Beach House Pub, next door to Greystones Harbour, a location popular with visiting sailors, including the Squib class.

Joe Taylor from the RNLI hopes to have the lifeboat 'Annie Blaker' in attendance at the harbour.

GMYC We is also going to launch the new Greystones Harbour defibrillator scheme with an explanation of how it will operate.