Sean Walsh, a volunteer crew member at Union Hall RNLI in West Cork, has this week passed out as a helm for the station.
The helm is responsible for the Union Hall inshore lifeboat during launching, at sea and through recovery, as well as the safety of the crew onboard.
As part of this, Walsh has undertaken intensive training and assessments both at the lifeboat station and at the RNLI's lifeboat college in Poole, Dorset.
Following the success of his final assessment, Walsh can now be responsible for taking command of the lifeboat and ensuring volunteers remain safe while afloat.
“I really enjoyed the training, it was a really beneficial experience and it gave me new found confidence in my role as a volunteer crew member and now as helm,” he says.
During his training and assessment, Walsh was supported by the rest of the volunteer crew and now fellow helms based in Union Hall.
John Kelleher, lifeboat operations manager at Union Hall RNLI says: “All of us at Union Hall RNLI are delighted that Sean’s hard work and commitment to his training and the RNLI has paid off and he has achieved the status of RNLI helm. Welcome aboard Sean Walsh as helm at Union Hall.”