The volunteer crew of Howth RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat late on Saturday night (12 October) following a call from the crew of a fishing trawler which observed a flashing beacon floating in the water three miles east of Howth Head.
The trawler made contact with Dublin Coast Guard to report the flashing beacon. The coastguard requested Howth RNLI to launch the lifeboat at 11.43pm to investigate and recover the beacon.
The lifeboat launched shortly before midnight with seven crew onboard and proceeded to make its way to the trawler's position. Sea conditions were good with moderate westerly winds.
Once on scene, coxswain Ian Sheridan manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside the trawler and the beacon was passed across.
The crew assessed the beacon, and determined it was a lifebuoy light which is usually attached to a lifebuoy and is activated when immersed in water.
The crew relayed the serial number to the Irish Coast Guard and were requested to commence a search pattern from the position where the trawler had first observed the light. With nothing found, the lifeboat was then stood down by the coastguard.
Speaking following the incident, Howth RNLI’s second coxswain Ian Sheridan, who was in command of the lifeboat, said: “The skipper of the fishing trawler did the right thing in contacting the coastguard straight away when they noticed the light floating in the water.
“Having a record of the exact position the light was first seen allowed us to commence an effective search pattern. We would always much rather launch and be updated that all is well rather than not launch at all when there is a concern.
“In this case, the coastguard stood the lifeboat down after completing our search, and we returned to Howth. If you notice something unusual floating in the water, you should contact the coastguard on 999 or 112 and pass on the information.”
Elsewhere, Enniskillen RNLI’s inshore lifeboat John and Jean Lewis was launched at 11.20pm last Thursday (10 October) at the request of Belfast Coastguard in Northern Ireland following reports that a boat with one person onboard was missing.
Weather conditions at the time were cloudy with winds blowing a north-westerly Force 2 wind.
The volunteer crew searched the area around Devenish Island before being updated by the coastguard that the casualty vessel had been located by shore crew and the person thought to be missing, was safe on land.
The lifeboat crew spoke with the Lough Erne Coastguard team at Trory jetty, and it was established that no further assistance was required and they stood down.
Speaking following the call-out, Enniskillen RNLI helm Kane Howe said: “We would always much rather launch and be updated that all is well rather than not launch at all when there is a concern. If you think someone may be in difficulty on the water, it is always right to raise the alarm.”
