Carrybridge Lifeboat Station in Northern Ireland is celebrating the success of two of its volunteer crew members, Ronnie Heslop and Eamonn McManus, on their recent navigator pass-outs.
These were conducted by coastal lifeboat trainer Sean Ginnelly, who had travelled up from Achill Island to conduct the assessments on behalf of the RNLI.
The pass-outs were conducted on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 July, both ashore at the lifeboat station and afloat on Upper Lough Erne. In total they lasted five hours and rigorously tested the volunteers’ skills.
The role of ILB navigator was introduced at the beginning of 2024, part of the RNLI's new Operational Competency Framework that went live at the same time. Ronnie and Eamonn demonstrated high standards of skill using charts, radar, AIS, GPS, buoyage, passage planning, search patterns and knowledge of local waters.
This represents the culmination of many years of intensive training for these crew members, having logged hundreds of hours in afloat exercises, hands-on sessions and active service calls in all conditions.
Carrybridge RNLI continues to train volunteers in various roles, both afloat and ashore, to the highest standards as part of its mission to save lives on Lough Erne.
Chris Cathcart, volunteer lifeboat training coordinator said: “I would like to congratulate both Ronnie and Eamonn on obtaining their navigator roles which were completed to a very high standard.
“Ronnie and Eamonn both spent a lot of time and effort over the past months preparing for the assessments yesterday and today and both are a great asset to our station.”
Stephen Scott, lifeboat operations manager at the station added: “We are fortunate to have a really committed volunteer crew at our station in Carrybridge and I’m delighted that today we celebrate their success.
“It requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice to become a navigator, and having Ronnie and Eamonn achieve these milestones in their careers sets our station up with leaders for the future.”
