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Displaying items by tag: Caleb Clarke

#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI in Tipperary had a celebration for Nick Theato earlier this month as he handed over the role of treasurer to Caleb Clarke.

On Thursday 14 April, Theato brought his wife Mary and three of his five children - Barry (home from Australia), Anne and Paul (home from the UK) - down to the station to meet crew and members of the operations and fundraising committees.

Nick Theato, who has served as honorary treasurer for the Nenagh RNLI Fundraising Branch for the past 15 years and for the Lough Derg RNLI since it came on service 10 years ago, is handing over treasurer duties to the capable care of Caleb Clarke, but is remaining on the fundraising committee.

Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat operations manager Pat Garland introduced everyone and Niamh McCutcheon, chair of the Nenagh RNLI Fundraising Branch, presented Theato with a certificate of thanks on behalf of the RNLI. Previously in 2010 he received a silver medal for voluntary service to the RNLI.

Theato’s good friend Pat Kelly - fellow sailor, lifeboat administrative officer for Lough Derg RNLI and secretary to the Nenagh Fundraising Committee - said that "after Mary and his children, Nick’s great love is his boat Bo-Bo".

On behalf of Lough Derg RNLI, Kelly presented Theato with a picture of Bo-Bo by artist Clare Hartigan. Nick Theato served in the Royal Navy for many years, and following his retirement back to Ireland, sailed on Lough Derg for many more.

He shared a story of his early years in the navy and of an incident at the outset of his career, which secured his respect for the water ever since. He spoke of his love of Lough Derg and its beauty, but added that he was "well aware of its dangers, even for a lifeboat".

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

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