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Displaying items by tag: Kitesurfing

Two new videos demonstrate the different sides of kitesurfing in Ireland.
The first shows Irish kiteboarder Ryan Coote taking on the intense big surf charged by the winds of Hurricane Katia on the west coast recently.
Meanwhile the second is a more reflective illustration of the kitesurfing scene in Northern Ireland this year.
Both show that Ireland can compete with the best in the world when it comes to quality waves.
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Two new videos demonstrate the different sides of kitesurfing in Ireland.

The latter below shows Irish kiteboarder Ryan Coote taking on the intense big surf charged by the winds of Hurricane Katia on the west coast recently.

Meanwhile the former is a more reflective illustration of the kitesurfing scene in Northern Ireland this year.

Both show that Ireland can compete with the best in the world when it comes to quality waves.

Published in Kitesurfing
The Irish National Kite Surfing Festival will be part of the action at the Wexford Kite Surfing Festvial in Duncannon next weekend.
Kitesurfers from all over Ireland will compete in course racing and a freestyle competition in their bid to claim the national championship.
But the two day event also offers entertainment for all the family - from archery and bungee trampolines for the more adventurous, to face painting, hula hoops and bouncy castles for the young (and young at heart).

The Irish National Kite Surfing Festival will be part of the action at the Wexford Kite Surfing Festvial in Duncannon next weekend.

Kitesurfers from all over Ireland will compete in course racing and a freestyle competition in their bid to claim the national championship.

But the two day event also offers entertainment for all the family, from archery and bungee trampolines for the more adventurous to face painting, hula hoops and bouncy castles for the young - and young at heart.

Published in Kitesurfing
A man was hospitalised with serious head injuries after a kitesurfing accident in west Cork on Saturday.
The Irish Times reports that the man got into difficulty in high wins while kitesurfing in Courtmacsherry Bay.
He was taken by Irish Coast Guard helicopter to Cork University Hospital, where he is reportedly in a stable condition.
Two kayakers and two windsurfers were also rescued in the Kinsale area on the same day in treacherous windy conditions.
A man was hospitalised with serious head injuries after a kitesurfing accident in west Cork on Saturday.

The Irish Times reports that the man got into difficulty in high wins while kitesurfing in Courtmacsherry Bay. 

He was taken by Irish Coast Guard helicopter to Cork University Hospital, where he is reportedly in a stable condition.

Two kayakers and two windsurfers were also rescued in the Kinsale area on the same day in treacherous windy conditions.
Published in Kitesurfing

A team of six kitesurfers are planning to cross the Irish Sea, from Cloghy in Northern Ireland to Silloth in West Cumbria.

Whilst not a record it will be the first time anyone has kited from Ireland to England.  Kirsty Jones was the first to kite from Ireland to Wales and Andreya Wharry almost kited from Cornwall to Ireland (130 miles), however she launched 15 miles off the coast and did not make landfall.  Some members of the team complete a crossing from the Isle of Man to England in 2008.

The current record stands at 140 miles. Kirsty Jones holds this from when she kited non-stop from Africa to Lanzarote.  

The team, Andrew Smith, Fraser Dooley, John Flinn, Martin Sandwith, Nick Elliott, Stuart Wood, are all experienced kitesurfers and are hoping to raise money for the RNLI and the NSPCC by doing the stunt.

Their site is kitesurfirishsea.co.uk and their promo video is visible below this post.

 

Published in Kitesurfing
Page 6 of 6

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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