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Displaying items by tag: Quest Lough Derg

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that the Quest Lough Derg event takes place around Killaloe, Co Clare and Ballina, Co Tipperary on Saturday 9 September.

To accommodate the event, the Shannon Navigation will be closed from noon on Friday 8 to Saturday 9 September at 7pm.

A floating pontoon will be placed across the Shannon Navigation some 100 metres upstream of Killaloe bridge. The pontoon will be lit during the hours of darkness and safety boats will be in the area while the pontoon is in place. No vessel or craft should come within 50 metres of the pontoon while it is in position.

The slipway at Ballina will be closed while the pontoon is being constructed. Construction will take place from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 September and the pontoon will be dismantled on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September.

There will be restricted access to the Waterways Ireland jetties and pump-out facility in Killaloe from 3pm on Friday 8 to 7pm on Saturday 9 September. Mooring space will be available upstream of the pump-out facility.

The flow gates on the Killaloe Canal will be manned from 6am to 7.45am on Saturday 9 September to facilitate anglers and smaller vessels that wish to proceed upstream or downstream on Saturday morning while the pontoon is in place.

Some 1,500 athletes will move along the Waterways Ireland jetties and cross the flow-gate walkway in the morning and will return by the same route in the afternoon of Saturday 9 September 2023. Care should be taken when using the jetties and flow-gate walkway as there will be significant pedestrian traffic in these areas.

The kayaking element of Quest Lough Derg will take place at Twomilegate, Co Clare. Masters are requested to take heed of advice and directions from safety craft monitoring the event and to proceed at slow speed and with minimum wash in the vicinity of Twomilegate and Killaloe during the event.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways says it thanks its customers for their cooperation.

Published in Inland Waterways

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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