#RNLI - Clifden RNLI‘s Atlantic 75 lifeboat launched on Thursday afternoon 6 June in response to a coastguard request to assist in the transfer of a casualty from Inishbofin Island in Co Galway to the mainland.

A 61-year-old man, who was visiting the island, had sustained significant facial injuries following a fall from a bicycle. Clifden RNLI lifeboat helm James Mullen, a full-time paramedic, was able to assess the casualty’s injuries on arrival.

Having checked him over, he and the other voluntary crew members transported the man quickly and safely to Cleggan pier and an awaiting ambulance, which then transferred him to University College Hospital Galway for further treatment.

Mullen said of the launch: “I was glad to be available to assist on this callout to Inishbofin today. Our swift launch and recovery time is vital regarding our local islands, and while the casualty’s injuries were not life threatening, they were certainly serious enough to warrant urgent medical attention.”

Inishbofin Island is located five miles off the Connemara coast and is a popular summer holiday destination.

The Clifden RNLI lifeboats have undertaken many launches to and exercises around the island, including with the island’s main ferry. And as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the station was recently chosen to trial the new Mersey class all-weather lifebo

#RNLI - Larne RNLI was called out for assistance on two separate occasions this past week.

On Thursday night 6 June, the volunteer lifeboat Dr John McSparran responded to a request by Belfast Coastguard to assist a lone yachtsman who had become disorientated in sea fog.

Weather conditions at the time were described as flat calm with no wind at all. However, a sea fog had come down in the evening, and the man on board - having left Girvan in Scotland en route to Glenarm Marina in an old gaffer to celebrate the Old Gaffers Association's Golden Jubilee - got into difficulty.

The casualty was located becalmed seven miles east of The Maidens Lighthouse. Lifeboat crew members Martin Agnew and Scott Leitch were put on board to assist after it was discovered that the casualty's outboard engine had failed and the gaffer was making no headway against the tide.

It was decided by Coxswain Frank Healy to tow the casualty to Glenarm, keeping the two crew members on board to assist. The vessels and crews arrived in Glenarm at 1.30am.

Two nights before, Larne RNLI assisted two men after their motor boat got into difficulty on Belfast Lough.

The volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat, the Hannahbella Ferguson, at 8.15pm following a request to assist the speed boat which had sustained engine failure off Muck Island.

Two men, both wearing lifejackets, were on board. Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a flat calm sea.

The casualty boat was subsequently towed safely to shore by the lifeboat to Portmuck Harbour.

Crew on this call out included helm Willie Evans, Martin Agnew and Jay Torbitt.

#rnli – Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat were tasked to the aid of two young swimmers believed to be in trouble at Main Beach, Bundoran.

The alarm was raised by one of the lifeboat crew who happened to be at the beach and called the Coast Guard at Malin Head who immediately tasked the lifeboat. 6 minutes later the lifeboat made it to the scene to find the 2 young girls from County Leitrim had made it safely to the shore. Members of the Bundoran RNLI shore crew then treated the 2 girls for some cuts received during the incident.

Helming the lifeboat for Bundoran RNLI was Daimon Fergus who said 'we were happy to be able to assist the two girls in this instance. With the good weather, a lot more people are venturing into the water which is understandable but we would always advise bathers to keep water safety foremost in their mind. Watch out for tides and currents, never swim alone, always swim parallel to the shore and don't swim out of your depth'.

#rnli – A motorsport team from Dungannon in County Tyrone has claimed the Bundoran Lifeboat Soapbox Race perpetual cup following an exciting end to the second annual fundraising event which saw a crowd of 2,500 spectators gather on Astoria Hill in Bundoran on Sunday (2nd June 2013). The winner of the ball race was also from Tyrone with the event itself being part of Discover Bundoran's "Big Weekend".

21 year old driver Stewart McClean representing McClean Motorsport got through his heats with ease beating off stiff competition from 25 other soapboxes who were battling it out for the cup, the medals, the bragging rights and with thanks to refreshment partners Mountain Dew Energy, 2 VIP tickets for Sea Sessions Surf Music Festival. The first race of the day was started by newly crowned 'Belle of Bundoran' Rio Carlin Rosanio. Soapbox cars arrived from all over the area and the country to take part in the event which was a fundraiser for the volunteer crew of the Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat with a crowd of almost 2500 people packing onto the Astoria Hill to watch the thrills, spills and crashes from some very creative soapbox cars. McClean Motorsport's entry narrowly beat rival local competitors Good Time Charlies to clinch the title, as the rain started to fall, around 3.45.

Event organiser Cormac McGurren said 'we were thrilled that there was such a large turnout again to support the soapbox race and glad that the light rain which fell didn't put people off staying until the very end. While we are sad to see the cup leaving Bundoran this year, we hope that it might encourage more entries from Northern Ireland next year while giving locals in Bundoran a hunger to win it back for the town'. He also paid tribute to the volunteer lifeboat crew who helped out on the day 'without the teamwork and continued commitment of our volunteer crew to help out with the very important job of fundraising, the whole day wouldn't have happened and on behalf of the organising committee I would like thank them all for their help'.

Amongst the other events on the day was the Huku Boards longboard skate competition, again in its second year. Skaters from all over the country took part and showed off some intricate moves as they took full advantage of the Astoria Road course. Special mention is given to the youngest competitor Aaron Drennan from Dunboyne in County Meath who at just 10 years old proved his worth against the older skaters and won an award for "Grom of the Year".

The much anticipated ball race happened directly after the soapbox race as 1100 balls were dropped out of a tip truck and rolled down the hill. The lucky number that went through the funnel at the end was 565 and belonged to Mary Collins from Castlederg who had just bought her ball that afternoon.

#rnli – Five people had a boat trip on Dublin Bay cut short this afternoon when their motorboat became entangled on a lobster pot off Sandycove, Co. Dublin and were brought to shore by the RNLI lifeboat at Dun Laoghaire.

One of the propellors on the 55-foot Sunseeker motorboat was caught up in the pot line and and was unable to free itself and the lifeboat launched shortly after 5pm this afternoon. A local fishing boat also gave assistance.

The boat was freed from the line and towed to Dun Laoghaire as a precaution in case of damage to the engine.

#RNLI - It was a busy June bank holiday weekend around the country for RNLI lifeboats in West Cork, Mayo and the Midlands.

On Sunday afternoon, Baltimore RNLI assisted four people after their yacht got into difficulty a mile south of Mizen Head.

The 32ft yacht with four people on board had been propped by a pot buoy immobilising her in the water. The alarm was raised at 10.41am and lifeboat the Alan Massey was launched minutes later.

A local RIB, which had commenced towing, passed the tow to the lifeboat and the yacht was then taken to the safety of Crookhaven Pier.

This was the second call out this week for Baltimore RNLI. On Thursday last three men were rescued when their punt overturned near Horse Island.

Later on Sunday, Achill Island RNLI in Co Mayo brought a distressed fishing vessel with seven people on board to safety.

The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch at 4.50pm to assist a small fishing vessel in the vicinity of Clew Bay and close to Clare Island. The vessel had encountered engine problems and was unable to return to port.

The boat and its crew of seven were subsequently towed safely to Curraun harbour by the Achill Island RNLI lifeboat.

Speaking after, Achill Island RNLI lifeboat operations manager Tom Honeyman said: "The presence of thick fog surrounding the vessel meant that great care was needed in the rescue and the fishing party of the vessel were delighted to return empty handed for a change."

Meanwhile in the Midlands, Lough Ree RNLI brought five people to safety in two call-outs over the weekend.

On Friday 31 May the volunteer crew was requested to launch around 5pm following a report that a cruiser had ran aground north of Quaker Island.

A local fisherman raised the alarm after spotting the cruiser on the rocks at the island located in the north end of Lough Ree raised the alarm.

The lifeboat crew managed to establish contact with the person on board the cruiser via mobile phone and he had confirmed that he had got lost and had ran aground. He reported that there was no water entering his boat. He was on his own but not injured.

The inshore lifeboat was launched and the crew was on scene at 5.30pm. It took the lifeboat 10 minutes to safely navigate its way through the rocky area to reach the casualty. The person on board the cruiser was taken to shore and arrangements were made for a specialist company to attend the scene to recover the cruiser.

Lough Ree RNLI was then launched on Sunday evening to assist a 26ft cruiser which had ran aground east of Green Island after sustaining engine failure.

The small cruiser with a family of four on board had lost engine power and had ran aground on the south east side of Lough Ree.

A crew launched the lifeboat at 8.40pm and arrived on scene 10 minutes later. After one of the lifeboat crew had carried out an assessment of the causality vessel, the decision was made to make an attempt to pull the vessel from the rocks, which the lifeboat was successfully able to complete.

Once the lifeboat had the vessel in deep water, a tow was set up and the casualty vessel was taken to Quigleys Marina in Athlone.

It marked the continuation of a dramatic week for the Lough Ree crew, after six were rescued from a sinking cruiser on the lough last Tuesday 28 May.

#RNLI - Kilrush RNLI in Co Clare was diverted from exercise training on Tuesday 28 May when the lifeboat came to the assistance of a 10ft boat.

The volunteer lifeboat crew at Kilrush were returning from their weekly training exercise at 8.45pm when they were requested to go in search of a vessel that had lost its moorings at Tarbert pier.

After relaying the situation to the Coast Guard at Valentia and getting permission to launch, the inshore lifeboat Edith Louise Eastwick set off to the Tarbert area and carried out an extensive search. Weather conditions at the time were blowing force three to four northerly winds.

The crew continued eastwards and crossed over to the Labasheeda region where they located the 10ft punt off Kilkerrin Point.

After securing the vessel to the lifeboat, the crew brought it back to Tarbert pier where the owners were waiting. The vessel was handed over and a request that a new mooring line be put in place was made.

The call out was crew member Charlie Glynn’s first as helm, having secured the position a month ago.

Earlier that day, Enniskillen RNLI was launched to reports of a cruiser which had run aground on Lower Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh.

The volunteer crew on their inshore lifeboat Joseph and Mary Hiley and the Rescue Water Craft (RWC) proceeded to Inish Davar, two miles from the station. Weather at the time was clear with calm waters.

The crew arrived at the location to find the owner of the vessel on another boat and assisting the casualty boat and the two men and two women who were on board and safe and well. The lifeboat crew stood off and observed from a distance.

The  lifeboat crew with Lough Ree RNLI launched today (Tuesday 28 May) at 12.08pm to a sinking cruiser south of Athlone, with six men onboard.

The vessel was reported to have struck an object under the water and was holed and taking in water.  When the lifeboat arrived on scene they moved quickly to take the six men, believed to be in their twenties, off the sinking cruiser.

The lifeboat crew took the first three men off the vessel and brought them the short distance to Athlone before returning to take the remaining three off the vessel.  With all six men safely ashore the lifeboat crew returned to the scene and observed that the vessel was submerged with only the bow visible out of the water.

They alerted the Coast Guard and Waterways Ireland to issue a warning to other marine traffic in the area before returning to the lifeboat station.

Commenting on the callout Lough Ree RNLI Operations Manager Damien Delaney said, "I am relieved that all six people onboard the cruiser were recovered safely as the water was coming in quickly. All the men remained calm and listened to the instruction of the lifeboat crews, which resulted in a safe and speedy evacuation with nobody injured.

#RNLI - Enniskillen RNLI is to get a new lifeboat station at its Carrybridge base on Upper Lough Erne, it has emerged.

Planning permission for the new build has been passed by Fermanagh District Council and the RNLI’s tendering process is now underway, with a view for building work to commence in late summer.

Once complete, the modern station - much like the new facility for Castletownbere RNLI that opened recently - will replace the existing temporary accommodation which has housed the charity’s volunteer lifeboat crew for the past 11 years.

In order to facilitate the project, the local community is being asked to help the RNLI raise £60,000 (€70,000) towards the cost, which will help Enniskillen RNLI continue to save lives on Lough Erne.

In 2001, Enniskillen became home to the RNLI’s first inland lifeboat station based on Lower Lough Erne.

Due to the overall size and complexity of the lough and its high leisure usage, the decision was taken by the RNLI in 2002 to base a second lifeboat on the upper lough that would work in conjunction with the original lifeboat station on the lower lough.

With two bases, two inshore lifeboats and two rescue water craft, the station has since proved to be one of the busiest in Ireland.

Last year alone, Enniskillen RNLI launched 46 times bringing 50 people to safety. Some 20 of those services were carried out in the dark while the crew spent 169 service hours on the water.

RNLI divisional operations manager Gareth Morrison said he was delighted that planning had now been approved making way for what will be a purpose-built station in a location close to the lough allowing for an efficient launch.

"In an area that receives over 100 days of heavy rainfall a year, it is hard to believe the volunteer crew based at the upper lough operate from just a temporary facility, partly exposed to the elements," said Morrison.

"The crew has to change in a small, damp, metal container and only has a portaloo and wash basin for their comfort. There is nowhere for the crew to shower or dry after a challenging rescue and nowhere for them to gather and train together during the week.

"We want to build a modern station with full crew facilities with areas for the crew to change and train and space to keep their lifeboat and rescue water craft and lifesaving kit safe."

Enniskillen RNLI lifeboat operations manager Davey Robinson said a new station was what the crew deserved.

"At the moment we are operating out of a temporary facility. It is cramped and there are no showers so the crew cannot warm up after a cold, wet and tiring rescue. A new station will be great for the crew. We are a busy station so it is what they deserve."

He added: "It is always reassuring for locals and visitors alike that the RNLI is here to assist them or help their loved ones when they get into difficulty. We try to act as a safety net on Lough Erne and are here 24 hours a day. But we need the right facilities to do that and this new station will help."

Donations and other assistance with fundraising are welcome. For details contact Tony Hiney, RNLI community fundraising manager, at 087 219 8917 or email [email protected].

#rnli – The Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat was tasked to Mullaghmore, County Sligo yesterday to assist in the search for two divers feared to have gone missing from a dive.

Launching within 4 minutes of being tasked by Malin Head Coast Guard, the volunteer crew of the Bundoran RNLI lifeboat made their way to Mullaghmore to assist the Rescue 118 helicopter and the dive boat which had been unable to make contact with the two divers.

An initial call had been made to the Coast Guard by passers-by who had seen the two divers in trouble.

As the lifeboat approached the scene they were stood down as the divers had been located by their dive boat, outside of the initial dive area, due to severe currents in the area.

Head Helm for Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Brian Gillespie said 'we are happy that this was a positive outcome – had it not been for the quick thinking of the member of the public who called the Coast Guard, it may have been a different story. We would always advise anyone who thinks they see someone in trouble on the coast, even if they are unsure, to call 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. We would much rather be called out to make sure everything is ok than have a possible incident go unreported'.