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Displaying items by tag: Shenick Island

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI in North Co Dublin were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard on Monday evening (24 June) following a call from a concerned member of the public regarding a group of people walking back to shore from Shenick Island.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their inshore lifeboat Louis Simson shortly before 9pm and proceeded directly to scene.

The caller had reported that the group were attempting to walk ashore from the island and were already in water up to their waists. However, shortly after arriving on scene, communication was received from Skerries Coastguard that the people in question had made it safely to shore.



Before returning to base, Skerries also requested the lifeboat to check on another group of people who were on the shoreline of Colt Island. This turned out to be a group of kayakers who were simply having a rest so the lifeboat was stood down and returned to station.


Speaking afterwards, Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "It’s not unusual for people to get caught out by the quickly rising tide. We would encourage people to check the tide tables and always allow plenty of time to get to where you are going safely."

In related news, an updated and interactive edition of the RNLI’s safety handbook Sea Safety: The Complete Guide is now available free online.

The Complete Guide is the RNLI’s handbook of essential information for all those who go to sea. Its new interactive format – including videos, quizzes and challenges - means that sea safety is available on mobiles, tablets and laptops and at the tip of boaters’ fingertips.



RNLI coastal safety manager Tony Wafer said: "The Complete Guide gives more in-depth advice on how to follow these principles and stay safe on the water. It’ll cover everything from how to plan your time on the water, what safety equipment to take and how to use it, and what to do in an emergency."

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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