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Displaying items by tag: Tall Ships Festival

#Jailed - A Dublin man has been sentenced to three years in prison following his conviction for assault on a tourist during the Tall Ships Festival in August 2012.

As Newstalk reports, Thomas Reilly of Dublin's North Strand was convicted by a jury in January after the court heard he had lured British visitor Colin Ryder to the water's edge at Howth's West Pier before pushing him into the water.

Ryder sank under a boat moored at the pier-side but was rescued after nearby youths threw him a rope to drag him to safety.

The sentencing comes in what was a second trial over the incident for Reilly, who has 68 previous convictions, after a jury failed to agree a verdict in May last year.

Newstalk has much more on the story HERE.

Published in News Update

#TallShips – A flotilla of Tallships are to descend along Dublin's North Wall Quay as part of the first ever Dublin Port River Festival, writes Jehan Ashmore.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the capitals newest premier 'riverfest' was officially launched today to mark the three-day festival this June Bank Holiday Weekend (Saturday 1 June to Monday 3 June).

Sail Training Ireland and the Dublin Port Compnay has promoted sailing for all ages to those on board the flotilla which is a combination of A & B class traditional tallships.

The Dublin bound flotilla departed Belfast this week, having attended the Titanic Maritime Festival and they are due to arrive this Friday 31 May (in advance) of the long-weekend riverfest. The hope is to make this initiative an annual sail-training programme to Dublin Port.

According to the festival website, the tallships will be open to the public are Soteria, Gulden Leeuw, Pelican of London, Johanna Lucretia and Irene. The latter pair recently took part in the 'Sail Home to Your Roots' project which culminated with an arrival at the Poolbeg YBC & Marina.

Joining in the festival fun are the Howth 17's which will race 'Between the Bridges' on the Liffey. Also not to be missed is the 'Parade of Sail' again on the river, where up to 60 traditional Old Gaffers sailing craft which will be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Old Gaffers Association.

The festival is not exclusively all matters maritime but also jammed packed for family entertainment with shore-side stalls, events and activities. For full details of the festival programme visit: www.dublinriverfest.com

Published in Tall Ships
In glorious sunshine an estimated 200,000 visitors flocked to see the Tall Ships in Waterford on the final day of the festival before tomorrow's departing 'Parade of Sail' spectacle writes Jehan Ashmore.

Scenes of the tallships moored alongside the north and south quays and the surrounding festivities are captured by Gary O'Mahony. SCROLL DOWN FOR PICS.

Tall_Shipsjehan

The Columbian Navy's Sailing Training Ship ARC Gloria. Photo: Jehan Ashmore

This is the second year in which the city has been the host port of the Tall Ships Race and the prestigious event is to return for a third time. The next occasion has not been confirmed but it would be several years away according to Sail Training International, the organisers of the famous race.

View Waterford's Parade of Sail Photo Gallery Here

Published in Tall Ships

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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