Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney TD will officiate at the opening of a new Coast Guard building tomorrow afternoon in Crosshaven.

The purpose built facility will serve as a Base for Crosshaven Volunteer Coast Guard Unit, as well as a Coast Guard Regional HQ and Training centre. The building can also serve as an emergency management co-ordination centre for use by other statutory services.

Minister Coveney will also present long service medals to Coast Guard volunteers drawn from local Coast Guard Units.

After the ceremony a Coast Guard helicopter will land in the vicinity of the station affording members of the public an opportunity to view the helicopter and meet the crew.

#RNLI - The Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat was tasked yesterday (7 April) to assist two windsurfers in difficulty near Duncannon in Waterford Harbour.

In rough conditions yesterday afternoon, with south-east winds force 6/7 blowing, coxswain Pauly Daniels reached the casualties' position within 30 minutes. 

By this stage one of the surfers had made it ashore safely at Duncannon. The Dunmore East lifeboat quickly located the other windsurfer a quarter of a mile north of Duncannon. The casualty was safely recovered from the water and landed ashore nearby.

Neither casualty was injured and did not need medical attention.

Nearby in Wexford, five teenagers were rescued from a small speedboat after it suffered engine failure and ran aground on the River Slaney around 1.20pm yesterday.

According to Lorraine Galvin, volunteer press officer at Wexford RNLI, the teens' "fast call for help to the coastguard greatly helped in ensuring their speedy rescue in cold, rough weather conditions".

At the time of the rescue there were wind speeds of force 5 south-easterly and a rough sea state. All of the passengers were starting to suffer from the cold and were treated for mild hypothermia.

Meanwhile, on Upper Lough Erne last Friday the volunteer lifeboat at Enniskillen RNLI (Carrybridge) launched to reports of a vessel that had run aground.

The RNLI lifeboat and rescue water craft were both launched and proceeded to the casualty's last known location 2.5 miles upstream from Carrybridge at Innishmore viaduct.

On route to the scene at the Innishmore viaduct, the volunteer crew got further information that the vessel had managed to refloat and was currently at Killygowan Island.

A full inspection was carried out and none of the crew on the casualty vessel were found to be in need of medical attention.

It was decided with the owner's permission that the volunteer crew would escort their vessel back to Carrybridge with the lifeboat leading and rescue water craft following as the navigation lights were not working.

#MissingSwimmer - RTÉ News is reporting that a swimmer taken from the water after going missing off Dalkey Island in Dublin Bay this morning (Sunday 7 April) has died.

Earlier this evening The Irish Times reported that the 35-year-old man was in a critical condition in Tallaght Hospital after being recovered from the water off Sorrento Terrace.

Lifeboat volunteers with Dun Laoghaire RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard's Dublin-based helicopter Rescue 116 were involved in the search which began around 11am today after the swimmer failed to return to shore.

#coastguard – A man has been taken to hospital after falling into the water near Portstewart Harbour in Northern Ireland.
Belfast Coastguard was contacted by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service just before 5pm this afternoon, telling them a person had fallen into the sea by Victoria Terrace. The Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team, the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat from Portrush, Portstewart RNLI Beach Lifeguards and the Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter from Sligo were sent to the scene.
The man was recovered from the water by the Portrush Inshore Lifeboat and taken to Portstewart Harbour where an ambulance was waiting to take him to hospital.
Gary Young, Watch Manager at Belfast Coastguard, said:
"It appears that this man had been fishing from the rocks near Portstewart. Rocks can be dangerous and slippery so consider whether there is anywhere safer to fish. As there is little to hold onto even a small wave can wash you off.
"We also recommend that you wear a lifejacket and check weather and tidal conditions before setting off. Tell a shore contact where you are going and when you intend to be back. Tell them to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard if you don't return on time.
"It is also advisable to wear suitable footwear such as stout walking boots and take a torch and a mobile phone with you."

#kayakrescue – Two kayakers, one of whom was rescued from the sea off Rhoscolyn on the Irish Sea yesterday afternoon, have been praised for being well equipped and prepared for emergency situations.

Holyhead Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public at 12.20 today reporting that a kayaker was in difficulty in the water, off Rhoscolyn. Shortly afterwards, the Coastguard received a mayday broadcast from the kayaker, requesting assistance.

The Trearddur Bay RNLI Lifeboat was launched, the rescue helicopter from RAF Valley was scrambled and the Holyhead Coastguard Rescue Team was sent to the scene. Once the lifeboat arrived on scene, it quickly located one kayaker and rescued him from the water. He was then airlifted to hospital, suffering with the effects of hypothermia. The other kayaker was found shortly afterwards. He had managed to swim to shore and was safe and well.

Mark Craddock, Holyhead Coastguard Watch Manager says:

"The kayakers were very well prepared and followed all of the correct procedures to ensure that rescuers would be able to locate them quickly should they run into difficulties. Earlier this morning, before the incident, they had been in contact with us and had given us a traffic report so that we knew how many kayakers were out on the water and where they intended going. They were equipped with a hand held VHF radio which meant that they were able to make a mayday broadcast from the water and to alert the Coastguard about their rapidly deteriorating situation. Time was of the essence particularly as the water is probably only about eight or nine degrees at this time of the year."

#Coastguard - A Limavady councillor says two men rescued yesterday from the snow-covered Benevenagh Mountain should be billed for the cost of their "completely idiotic" escapade.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that the Irish Coast Guard's Sligo-based Rescue 118 helicopter was involved in the major operation to retrieve the two men who became stuck while climbing a snow gully.

It also emerged that a PSNI search and rescue team had to be airlifted to the site by an Army Air Corps helicopter that had been involved in distributing animal food relief to farmers badly affected by the recent poor weather.

Limavady councillor Edwin Stevenson, who is also a farmer, said: "I am at an absolute loss as to why anyone would decide to climb Benevenagh in these conditions and can only describe the actions of these two men as completely idiotic."

He suggested that the NI Executive should consider "billing people who carelessly risk not just their own lives, but also the lives of the emergency services who invariably end up having to dedicate time and energy rescuing them".

The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.

#RNLI - Kilrush RNLI launched twice on Tuesday 19 March to a reported flare or red smoke sighted off the coast on the River Shannon.

On both launches at 12.15pm and later at 9.27pm, both crews quickly assembled and set off to the locations along the river outlined by Valentia Coast Guard. 



On the first callout, the volunteer lifeboat crew searched from Querrin Point to Cappa village following accounts from the public that a small aircraft had been seen aflame while on approach.

Shannon helicopter and crews from the Kilkee and Mallow coastguard who were involved with another incident in Ballybunnion, crossed the waters and joined in the search.



After two-and-a-half hours the search was stood down as the Aviation Department stated there were no aircrafts in the region. The conclusion thus far is that the object seen was a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere. 



Shortly before 9.30pm, the inshore crew was paged again by Valentia Coast Guard to launch in response to members of the public who saw flares in the Kilrush area. 

The lifeboat launched and after an hour was stood down as there was no evidence along the shore from Cappa to the Moneypoint area. The unit of the Kilkee Coast Guard also carried out an intense shore search.


Kilrush RNLI helm and volunteer lifeboat press officer Pauline Dunleavy praised the members of the public who put these calls into action, even though in this case they turned out to be false alarms.

"We would urge anyone who does see anything suspicious out on the water to dial 999 without delay," she said. "It could be the reason a life was saved."

#News - BBC News reports that the body of a 21-year-old woman from Dublin has been recovered from the River Foyle in Derry.

The body of Alexandra O'Brien was found by the Foyle Search and Rescue Team assisted by the PSNI and Sligo coastguard on Thursday evening in an operation that began after personal belongings were found on the Foyle Bridge.

O'Brien was last seen in Derry on Thursday morning with friend Kieran McKeon, 18, who is also missing.

According to the Irish Independent, it's feared that the two may have taken their own lives in a suicide pact amid eyewitness reports that they were seen falling into the river from the bridge.

#The Sarah May III is a Princess 55 motor cruiser owned and operated by James Grahame Paul Stronge. The vessel is coded under the code of Practice for the Safety of Small commercial Vessels to carry not more than twelve passengers and three crew according to a Maritime & Coastguard Agency statement released today.

On 28th January 2012, the Sarah May III was chartered for a days outing by the Northern Ireland Volunteers under a contract with Londonderry Council.

A report of overloading was made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and it was confirmed that the vessel had indeed sailed with twenty four persons onboard including twenty two passengers of whom four were children.

The MCA investigation revealed a number of shortcomings in the safety equipment onboard. There were 21 inflatable lifejackets, which require to be serviced annually. 17 were found not to have been serviced since 2008, some four years earlier.

The vessel was issued a detention notice on 8th February 2012 which prohibited sailing until all of the lifesaving appliances had be serviced. On 17th February 2012 while all of the life jackets and liferafts were ashore, the vessel sailed to Lough Swilly in neighbouring Republic of Ireland, breaching the detention notice.

At Londonderry Crown Court Mr Stronge pleaded guilty on 7th February 2013 to four charges:-

(1)  Proceeding to sea with 22 passengers without Sarah May III being surveyed and inspected for a passenger ship certificate.

(2)  Proceeding to sea on the 17th February 2012 in breach of a Detention Notice issued on 8th February 2012.

(3) Breach of Merchant Shipping Act 1995 section 100 by sailing with an excessive number of passengers 23 in total and 2 crew, and with insufficient number of lifejackets, 17 of which were outside their required service date and having liferaft space for only 16 persons in the two available liferafts, one of which was outside its service date.

(4)  Mr Stronge made a false declaration to the Certifying authority MECAL with regard to the condition of the lifejackets and life rafts.

The trial was continued for statements by prosecution and defence on 7th March 2013 and the judge remanded Mr Stronge in custody pending a sentence hearing on 13th March 2013.

At the sentencing hearing at Londonderry Crown court on 13th March 2013 Mr Stronge was sentenced to 9 months in custody suspended for three years and fined a total of £1500.

His Honour, Judge Grant said;

"You should have been aware of the requirements.  These safety requirements are made to mitigate disasters and risks.  The public are entitled to expect equipment to be up to date.  You are arrogant to assume nothing will happen, I view it as very serious, I recommend that the RYA suspend his certification.

Captain Bill Bennett Area Operations Manager (Survey and Inspection) Northern Ireland for the MCA stated that:-

This operator has previously pleaded guilty to carrying more than twelve passengers. His actions put the lives of all his passengers at risk. A Detention Notice is placed on a ship to prevent it from sailing in an unsafe condition and in the rare case of an owner breaching the terms of the Detention, the MCA will investigate and where appropriate persons will be prosecuted.

#News - TheJournal.ie is reporting news of the tragic drowning of a man and a young child off West Cork in the early hours of this morning (6 March).

The bodies of the man and the three-year-old girl were recovered by emergency teams after the Goleen unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked to the area following a missing person's report.

Coastguard volunteers found the child on the beach but attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. The body of the man was later discovered in the shallows by the Baltimore RNLI lifeboat.

It's being suspected that the man and the young child entered the water.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.