#RNLI - The Courtmacsherry RNLI all-weather lifeboat was called out at 2.20am this morning (Monday 7 September) to go to the aid of a swimmer that had got into difficulty in a dangerous rip current off Garrettstown Strand near the Old Head of Kinsale in West Cork.

The lifeboat, under coxswain Sean O'Farrell and a crew of six, were away very quickly and proceeded at pace to the location of the incident. Also tasked were the coastguard unit from the Old Head of Kinsale and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter from Waterford, Rescue 117.

As the lifeboat arrived on scene within 15 minutes, under the cliffs off Garrettstown Strand, the crew used their searchlights to light up the area.

The swimmer got ashore and, with the assistance of the Old Head Coast Guard Unit, was transferred to the coastguard rescue vehicle until the HSE ambulance and Rescue 117 arrived. The casualty was then transferred by ambulance to Cork University Hospital.

It was a busy 12 hours for Courtmacsherry RNLI as earlier on Sunday evening (6 September) at 6.25pm, it was tasked by Valentia Coast Guard to go to an area where two kayakers were reported to be in difficulty off the Seven Heads in Courtmacsherry Bay.

A member of the public had reported the incident and again the lifeboat with a crew of seven were away in minutes.

They carried out an extensive search of the Seven Heads coastline and it was soon established that the kayakers had got ashore safely.

Speaking on the Strand in Garrettstown this morning, Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian O'Dwyer said: "I want to say a hugh thanks to the fast response of the lifeboat crew and all the rescue services who rose from their beds quickly at 2.20am this morning to respond to a potentially very dangerous incident here off Garrettstown.

"We had enough for two volunteer lifeboat crews responding within minutes and great credit is due to these, who always respond immediately whether the call is by night or day and in all types of weather condition, when the lifeboat pagers alert them."

#RNLI - Following an alert by pager on Saturday afternoon (5 September), Arklow RNLI’s lifeboat Ger Tigchleaar was launched within minutes to the aid of the casualty vessel that was reported to be taking on water and at risk of sinking.

The volunteer lifeboat crew proceeded to the scene and after locating the fishing vessel 2.4km east of Mizen Head, it was established that the 44-metre mussel dredger was taking on large volumes of water, but was not in immediate risk of sinking as the vessel's own pumps were keeping it afloat.

The skipper of the mussel vessel requested the Arklow lifeboat to standby to assist should the situation worsen and escort the them back to Arklow Harbour.

Upon arrival back at Arklow, where all crew came ashore safely, the vessel was grounded on the slipway to prepare for repairs to be made. At this point the casualty vessel's pumps failed.

Immediately the Arklow lifeboats crew rendered assistance and put crew and a salvage pump aboard to help empty the hull of water. They assisted in stemming the ingress of water and making a temporary repair using one of the lifeboat crew's trademark yellow wellies as part of the temporary fix.

Speaking following the incident, Arklow RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Mark Corcoran said: “Thankfully the skipper of this vessel made the call for help early. When you are going to sea in any vessel always plan for the worst, always carry a means of calling for help and never hesitate in making the call to 999 or 112 or contacting the coastguard via marine VHF.:

Arklow RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew for this callout were Brendan Dillon, Michael Fitzgerald, Geoff Kearnes, Jimmy Myler, Eddie McElheron, Leigh Downey and Craig O’Reilly.

Volunteer lifeboat crew with Dun Laoghaire RNLI, Rory Bolton and Dr. Sarah Brookes, set sail on a new life together after tying the knot this weekend. The couple shared the big day with family and friends and their eighteen-month old daughter Alice before being brought in style to their reception on board the Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat.

Love blossomed for the couple after senior lifeboat helm Rory left Lifeboat Medical Advisor Sarah out of a crew training email and she let him know she was not impressed. He responded by sending her a very special invite to station training and a quick coffee after the exercise saw the pair eventually falling for each other. Rory popped the question over a game of scrabble, spelling out the words asking Sarah to be his bride and the rest is history.

Sarah was no stranger to the RNLI when she volunteered for the lifeboat in 2009. Her late father Dr. Donald Brookes was the station’s previous Lifeboat Medical Advisor, a volunteer position that looks after the lifeboat crew’s medicals and can also offer medical assistance on a lifeboat callout. Rory is the senior helm on the inshore lifeboat and the third mechanic at the station, he has volunteered with the life-saving charity since 2000.

Since the couple have had their beautiful daughter Alice, Sarah has stepped back from her role on the lifeboat but still carries out her medical duties for the station. The big day would not have been complete without a lifeboat connection and the couple arrived to their reception on board the all-weather lifeboat courtesy of their colleagues with Dun Laoghaire RNLI.

Commenting on the day the proud groom Rory Bolton said, ‘Thankfully there wasn’t a lifeboat callout at the time or we would have had to keep our guests waiting while we went to help. Both Sarah and I love volunteering for the RNLI and of course it’s even more special now as it’s how we met.’

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Stephen Wynne added, ‘On behalf of everyone at Dun Laoghaire RNLI we would like to wish Rory and Sarah a long and happy life together. They are both fantastic volunteers and I’m delighted that it was our lifeboat station that brought them together.’

The lifeboat involvement did not stop there however, as Dun Laoghaire RNLI received a callout later that night while the reception was in full swing. Groom Rory left his new wife’s side to race down to the lifeboat station metres away but Coxswain Mark McGibney sent him straight back as he had a full crew complement and felt that Rory deserved his wedding night off-call.

Lifeboat crew with Larne RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat this afternoon (Saturday 5 September) at 3.05pm following a report that a 24 ft yacht with three people onboard was in difficulty south of Muck Island. The request to launch was received from Belfast coastguard.

The all-weather lifeboat, Dr. John McSparran, under Coxswain Robert Rice was immediately launched and underway. The yacht with three people onboard was experiencing engine difficulty in challenging conditions.

Once on scene a lifeboat crew member was transferred onboard the yacht and a tow line was set up. Conditions were challenging with winds registering force 6 and a rough sea. The yacht was then towed to safety into Larne lough and secured to a mooring.

Commenting on the callout Larne RNLI Coxswain Robert Rice said, ‘While the yacht was suffering engine difficulties, the weather made the callout extremely challenging. Thankfully an experienced lifeboat crew were on scene to ensure that a tow could be safely established and the vessel brought to safety quickly and with no casualties.’

#RNLI - The new Tramore RNLI D-class lifeboat D-781 will be officially named the Isabella Purchase during a ceremony at the National Lifeguard Training Centre in Tramore on Saturday 12 September at 3pm.

The lifeboat will be named during a short ceremony and service of dedication by Mrs Sally Mongey, wife of the late Finn Mongey. Finn was the lifeboat operations manager for Tramore RNLI Lifeboat Station from when it re-opened in 1964 until his retirement in 1984.

The lifeboat is being named in honour of Mrs Ivy Purchase, known as Isabella, who died in September 2012, leaving her estate to the RNLI to provide a lifeboat in her name. Isabella lived in Midhurst, West Sussex and was a long-time supporter of the charity.

This new lifeboat replaces the Trá Mhór, which was placed on service on 30 June 2005 and launched 127 times, rescuing 100 people over its lifetime.

Tramore RNLI lifeboat operations manager Derek Musgrave, who will be accepting the lifeboat on behalf of the Waterford lifeboat station, said: "On behalf of all the volunteers with Tramore RNLI I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the late Mrs Purchase for her generous and life-saving gift.

"This lifeboat is the vessel that will carry our volunteer lifeboat crew out to sea to save lives and onboard it, our volunteer lifeboat crew will learn and develop their skills through extensive training.

"We look forward to welcoming the people of Tramore, who have been so generous in their support to the RNLI and our lifeboat station, to show them the newest edition to the life-saving fleet in Ireland."

The D-class lifeboat is built at a cost of €62,000 and has been the workhouse of the charity for nearly 50 years. It is inflatable, robust and highly manoeuvrable, capable of operating much closer to the shore than the all-weather lifeboats.

It is especially suited to surf, shallow water and confined locations, often close to cliffs, among rocks or even caves. It measures five metres in length and can carry three crewmembers onboard. It has an endurance of three hours at sea, at its maximum speed of 25 knots.

All are welcome to attend the naming ceremony and service of dedication. Please note that the Totem Pole car park located at the end of the Lower Promenade along the seafront will be closed to facilitate the ceremony from 9am to 5pm on the day. An alternative car park located adjacent to this will remain open to the public and can be accessed by Estuary Road. Alternative parking will also be available along the Main Promenade.

#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI's lifeboat was launched at 11.38pm last night (Saturday 11 July) to convey a sick teenager from Cape Clear Island to Baltimore.

The teen, who was suffering from an appendicitis, was transferred from the island aboard the lifeboat Alan Massey to Baltimore Lifeboat Station, from where an ambulance brought her to hospital in Cork.

Equipment was then cleaned and stored, and the lifeboat was ready for service again by 1.10am.

The crew were Kieran Cotter, Pat Collins, Jerry Smith, Don O'Donovan, Colin Whooley, Sean McCarthy and Mícheál Cottrell. Shore helpers at the station were Brian McSweeney, Aidan Bushe and Youen Jacob.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI were called out yesterday evening (Thursday 9 July) in response to a call to the emergency services.
 


A member of the public had reported that a small sailing boat, a Topper with two people on board, appeared to be in difficulty in the vicinity of Don O’Neill Island near Killyleagh, Co Down.

The volunteer crew of the Portaferry lifeboat were paged just before 7.00pm and the RNLI lifeboat, an inshore Atlantic 85, was launched at 7.07pm. At the time the weather was fine with good visibility, a gentle swell and slight breeze.
 


The RNLI crew arrived on scene at 7.12pm where the two sailors, an adult woman and a teenage boy, had taken the small sailing boat out of the water on to the island where they were waiting for the tide to turn. Both were unharmed and properly equipped wearing lifejackets and wetsuits.
 


As the wind was starting to pick up strength, the two sailors agreed to return to Portaferry Marina with the volunteer RNLI crew and were subsequently taken onboard the lifeboat with their small boat before being safely put ashore at the marina at 7.38pm. 

#RNLI - Following a lifeboat pager alert at 1.18pm yesterday afternoon (Thursday 9 July), Arklow RNLI's volunteer crew launched to a stricken sailing vessel.

Within minutes of the alert, the lifeboat Ger Tigchleaar was en route from Arklow Harbour in good weather and slack winds to the casualty boat, a local sailing yacht about 1.5 miles north.

The vessel, with two crew onboard, had suffered engine failure. 

Under the direction of coxswain Ned Dillon, the lifeboat crew – Michael Fitzgerald, Andrew Loughlin, Jimmy Myler and Leigh Downey – secured a tow line to the vessel and brought her and her crew back safely to Arklow Harbour, bringing her alongside at the inner dock marina pontoons.



Speaking following the callout, Arklow RNLI volunteer press officer Mark Corcoran said: "Even very experienced sailors can get into difficulty. If you’re going out on the sea, be prepared and plan for the worst and always have a means of calling for help. Always respect the water."

Howth RNLI had a trickier callout to deal with three days earlier after a sailing yacht beached on rocks at Lambay Island.

The lifeboat was on scene and located the casualty vessel just before 11.00am on Monday 6 July. Volunteer lifeboat crew Ian Martin and Ian Sheridan launched their small XP inflatable boat and went ashore to investigate in poor weather conditions, with the win gusting to 58 knots and a rough sea state. 


Two men were located aboard and the decision was made by lifeboat coxswain Fred Connolly to request the coastguard helicopter to lift the casualties to safety as the sea was too rough to risk a transfer to the all-weather lifeboat using the XP inflatable.


The two men were airlifted to safety and the lifeboat returned to station in what was described by the volunteer crew as "challenging conditions".

#WaterSafety - Inter-agency efforts to promote safer enjoyment of the water were the order of the day at Operation Safe Water, which took place in Howth Harbour yesterday (Thursday 9 July).

Members of An Garda Siochana, the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI took part in the first-of-its-kind operation between the three agencies, with the single aim of improving safety awareness among boat users.



The RNLI Coastal Safety Team were on hand to perform safety checks on lifejackets. "A lifejacket is useless if you don’t wear it, but it’s also important to maintain it properly," said Howth RNLI coastal safety officer John McKenna.

"Three simple steps could help to save your life: check that the gas canister is in good condition and screwed in properly, the firing head is within its expiry date and that a crotch strap is attached securely."



The Irish Coast Guard's Howth unit community safety officer Declan Howard led a team reviewing the essential safety equipment boats entering the harbour should be carrying.

“A roadside breakdown is an entirely different situation to one on the water," he said. 'Having no means of communicating your need for help can have grave implications for you as the boat drifts towards rocks or out to sea.

"The waters in Ireland can offer great enjoyment but if you ignore carrying some of the basic safety equipment you put your crew and yourself at risk of injury or worse”.

Howard added: “With no phone masts, mobile phone reception is hit-and-miss on the water. You need another plan to get out of trouble.”

The operation also reminded people of the dangers of cold water. Falling overboard is easy and can happen in seconds; getting back into a boat or even a kayak is not so easy or quick.

Currently Irish waters are 13 degrees; with no protective clothing, after 10-15 minutes hypothermia will commence and you’ll start to lose the ability to move arms and legs to stay afloat. Within an hour you could be unconscious. Survival is anywhere between one and six hours. If you have no way of letting the coastguard know you need help, the alarm might be raised too late.

Colin Murray, officer in charge of the Howth coastguard unit, said: “The job of the lifeboats and the coastguard is to get to you within that hour, your job is to let us know you need help.

"That means having your kit and emergency plan ready before you go on the water – ie marine VHF radios, flares, protective clothing, etc. This is on top of our summer message No Life Jacket? No Excuse. We want people enjoying the waters and coastline but going out prepared and not getting too complacent about the good weather.”


The inter-agency approach brings all stakeholders together with the aim of reducing the number of incidents on the water and coastline in the area and hopefully helping save lives. Water safety booklets will also shortly be distributed in multiple languages.

#lifeboat – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist a person on board a 30ft–cruiser with engine failure by Terryglass Harbour, at the northern end of Lough Derg last night.

At 11.55pm Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist a lone boatman, whose 30ft–cruiser had suffered engine failure and drifted into reeds by Terryglass Harbour, at the northern end of Lough Derg. Winds were northerly backing westerly, Force 4, visibility was good.

The lifeboat with helm Eleanor Hooker, Keith Brennan and Lorna Walsh on board, was alongside the casualty vessel at 12.20pm. The elderly person on board was safe, unharmed and wearing his lifejacket, but agitated about his predicament.

An RNLI volunteer crossed over to the casualty vessel and reassured the person before checking the boat for damage. The Lifeboat took the cruiser under tow to one of the floating pontoons in Terryglass harbour.

Lifeboat crewman Jason Freeman, who was in Terryglass at the time, took lines and helped secure the casualty vessel.

Brendan O'Brien, Deputy Launching Authority advises skippers to 'ensure their boat has fresh fuel and is well serviced before going afloat'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 2.45pm.