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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
Tragedy Unfolds off Waterford as Lifeboats Recover Three Bodies
#rnli –  RNLI lifeboat crews from Dunmore East and Tramore were launched this evening (Wednesday 12 June) to search for three men who were reported overdue when their small fishing punt failed to return. Dunmore East RNLI and the Coast…
Drownings Double in Last Two Years - Irish Water Safety
Irish Water Safety (IWS) held a Council meeting today and discussed the latest drowning statistics 'AS A MATTER OF URGENCY' for 2012 which will be released shortly. 147 people drowned last year compared to 162 people who were killed on…
Irish Coast Guard Launches TV Water Safety Campaign
#Coastguard - The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) has launched its new 'Stay Safe on the Water' TV advertising campaign aimed at families, leisure users and the fishing industry during the busy summer months.  This is the coastguard’s first TV advertisement,…
Galway RNLI Rescues Man From Boat At Barna Rocks
#RNLI - Galway RNLI came to the rescue of a man whose 25ft sailboat almost hit rocks off Barna in Galway Bay on Sunday morning (9 June). The alarm was raised by a member of the public who spotted the…
Sligo Bay RNLI Celebrates 15th Anniversary This Weekend
#RNLI - Sligo Bay RNLI will celebrate its 15th anniversary this Sunday (16 June) with an open day at the lifeboat station in Rosses Point. There will be an opportunity to chat to the crew, have a look around the station, visit…
Baltimore Lifeboat Assists Fishing Boat
#rnli – Both RNLI Baltimore lifeboats were called to assist a disabled fishing boat at 18:19 this evening. The Hardy 20 half decker with 2 persons on board was departing Sherkin Island when they experienced engine failure. The disabled vessel…
Lifeboat Rescues Lone Yachtsman off Grounded Vessel
#rnli – Rosslare RNLI launched in the early hours of this morning (11 June) when a lone yachtsman issued a Mayday call after his vessel grounded. Unable to give his exact position the lifeboat crew searched the area before they…
Crash With Turbine Caused Strangford Lough Yacht Dismasting
#RNLI - A collision with a tidal turbine was to blame for the incident that caused the dismasting of a yacht in Strangford Lough on Sunday 9 June. As reported yesterday on Afloat.ie, Portaferry RNLI's lifeboat crew was dispatched to…
Crosshaven RNLI Stands by Disabled Motor Cruiser off Roches Point
#rnli – A 36' motor cruiser on passage from Kinsale to Crosshaven with two people on board, lost one of its two engines with the second engine showing alarms. As the vessel was off Ringabella and on a lee shore,…
Four Brought To Safety By RNLI In Two Separate Incidents On Lough Erne
#RNLI - Enniskillen RNLI today (10 June) brought four people to safety in two separate incidents on Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh. In the first call-out of the day, the volunteer lifeboat crew retrieved a man and women from their…
Dog Rescued After Dramatic 200ft Cliff Fall at Howth Head
#rnli – Howth RNLI rescued a dog after he fell 200 feet from a cliff in north county Dublin yesterday. The alarm was raised at approximately 4.30pm by a member of the public who was walking along the cliff path…
Fire on Cork Harbour Yacht, Crosshaven RNLI responds
#rnli – While performing an exercise at yesterday's lifeboat station Open Day in Crosshaven, Cork harbour, Valentia Coast Guard contacted the lifeboat by radio alerting them to a yacht with possible fire on board in the Owenabue river upstream of the Royal…
Drownings in Galway and Cork Underline Hot Weather Water Risks
#Drowning - Three drownings over the weekend have underlined the importance of safety on the water during the current sunny spell. In Galway, residents of Moycullen were mourning the loss of a Lithuanian man who drowned while swimming with friends…
Family Towed to Safety By Lough Derg Lifeboat
#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist a family in difficulty after their 17ft motor boat broke down and drifted into Cloondavaun Bay, south of Portumna, on the Galway shore of Lough Derg. At 14.30hrs this afternoon Valentia…
Bundoran Lifeboat Search Ended as Child Found Safe & Well
#rnli – Bundoran RNLI were tasked to assist in the search for a child feared to be missing in the water at Rossnowlagh Beach on Sunday afternoon (9th June 2013). The 6 year old child was reported missing following a…
Stranraer RNLI Rescues North Channel Drifters
#RNLI - Stranraer RNLI's lifeboat was dispatched by Belfast Coastguard on Friday evening (7 June) to rescue men from a stranded personal water craft on the rocks at Corsewall Point. The men had been travelling on the water scooter across…

Every Year Ireland's Search & Rescue Services deliver emergency life saving work on our seas, lakes and rivers.

Ireland's Water Safety Agencies work hard to provide us with the information we need to keep safe, while enjoying all manner of water based activities.

There's no better fun than getting out on the water but being afloat is a responsibility we all need to take seriously.

These pages detail the work of the rescue agencies. We also aim to promote safety standards among pleasure boaters, and by doing so, prevent, as far as possible, the loss of life at sea and on inland waters. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]

Think Before You Sink - Wear a Lifejacket

Accidents can happen fast on water and there may not be time to reach for a lifejacket in an emergency therefore don't just carry a lifejacket - wear it; if it's not on you, it can't save your life.

Irish Water Safety's Safe Boating Alert:

Check condition of boat and equipment, hull, engine, fuel, tools, torch.

Check the weather forecast for the area.

Check locally concerning dangerous currents and strong tides.

Do not drink alcohol while setting out or during your trip.

Carry an alternative means of propulsion e.g. sails and oars or motor and oars.

Carry a first aid kit on board and distress signals (at least two parachute distress rockets, two red hand flares).

Carry a fire extinguisher, a hand bailer or bucket with lanyard and an anchor with rope attached.

Carry marine radio or some means of communication with shore.

Do not overload the boat - this will make it unstable.

Do not set out unless accompanied by an experienced person.

Leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore - including departure and arrival times, description of boat, names of persons on board, etc.

Wear a Lifejacket at all times.

Keep an eye on the weather - seek shelter in good time.

In Marine Emergencies, call 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue.

Lifejackets Checklist

Ensure Cartridges have not been punctured and are secured firmly.

Ensure all zips, buckles, fasteners and webbing straps are functioning correctly and adjusted to fit the user.

Check that fitted lights are operating correctly.

Ensure that Automatic Inflation devices are fully serviced and in date.

Check that the valve or lifejacket is not leaking.