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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
Legendary Lifeboat 'Mary Stanford' Returns To Spiritual Home
#Lifeboat - The famous lifeboat Mary Stanford, which was saved from being scuttled earlier this year, has returned to her spiritual home in Ballycotton, as the Irish Examiner reports. Afloat's Jehan Ashmore previously recounted the story of the Barnett-class lifeboat…
Dun Laoghaire Sailing School 'Sail–a–thon' to Raise Funds for RNLI Lifeboats
#rnli – The Irish National Sailing School's (INSS) Sail-a-thon 2014 in aid of the RNLI is taking place this Saturday the 3rd of May. The first question readers of this may have is what is a sail-a-thon? Effectively, it's a…
Rescued Sailors Join Kinsale RNLI Mayday Campaign
#RNLI - Crew members from the training ship Astrid that sank on 24 July 2013 visited Kinsale RNLI lifeboat station to thank volunteer crew and support the RNLI’s Mayday campaign. Some 30 young people were brought to safety by RNLI…
Youghal Lifeboat Radio Doc Traces 175 Years of East Cork Rescues
#rnli – A new radio documentary on CRY104fm entitled "Saving Lives At Sea" airs tomorrow night (Tuesday the 29th of April) at 7pm tracing the history of the Youghal RNLI as it celebrates 175 years in existence. Beginning with one…
Kian Egan Gets His Welly On to Raise Funds for Irish Lifeboats
#kianegan – Voice of Ireland judge and former Westlife member Kian Egan has teamed up with the RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crews to lend his support to their Mayday campaign. From Thursday 1 May until Monday 5 May the charity's volunteers…
MCIB Report On 'Flying Horse' Highlights Safety Issues
#MCIB - 'Safety first' is the message from marine investigators in their report into an incident on board a sightseeing vessel off the Skellig Islands two years ago. The Flying Horse, a 33-foot passenger boat crewed by a single skipper,…
Skerries Lifeboat Rescues 3 From Grounded Fishing Vessel
#RNLI - Skerries RNLI rescued three men last night (Thursday 24 April) after their 30-foot fishing vessel ran aground on rocks north of Balbriggan harbour in extremely poor visibility. The volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat shortly after 9pm with…
VHF Smartphone Case Could Be A Real Lifesaver
#WaterSafety - A new case that turns a smartphone into a VHF radio could revolutionise safety on the water, as the Irish Examiner reports. The VHF Casemate is the brainchild of Dublin-based product designer Seán Toomey, who developed the idea…
Donaghadee Lifeboat Rescues Crew On Becalmed Yacht
#RNLI - Donaghadee RNLI rescued a yacht and crew when they became becalmed in the Irish Sea on Good Friday last. The Co Down coastal town's all-weather lifeboat Saxon was at sea within 10 minutes of the request for assistance…
Canoe Found Drifting on Dublin Bay Shore Prompts Emergency Call Out
#dunlaoghairelifeboat – Both RNLI lifeboats at Dun Laoghaire on Dublin Bay were called out yesterday afternoon following a 999 emergency call that a two-person canoe was drifting close to shore off Dalkey. The Irish Coast Rescue 116 helicopter at Dublin…
Family Rescued by RNLI After Cruiser Engine Failure on Lough Derg
#lifeboat – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist a family of three on board a 36ft cruiser, suffering engine failure. At 7.15pm on Tuesday evening, March 22, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist…
Men Rescued From Capsized Dinghy in Firth of Clyde
#rescue – Two men have been rescued after their small dinghy overturned in the Firth of Clyde. They clung onto the hull before being swept away from the dinghy by the choppy waves. Belfast Coastguard asked a Royal Navy minesweeper on…
Red Bay Lifeboat Rescues Two From Vessel Drifting Off Antrim Coast
#RNLI - Red Bay RNLI's lifeboat launched on service early on Easter Sunday morning to go to the aid of a support boat with two people on board near Glenarm, Co Antrim. The boat had suffered engine failure and was…
Baltimore Lifeboat Rescues Grounded Yacht From West Cork Rocks
#lifeboat – On a sunny Easter Sunday Morning, 20th April 2014, both the all weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat were called upon to give assistance. A yacht had grounded on rocks at a treacherous stretch between Cunnamore Pier and Heir…
Bundoran Lifeboat Crew Welcome Students Behind New Water Safety Initiative
#WaterSafety - The crew of Bundoran RNLI's lifeboat, together with local fishermen and members of Irish Water Safety, recently welcomed a group of students from Lucan, Co Dublin who created a new school’s guide to water safety in Ireland’s rivers,…
More Honours For Kinsale Lifeboat Crew Over 'Astrid' Rescue
#RNLI - Last Friday (11 April) was a busy night for the volunteer crew of Kinsale RNLI as they collected two West Cork community awards for bringing to safety the 30 crew members of the training ship Astrid that sank…

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.