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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
Newcastle RNLI’s volunteers check out the first stricken vessel of their marathon seven-hour storm callout
#Rescue - Newcastle RNLI was involved in the rescue of three yachts in Strangford Lough during Storm Ali on Wednesday (19 September). The lifeboat volunteers were first alerted at 11.40am to go the aid of a stricken yacht at Newtownards Sailing…
Marine Casualty Investigation Board Invites Applications for Investigators
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board invites applications for inclusion on a panel of suitably qualified investigators to carry out contracted marine casualty investigations on behalf of the Board. To obtain additional information, interested persons should use any one of the…
Larne lifeboat volunteers will raise a cuppa for Macmillan later this month
#RNLI - Larne’s volunteer RNLI crew are throwing open the doors of the lifeboat station as they host a coffee morning to raise funds for Macmillan, the cancer support charity, from 10.30am to 2pm on Saturday 29 September. The crew…
The European Junior Lifesaving Championships was held in Ireland this year.
Ireland’s top Junior Lifesavers have won 20 gold medals, 16 silver medals and eight bronze medals at the European Junior Lifesaving Championships. Ireland placed second in Europe in the beach competitions and 5th in the overall combined pool and beach…
Portaferry RNLI's inshore lifeboat
#RNLI - Yesterday evening (Saturday 15 September) at 4.45pm, a volunteer RNLI crew from Portaferry launched to the aid of two men in trouble in the water just off Ballyhenry Island. The two men had been using a personal watercraft…
Lough Erne Yacht Club on Gublusk Bay
#WaterSafety - Lifejackets should be made compulsory on Northern Ireland’s waterways, the inquest into the drowning of a former Lough Erne Yacht Club commodore has heard. As BBC News reports, coroner Joe McCrisken suggested that Michael Beattie may have had…
The Courtmacsherry All Weather RNLI Lifeboat crew
The Courtmacsherry All Weather RNLI Lifeboat was called out at 2pm yesterday to go to the aid of an 18–foot pleasure boat with two anglers on board who got lost and sought assistance two miles south of the Old Head…
Baltimore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat assisted the search for a missing swimmer in the Ilen River on Tuesday morning 11 September
#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI launched yesterday morning (Tuesday 11 September) to a swimmer reported missing on a swim from Skibbereen to Baltimore in West Cork. The inshore lifeboat was called to search the Ilen River for the swimmer after a safety…
Lough Derg’s inshore lifeboat approaches the grounded boat above Victoria Lock
#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI assisted four people after their boat ran aground when they took a wrong turn above Victoria Lock on the River Shannon yesterday (Sunday 9 September) Water levels at the casualty vessel’s location were very low when…
Coastguard In Night Rescue Of Angler After Galway Bay Cliff Fall
#Rescue - A night angler was rescued after falling from a cliff on Galway Bay in the early hours of yesterday morning (Saturday 8 September), as BreakingNews.ie reports. Doolin Coast Guard’s cliff rescue specialists joined emergency services near Black Head…
The scene early yesterday morning of the Coastguard helicopter
#Coastguard - A worker from a ferry writes BelfastLive had to be airlifted to Belfast after falling ill on board the ferry. The coastguard was alerted to the medical emergency on board the Stena Lagan in the early hours of…
Baltimore RNLI's inshore lifeboat
#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI was called out last night (Tuesday 4 September) to a speedboat with engine trouble near Bird Island in West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew were on exercise in their inshore lifeboat when the request came in from…
The volunteer lifeboat crew of Howth RNLI will be on TV screens Tuesday 4th September
The volunteer lifeboat crew of Howth RNLI will be on TV screens Tuesday 4th September as they feature in episode 4 of Series 3 of the BBC TV series Saving Lives at Sea, which showcases the lifesaving work of the…
Crosshaven Lifeboat Launched To Angling Boat Aground On Black Rock
#RNLI - While on exercise yesterday afternoon (Sunday 2 September), the volunteer crew Crosshaven RNLI overheard a radio transmission to the coastguard explaining that a 23ft angling boat was aground on Black Rock near Whitegate oil refinery in Cork Harbour. As…
The pleasure boat was unable to be recovered
#RNLI - Two RNLI lifeboats were launched on Friday (31 August) at the request of Belfast Coastguard to assist a pleasure fishing boat with four people onboard off Carrickfergus. Bangor RNLI was first to launch at 3.15pm to reports that a…
Crosshaven RNLI
A Belfast man sustained a serious lower arm injury this evening after being bitten by a Blue Shark whilst angling. Crosshaven RNLI Volunteers received the information at 6 pm this evening and launched immediately. The Deep Sea Angling boat “…

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.