Displaying items by tag: helicopter Rescue

13th November 2010

Red Bay Lifeboat Crew Provide First Aid to Collapsed Man at Fair Head

Lifeboat crew with Red Bay RNLI put their first aid training into practice this afternoon when a man collapsed while out walking in Boulder Field at Fair Head in County Antrim. The two lifeboat crew had to scale 150 feet of rocky headland to reach the two men who had been out walking and to administer first aid to the casualty.

Red Bay RNLI lifeboat was launched at 3.55pm to the incident and on arrival at the scene the lifeboat crew were able to locate the two men among the rocks. Two lifeboat volunteers left the lifeboat with first aid equipment to give assistance to the casualty. However to reach the men they had to climb 150 feet up the rocky terrain. The Royal Navy helicopter Rescue 177 from Prestwick arrived a short time later with a paramedic and was able to stabilise the casualty and winch both him and the other man aboard and bring them both to Coleraine Hospital.

Commenting on the callout Red Bay RNLI lifeboat helm Paddy McLaughlin said, " Thankfully we are very familiar with this area and two of our lifeboat crew were able to use their first aid training and go to the assistance of the casualty. This is not an easy area to access and the two men had been out walking since breakfast."

Last August Red Bay RNLI lifeboat crew brought a brother and sister to safety when they got into difficulty among the rocks at Fair Head.

Additional report from HM Coastguard

TWO MEN STUCK ON CLIFF AT FAIR HEAD
At 3.50 pm this afternoon, Coleraine Police were in touch with Belfast Coastguard earlier this afternoon to inform them about two men stuck on a cliff at Fair Head in Northern Ireland.

Both were wearing high visibility jackets whilst one man is aged 46, the other 52. The first informant, the younger man, suggested that the elder of the two men was in a state of collapse with vertigo and needed urgent attention.

The Ballycastle Coastguard Rescue Team were immediately turned out along with the Red Bay RNLI inshore lifeboat. A rescue helicopter – R177 – from Prestwick was also scrambled.

The position of the two men was given as near Murlough Cottage Caravan Park and that they were halfway up the rocks.

The weather was cold with high and clear skies at the time. When rescue units arrived on scene the two men could be seen wearing warm jackets and spotted halfway between the cliff base at Fair Head and the shore in heather and rocks. They were in a sheltered position.

By 4.30 two RNLI lifeboat crew had come ashore and made contact with the two and was administered first aid to the older man, and by 5.15 both casualties had been taken in to the helicopter, one by stretcher, and were transferred to Coleraine hospital.

The hospital landing site was also manned by the Coleraine Coastguard Team to assist in a quick transferal of the casualties into A&E.

Belfast Coastguard Watch Manager Steve Carson said

"We understand that the two men were out for a walk and became disorientated. Fortunately one of them had a phone on him and was able to get a signal to alert the emergency services.

"Do please check the weather before you set out and make sure you have sufficient supplies if planning an extended trip. For any emergencies on the cliffs, rocks beaches and seas around the Northern Ireland coastline please dial 999 and call the Coastguard."

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

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About the Golden Globe Race

The Golden Globe Race is the original round the world yacht race. In 1968, while man was preparing to take his first steps on the moon, a mild mannered and modest young man was setting out on his own record breaking voyage of discovery. Off shore yacht racing changed forever with adventurers and sailors, inspired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, following in his pioneering wake. Nine men started the first solo non-stop sailing race around the World. Only one finished. History was made. Navigating with a sextant, paper charts and an accurate and reliable time piece, Sir Robin navigated around the world. In 2018, to celebrate 50 years since that first record breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It instantly caught the attention of the worlds media as well as adventures, captivated by the spirit and opportunity. The original race is back.

The Golden Globe Race: Stepping back to the golden age of solo sailing

Like the original Sunday Times event back in 1968/9, the 2018 Golden Globe Race was very simple. Depart Les Sables d'Olonne, France on July 1st 2018 and sail solo, non-stop around the world, via the five Great Capes and return to Les Sables d'Olonne. Entrants are limited to use the same type of yachts and equipment that were available to Robin Knox-Johnston in that first race. That means sailing without modern technology or benefit of satellite-based navigation aids.

Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall (9.75 10.97m) designed prior to 1988 and having a full-length keel with rudder attached to their trailing edge. These yachts will be heavily built, strong and steady, similar in concept to Robin's 32ft vessel Suhaili.

In contrast to the current professional world of elite ocean racing, this edition travels back to a time known as the 'Golden Age' of solo sailing. Suhaili was a slow and steady 32ft double-ended ketch based on a William Atkins ERIC design. She is heavily built of teak and carried no computers, GPS, satellite phone nor water-maker, and Robin completed the challenge without the aid of modern-day shore-based weather routing advice. He had only a wind-up chronometer and a barograph to face the world alone, and caught rainwater to survive, but was at one with the ocean, able to contemplate and absorb all that this epic voyage had to offer.

This anniversary edition of the Golden Globe Race is a celebration of the original event, the winner, his boat and that significant world-first achievement. Competitors in this race will be sailing simple boats using basic equipment to guarantee a satisfying and personal experience. The challenge is pure and very raw, placing the adventure ahead of winning at all costs. It is for 'those who dare', just as it was for Knox-Johnston.

They will be navigating with sextant on paper charts, without electronic instruments or autopilots. They will hand-write their logs and determine the weather for themselves.

Only occasionally will they talk to loved ones and the outside world when long-range high frequency and ham radios allow.

It is now possible to race a monohull solo around the world in under 80 days, but sailors entered in this race will spend around 300 days at sea, challenging themselves and each other. The 2018 Golden Globe Race was a fitting tribute to the first edition and it's winner, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Background on Don McIntyre (61) Race Founder

Don is an inveterate sailor and recognised as one of Australia s greatest explorers. Passionate about all forms of adventure and inspiring others, his desire is to recreate the Golden Age of solo sailing. Don finished 2nd in class in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge solo around the world yacht race. In 2010, he led the 4-man Talisker Bounty Boat challenge to re-enact the Mutiny on the Bounty voyage from Tonga to West Timor, in a simil