Displaying items by tag: Howth RNLI

13th March 2022

Howth RNLI Launch Both Lifeboats to Aid Kayakers in Difficulty

The crew of Howth RNLI launched both their Inshore and All-Weather lifeboats today (Sunday 13 March) to reports of six kayakers in difficulty off the coast of Malahide with one person having capsized and struggling in the water.

Howth inshore lifeboat was launched at 11:55 am and the Howth all-weather lifeboat launched shortly after. Weather conditions were poor with strong easterly winds and one-metre-high seas.

Both lifeboats made their way to Malahide to commence a search for the kayakers. Once on scene, the crew of Howth inshore lifeboat located four of the kayakers north of Malahide. Two crew members entered the water to help the kayakers ashore onto Donabate Beach. The crew assessed the kayakers and brought them to a safe location on the beach before they were handed into the care of the Howth Coast Guard Unit. The two remaining kayakers had made their way ashore on the southern side of Malahide estuary and were also assisted by the Howth Coast Guard Unit.

Speaking following the call-out, Howth RNLI inshore lifeboat Helm, Lorcan Dignam said, ‘Thankfully this call-out in difficult conditions ended well with all kayakers returned safely to shore. Our crews train in all conditions so that when the pager goes off, we can respond quickly and save lives at sea.'

'Weather and sea conditions can change very quickly, so it’s really important to check the weather forecast and what the tides are doing before you go out on the water. It’s also very important to have a way of calling for help and keeping it within reach. If you’re kayaking, a handheld VHF radio or even a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch can help you communicate if you get into trouble.’

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Howth RNLI All-Weather Lifeboat Rescue Fishing Trawler Stranded in Irish Sea

Howth RNLI launched the all-weather lifeboat off the Baily lighthouse on Dublin Bay

Howth RNLI launched the all-weather lifeboat to rescue a fishing trawler with steering problems just off Skerries in North Dublin.

The RNLI pagers sounded at 3.02 am on Wednesday 30th December to reports of a fishing vessel in difficulty south-east of Skerries. The all-weather lifeboat was launched and located the stricken fishing vessel which had no steering and unable to manoeuvre.

The volunteer lifeboat crew took the fishing vessel in tow and brought the vessel to the safety of Skerries harbour.

The crew of the fishing vessel were in good spirits despite the mechanical failure.

The Howth Lifeboat and volunteer crew returned to Howth station and stood down at 5.45 am.

Speaking following the callout, Fred Connolly, Howth RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain said: ‘Our volunteer lifeboat crew are always ready to respond to a call for help even in the early hours and we train for situations just like this. We were delighted to be able to quickly locate the fishing vessel, commence the tow and bring the vessel safely back to Skerries’.

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Howth Lifeboat Rescues Drowning Woman

The crew of Howth RNLI rescued a woman from drowning off the coast of Portrane this week (Monday).

The Lifeboat crew had been out on exercise when they spotted the 31 year old female struggling above the waves. She had sunk two feet beneath the water when the crew reached her. They managed to catch her clothing and pull her aboard the All Weather Lifeboat (ALB), immediately administering first aid.

The RNLI crew then took the lady safely to Howth harbour, as she was thought to be too distressed to be lifted by the Coastguard helicopter which was also in attendance. An awaiting ambulance brought her to Beaumont Hospital to recover.

Howth RNLI voluntary crewmember Dave Howard says:

"All the crew were relieved that this rescue had a positive ending, the lady would certainly have died had we not already been at sea on exercise. She was very lucky"

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About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2

ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2

ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2