#RNLI - Larne RNLI launched to the aid of two people on Monday morning (18 December) after their 33ft motorboat had engine difficulties en route from Carrickfergus to Greencastle.

The all-weather lifeboat Dr John McSparran was requested to assist the casualty vessel west of the Maidens and launched at 8.44am under coxswain Frank Healy and with five crew members.

Weather conditions at the time were described as dry with little swell.

Once on scene, volunteer crew member Michael Kane went aboard the casualty vessel and worked with the two sailors to establish a towline so that it could be brought into the shelter of Larne Harbour.

As the lifeboat was approaching the harbour, the inshore lifeboat Terry also launched to assist in bringing the vessel alongside Wymers Pier at East Antrim Boat Club.

Speaking following the callout, Healy said: “Both of the men onboard were fine and we were pleased to see they were both wearing their lifejackets.

“We would remind anyone using a motorboat to always have a means for calling for help, to always check the weather and tide times and to make sure someone ashore knows where you are going and who to call if you don’t return on time.”

#RNLI - Independent.ie reports that a fisherman with a hand injury was hospitalised after his rescue from a trawler off Salthill by Galway RNLI yesterday afternoon (Saturday 9 December).

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched within 10 minutes of the alarm being raised and soon met the fishing boat offshore, where they treated the wound before taking him to a waiting ambulance at Galway Docks.

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat sustained damage overnight while moored alongside its pontoon in the Co Waterford harbour.

Impact by another vessel in the early hours of this morning (Friday 1 December) resulted in damage to both the pontoon and the Trent class lifeboat.

Details are unclear but a report on RTÉ News suggests that the lifeboat was damaged after a fishing boat manoeuvring in the harbour collided with the pontoon.

No lifeboat personnel were involved by the incident, which was not related to any RNLI activity and has been reported as a matter of course to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.

While the lifeboat is off service for repairs, search and rescue cover will be provided by the closest RNLI stations, as well as the Irish Coast Guard crews based in Waterford. A relief lifeboat was scheduled to arrive this evening.

WLR FM's Twitter account has a short video clip of the damage sustained to the lifeboat in the harbour this morning:

WATCH: Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat damaged in harbour crash. #DunmoreEast #RNLI Read the full story here https://t.co/YbVY3sVZsv and listen to #WLRnews for more. pic.twitter.com/lKTMjrDxDo

— WLR (@wlrfm) December 1, 2017

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI assisted a 12-metre razor fishing vessel that developed steering problems near Loughshinny last night (Friday 17 November).

Shortly before 9pm, one of the volunteer crew raised the alarm after receiving a phone call from a fisherman on the razor boat, stating that it had fouled its rudder.

The Skerries RNLI volunteers launched their lifeboat with Conor Walsh at the helm and crew Joe May, Steven Johnson and JP Tanner.

The lifeboat located the casualty vessel, with one man on board, near Loughshinny Harbour and proceeded to tow the boat safely back into the harbour.

Weather conditions at the time was calm with a Force 1 to 2 westerly wind.

Speaking about the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “It was a cold and dark night for our volunteers to be out, thankfully they were able to resolve the situation very quickly.

“This kind of thing can happen to anyone at any time, but the RNLI are always ready to respond to a call for help.”

#RNLI - Courtmacsherry RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was called out at 7pm on Saturday night (11 November) to go to the aid of an 80ft fishing boat that got into difficulties 15 miles south of the Seven Heads in West Cork.

The Trent class lifeboat, under coxswain Ken Cashman with a crew of five, launched immediately and proceeded at full speed to the distress area as the large trawler with four crew onboard sought assistance.

The stricken vessel was located by the lifeboat at 7.45pm and an immediate tow was put in place, proceeding at low speed back to the safe haven of Kinsale.

Weather conditions in the area at the time were misty with Force 3-4 winds and a strong swell.

Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian O’Dwyer praised the crew for carrying out the rescue with great speed and professionalism.

He also thanked them and all station personnel for skipping Ireland’s important soccer battle in Copenhagen in order to help others in distress.

The crew of the lifeboat were coxswain Ken Cashman, mechanic Stuart Russell, Ciaran Hurley, Conor Dullea, Denis Murphy and Evin O’Sullivan.

Donaghadee RNLI has brought two fishermen to safety this morning after their 10m boat got into difficulty off the County Down coast.The volunteer lifeboat crew was alerted at 8.05am this morning (9 November), with Donaghadee RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Saxon being launched under Coxswain Philip McNamara, at 8.07am.

The lifeboat launched at the request of Belfast Coastguard to assist a 10m fishing vessel with two people onboard. It was reported that the vessel had an overheating engine resulting in the boat breaking down approximately one mile south of Donaghadee.

Once on scene at 8.24am, the lifeboat crew assessed that the two fishermen were safe and well before working with them to establish a tow line. The lifeboat then proceeded to return the fishing boat to Donaghadee Harbour.

Weather conditions at the time were described as blowing a north westerly Force 2-3 wind with slight to moderate seas.

The lifeboat safely returned the fishing vessel to Donaghadee Harbour at 8.50am.

Speaking following the call out, Philip McNamara, Donaghadee RNLI Coxswain said: ‘The skipper of the fishing vessel made a sensible decision in requesting assistance in good time this morning before there was any danger to life and we were happy to assist and be able to return both fishermen safely to harbour’

‘We would remind anyone planning a trip to sea to always respect the water. Always wear a lifejackets, always have a means for calling and signalling for help, always check weather and tide times and make sure someone ashore knows where you are going and who to call if you don’t return on time.’

#RNLI - Arranmore RNLI in Co Donegal was called out yesterday morning (Monday 6 November) at 11.45am to assist a 19ft fishing boat with two people onboard.

The small boat was approximately 400 metres from Arranmore Lifeboat Station when it developed engine failure.

On arrival at the stricken vessel, the lifeboat crew established a tow rope and towed the boat safely to anchor off Arranmore.

“This was probably one of the shortest calls we’ve had for several years,” said lifeboat coxswain Jimmy Early. “We were called out at 11.45am and we were back at anchor at 12.18pm.

“Whether it’s a long or short call out we are always ready to answer the call and we were delighted to help bring the boat and it’s crew to safety.”

In a separate incident on Friday (3 November), the lifeboat crew were attending a presentation in the Waterfront Hotel in Dungloe when they were alerted by a local man to a disturbance in the sea off Arranmore.

The man reported a white shape and a flock of sea birds in the sea and the lifeboat crew were asked to investigate.

On arrival, the crew discovered a dead whale which subsequently washed up at Béal a’ Chraois, a sheltered cove on the east of the island, where it remained as of yesterday.

The Waterfront Hotel had hosted a fundraising dinner dance in September in support of the Arranmore RNLI Lifeboat – raising €25,250 – and were in the process of presenting the crew with the cheque when they were interrupted by the callout.

Early added: “We would like to thank the Waterfront Hotel for their incredible generosity and congratulate them on their upgrade to four star status.

“This event goes to prove that we, the lifeboat crew are on call 24/7 and no matter what the occasion we are here to answer the call, that is our priority.”

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI rescued two fishermen from a sinking razor fishing boat near Laytown early this morning (Thursday 2 November).

Shortly before 5.30am, Dublin Coast Guard received an emergency call from the skipper of a razor fishing boat with two men on board that was taking on water off Laytown and was beginning to list dangerously.

Lifeboats from both Skerries RNLI and Clogherhead RNLI were requested to launch to assist the casualty.

Volunteers from Skerries RNLI launched their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson with Emma Wilson at the helm and crewed by Eoin Grimes, Steven Johnson and Jack Keane.

Weather conditions at the time were fair with a Force 1-2 northwesterly wind.

The lifeboat proceeded to the area off Laytown given as a position by the casualty vessel. There was a number of razor fishing vessels in the area, but the lifeboat soon located the casualty off the mouth of the River Nanny, where it was grounded and was being overcome by the rising tide.

Clogherhead RNLI arrived on scene shortly afterwards and stood by while the inshore lifeboat was alongside the stricken boat.

The two fishermen were taken on board the lifeboat, where they were assessed before being brought safely back to Skerries.

Speaking about the callout, Wilson said: “When we got on scene, it was quite difficult to spot the fishing vessel as it was almost underwater and there was only one remaining light in the wheelhouse.

“The crew did the right thing in calling for help, wearing their lifejackets and staying with the boat for as long as possible.”

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI launched this past Wednesday afternoon (25 October) to assist a fishing vessel that was taking on water.

The two crew of the 25ft vessel were coming into the Co Waterford harbour before 2.50pm when they realised there was an ingress of water below deck.

Quick thinking by the lifeboat crew, who grabbed their salvage pump to assist, meant the vessel was able to stay afloat.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched yesterday evening (Sunday 22 October) after receiving reports of a medical emergency on Lambay Island.

Shortly after 8.30pm, the alarm was raised by a member of the crew when they received a call from Lambay Island, indicating that a person was unwell and requiring immediate medical assistance.

Skerries RNLI volunteers launched their Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson with David Knight at the helm and crewed by Steven Johnston, JP Tanner and Jack Keane.

The lifeboat proceeded to the island where they went ashore and began to administer first aid to the casualty — as well as prep a landing area for the Dublin-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116, who transferred the casualty to a waiting ambulance on the mainland for treatment at Beaumont Hospital.

“There were multiple rescue agencies involved in this rescue and it’s great to see everyone working so well together,” said Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning. “Our thoughts are with the casualty tonight and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

In other rescue news, PSNI officers have been praised for their “swift action” in saving a man whose car entered Lough Neagh in the early hours of yesterday morning.

As the Belfast Telegraph reports, four officers entered the water to free the man, who was unresponsive, from the partial submerged Volkswagen. He was later transferred to hospital with suspected hypothermia.