#RNLI - Two couples who volunteer with Larne RNLI were chosen to represent the Co Antrim lifeboat station at the recent Hillsborough Garden Party where HRH Prince Harry was special guest.

Lifeboat crew Fiona and Barry Kirkpatrick attended the event at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down with deputy lifeboat launching authority Phil Ford-Hutchinson and his fundraiser wife Alison.

While there, the two couples were presented to Prince Harry by the Deputy Lieutenant of Co Antrim, Col Neil Salisbury OBE, and they chatted for a while about the busy lifeboat station and its work in the community.

“We were honoured to be asked to represent our lifeboat station and we met some incredible people at the event,” said Fiona Kirkpatrick. “We were introduced to HRH Prince Harry and of course took the opportunity to discuss our station and the work of our volunteer lifeboat crew and fundraisers in Larne.

“The prince was interested to know how many volunteers we had at our station and commented on how voluntary groups like the RNLI require a lot of hard work and commitment from a team.”

#RNLI - Union Hall RNLI was requested to launch yesterday afternoon (Sunday 10 September) at 4.21pm by Valentia Coast Guard to reports of a yacht that had broken from its mooring in Glandore Harbour and was heading for rocks.

Weather conditions in West Cork at the time were dry with a westerly Force 7 wind, gusting Force 8, and bumpy seas.

The volunteer lifeboat crew were underway at 4.32pm and headed to the yacht just metres from the rocky shore.

Once on scene, a crew member was put aboard the yacht to attach a tow line, and the vessel was pulled to the safety of Union Hall pier.

Speaking following the callout, Union Hall RNLI lifeboat operations manager John Kelleher said the severe windy conditions are set to remain for most of the coming week.

“If you see someone in trouble, please dial 999/112 and ask for the coastguard, and for your safety stay away from exposed coastal areas.”

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched shortly before 6pm on Saturday evening (9 September) to assist a 13m yacht in difficulties off the Wicklow coast.

The yacht was on passage from Wales to Ireland when the forestay snapped on its mast rigging, some 23 miles off Co Wicklow.

Unable to use their sails in case the mast broke, the yacht’s crew were also low on fuel, which would prevent them from reaching Wicklow Harbour under their own power, prompting the skipper to call the Irish Coast Guard by VHF radio for assistance.

The Wicklow lifeboat Annie Blaker, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh and with six volunteer crew, was alongside the stricken vessel at 7.20pm. Conditions at the scene were described as sea state moderate, wind Force 5, westerly in direction with good visibility.

A towline was quickly rigged to the yacht and the lifeboat crew began a three-hour tow back towards Wicklow Harbour, where the vessel and its five sailors were brought safely alongside the south quay at 10.20pm.

The crew on this callout were coxswain Nick Keogh, mechanic Brendan Copeland, Ciaran Doyle, Lisa O’Leary, Terry Sillery, Paul Sillery and John Stapleton.

#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI were called to assist five people aboard a 20ft motor cruiser which had lost power and was drifting towards Nun’s Island yesterday afternoon (Saturday 9 September).

The crew of inshore lifeboat The Eric Rowse were alerted at 1.27pm and were in the water within 10 minutes, quickly making their way to the scene — by which time the vessel had been blown very near the north shore of Nun’s Island and was at imminent risk of serious damage.

Weather conditions at the time were reported as mainly dry, with a fresh Force 5 north-westerly wind and waves over a metre high.

The lifeboat crew went alongside the casualty vessel and found that the occupants were uninjured but distressed, while one person on board was suffering from motion sickness due to the heavy swell.

Lifeboat volunteer Emmet Devereaux remained with the casualty vessel to reassure those on board and to assist with steering, while the others set up a tow line and pulled the cruiser out of immediate danger.

The lifeboat then proceeded to tow the cruiser to safe harbour at Coosan Point. Lifeboat helm Stan Bradbury opted for a relatively fast tow, both to maintain directional control of the towed vessel and to shorten as much as possible the distress of its crew.

Lough Ree lifeboat operations manager Tony McCarth said later: “Lough Ree is 29 km long and 12km wide, so a sizeable swell can develop quickly, especially in a northerly or southerly breeze.

“We recommend that all lake users check the weather forecast, and the wind direction, when planning their journeys – fresh to strong wind conditions are forecast to continue for the next several days.”

#RNLI - More than two years ago, Jack Lowe began an ambitious project to photograph every RNLI station with a Victorian-era camera.

Now, having already photographed 88 of the 238 lifeboat stations in these islands, Jack Lowe has finally arrived in Ireland.

Lowe, a photographer from Newcastle upon Tyne, is travelling around the UK and Ireland in a converted ambulance photographing RNLI lifeboat volunteers through a Victorian process that captures the stunning images on glass in whats one of the largest project’s of its kind ever undertaken.

Taking the Lifeboat Station Project to Ireland, the first RNLI volunteer crews he will visit include Dunmore East, Tramore and Helvick Head in Co Waterford; and Youghal, Ballycotton, Crosshaven, Kinsale, Courtmacsherry, Baltimore and Castletownbere in Co Cork; finishing up at Valentia in Co Kerry to mark his 99th lifeboat station.

“Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve ever visited Ireland,” said Lowe. “I can’t wait to see the stunning coastline and meet the Irish lifeboat crews I’ve heard so much about.

“I am excited to see the results of this mission sitting alongside the glass plates I’ve been making in the UK. I’d been told there's a welcome like no other from the Irish and I’m already experiencing it after just two days.”

Completing the entire project is likely to take five years in total, and is set to be the first complete photographic record of every single lifeboat station on the RNLI network. Lowe expects reach the half-way point in 2018.

The photographer, grandson of Dad’s Army actor Arthur Lowe, is also an avid RNLI supporter. “My early childhood was spent on a Victorian schooner in Ramsgate harbour and on the Thames,” he recalls. “My dad is an experienced seafarer and introduced me to the wonders of lifeboats — these incredible, powerful pieces of kit designed for heroic, lifesaving missions on stormy seas.

“From an early age, I loved photography and lifeboats. Now I’m following my heart and uniting the two passions. I’m using a photographic technique developed in the 1850s, around the time that the RNLI was incorporated under Royal Charter. The photographs are made directly onto glass plates known as ‘ambrotypes’.”

When Lowe visits a lifeboat station, he makes the portraits using a camera made in 1905, and then develops the images in the mobile darkroom within his decommissioned NHS, named ‘Neena’, which he purchased on eBay.

The volunteer lifeboat crew members are able to step into the ambulance and watch as their portraits appear on the glass plates — an experience Lowe says they find fascinating, and sometimes very moving.

Lowe began drawing up plans for the project over two years before it began. He says he has always had an interest in the history of photography.

“The word photography means drawing with light and that is how I think about it still. I adore photography in this very raw, basic form — light falling on chemicals. It really is magical – the final image is always a surprise, even to me.”

He adds: “There’s a small global community of people interested in using these old techniques. Everyone works in their own way – and you’re always learning as you go along. The chemicals are the original formulae from the 1800s.

“It took me a long time to figure out the logistics of transporting and storing glass plates. I have a box made for each station that holds ten sheets of 12x10 inch glass. Then when I get them back to Newcastle I scan them, varnish them and then place them into storage.”

Follow Jack Lowe’s RNLI photographic mission on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or on the Lifeboat Station Project’s dedicated site.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched on Saturday morning (2 September) to a report of a fisherman stranded on rocks near Balbriggan.

Shortly after 11am, Dublin Coast Guard received a call from a member of the Garda that a sea angler had been cut off by the rising tide and was stranded on rocks at the shoreline near Ardgillan Park, just south of Balbriggan.

Skerries RNLI were tasked and the lifeboat was launched with volunteer Robert Morgan at the helm and crewed by David Knight, Gerry Canning and Jack Keane.

The lifeboat proceeded directly to the area indicated by the caller, heading initially towards a well-known outcrop of rocks that extends out a distance into the sea.

Once on scene, the crew began an initial search of the area. They then noticed a garda on the shore waving to attract their attention.

The lifeboat was manoeuvred in very shallow waters against a strong breeze to be close enough to shore for a member of the crew to go ashore and speak to them. It transpired that the fisherman, once alerted to his predicament by the Garda had waded ashore and was no longer in danger.

The lifeboat was stood down and returned to station.

Speaking about the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: “In this case, the man hadn’t even realised that he had been cut off by the rising tide and was in a dangerous situation. Thankfully the Garda were able to alert him and he managed to wade ashore.

“If you see anyone in danger in or near the water, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.”

#RNLI - Lifeboats from Baltimore and Castletownbere launched two separate callouts off West Cork since Friday (1 September).

Baltimore RNLI was called out yesterday morning (Saturday 2 September) to a tug with three people on board, which had broken down north of Drowlaun Point off Sherkin Island.

The volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 9.45am after they were alerted by the skipper of the 12.5m tug. They arrived on scene seven minutes later and quickly established a tow to Baltimore Harbour within an hour.

Conditions at the time were good, with a southerly Force 4-5 wind and a calm sea ahead of the much poorer weather forecast for later in the day.

Elsewhere, Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched on Friday morning to a 30ft angling boat with mechanical failure three miles south-east of Crow Head on the Beara Peninsula.

The lifeboat, under the command of Coxswain Brian O’Driscoll, was launched on service within minutes and proceeded to the casualty some nine miles southwest of Castletownbere Harbour.

The casualty was located in fine weather conditions at 11.07am. RNLI volunteers passed a towrope to the anglers’ onboard and the lifeboat took the vessel under tow to Castletownbere, where it was berthed alongside the pier 90 minutes later.

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched at 8.37pm last night (Monday 28 August) to search for an overdue kayak.

The two kayakers on board were reported overdue to the Irish Coast Guard by a concerned relative after he lost mobile phone contact with them and darkness was falling.

Under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh, the lifeboat was on scene 10 minutes after launching and began a search off Wicklow Head, with the crew quickly locating the kayakers in fading light near the Horseshoe buoy.

The man and woman had earlier left the beach at Ballinacarrig, near Brittas Bay, heading north for Wicklow Harbour. But as they approached Wicklow Head, the tide and current was too strong and they were being pushed back in a southerly direction.

Rescue 116 was also tasked along with a coastguard shore unit from Wicklow. They were stood down once the casualties were located.

The two kayakers were transferred onto the lifeboat and landed safely back at Wicklow Harbour shortly after 9pm, where they were reunited with their relieved family.

Keogh was joined on this callout by mechanic Dean Mulvihill, Ciaran Doyle, Tommy McAulay, David O’Leary and Connie O’Gara.

#RNLI - It was a busy week for the volunteer crew at Larne RNLI last week with three launches for the Co Antrim lifeboats in three days.

On Tuesday 22 August, Larne’s all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat were launched following a request from Belfast Coastguard after a small motor boat was reported overdue, having launched the previous day and making no contact since.

Following further information from Belfast Coastguard, the Larne inshore lifeboat made way to a motor boat north-west of the Number 1 buoy.

On making contact, it was confirmed the crew on board were those reported missing. All were well, with no engine difficulties, and they were able to make their way back to shore.

“It’s essential to have a clear plan when going to sea including checking the weather and tides before you leave and telling someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back,” said Larne RNLI helm Barry Kirkpatrick.

“If vessels do not return at the expected time we would urge members of the public to contact the coastguard by phoning 999 as soon as possible.”

The pagers sounded again on Wednesday 23 August at 6.15pm with reports of a 15ft motor boat with engine difficulties near Ballygally Head.

Larne RNLI’s inshore lifeboat crew were quickly on scene but no motor boat was visible in the Ballygally area. A search commenced and the vessel, with two men on board, was located three miles north-east of Ballygally head.

A tow was established and the boat taken to the safety of Tweeds Port in Carnfunnock.

“The casualty [vessel and crew were] located some distance off shore, unable to make their own way to safety,” said Larne RNLI deputy launching authority Philip Ford-Hutchinson. “We were pleased to see them wearing lifejackets and they made the correct decision in calling for help.

“We would encourage everyone going to sea to ensure your craft is in good condition, always wear a lifejacket and have a means of calling for help.”

On Thursday 24 August, both lifeboats were on exercise in Larne Lough with Mid and East Antrim Mayor Paul Reid and his wife Carol onboard when Belfast Coastguard tasked the all-weather lifeboat on service.

A member of the public reported an overturned vessel with four people on board in Drains Bay.

The lifeboat visitors were returned to shore and the all-weather lifeboat made its way to the scene, where the upturned vessels were found to be sea cadets performing capsize drills. This was a false alarm with good intent.

“This has been a busy week for our volunteer crew who drop everything to answer the call when their pagers sound,” said Larne RNLI coxswain Frank Healy. “Our crews are highly trained and skilled, and excellent team work ensured that all three launches were completed safely and successfully.”

Larne RNLI is currently looking for new volunteer crew members. If you have good general fitness, can work well in a team and have the ability to learn new skills, this role could be for you.

For further information and online application details, see the Larne Lifeboat Facebook page.

#RNLI - Carrybridge RNLI’s lifeboat and rescue water craft were requested on Wednesday afternoon (23 August) to launch to a 30ft cruiser which had encountered fuel issues and drifted onto rocks on Upper Lough Erne.

The casualty vessel, with two persons on board, was located around a mile north of the Crom Estate in Co Fermanagh. The RNLI crew assisted in refloating the vessel and towed it back to Geaglum Jetty.

Elsewhere, Clogherhead RNLI in Co Louth launched on the same afternoon in response to a report that a razor clam fishing boat was sinking off Drogheda Bar.

While the lifeboat was en route to the scene, the two fishing crew were rescued by the Drogheda Pilot Boat, taken upriver and transferred to an ambulance.

The lifeboat travelled at full speed to the scene and on arrival found the casualty vessel almost totally submerged. The RNLI crew managed to locate the boat's EPRIB among the debris.