Displaying items by tag: RNLB The Famous Grouse

14th October 2010

The Tamar Arrives!... At Kilmore Quay

The RNLB Killarney arrived yesterday into Kilmore Quay after making her delivery voyage from England. The new €3 million craft is the first Tamar-class to operate in Irish waters and is the most technically advanced lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.

The lifeboat was funded by a legacy from Mrs Mary Weeks from Surrey in England who passed away in 2006. Mrs Weeks met her husband while on a cruise off the west coast of Scotland on a boat named Killarney.

Tamar_arrival

The RNLB Killarney on her maiden arrival yesterday to Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford.

She also has a strong RNLI connection through her maiden name Distin. Mrs Weeks was related to the Coxswain of Salcombe lifeboat Samuel Distin and to Albert Distin. Both men lost their lives in the Salcombe lifeboat disaster of 1916.

The lifeboat hull was moulded by the RNLI and fitted out in Plymouth under RNLI supervision. Lifeboat crewmembers based in Kilmore Quay have undertaken comprehensive training at the lifeboat college in Poole and onboard the Tamar class lifeboat in preparation for their new arrival.

The new lifeboat is not expected to go on service until later in the month and the next few weeks will be spent training the rest of the lifeboat crew on the new boat. RNLI Deputy Divisional Inspector Gareth Morrison said, " This is a huge day for the RNLI in Ireland. The arrival of any lifeboat is a great celebration for a community but when it is the first of a new class of lifeboat the excitement is even greater.

The Kilmore Quay lifeboat crew have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Their last lifeboat the Famous Grouse rescued over 300 people since 2004 and this lifeboat station has had many challenging rescues in its history. I wish them the very best of luck with their new lifeboat, may she have many successful years ahead of her." Kilmore Quay lifeboat Coxswain Eugene Kehoe added, "It's a proud day for Kilmore Quay.

Passage_crew

The crew of the RNLB Killarney

A new lifeboat is a tremendous gift and we will take very good care of it. We are very grateful to the donor who by leaving this legacy to the RNLI has provided a lifeboat that will go on to save many lives at sea.

On a bad night miles out to sea it is good to know that we have a state of the art lifeboat and a highly trained lifeboat crew to respond to every situation." The new Tamar class lifeboat is 16.3 metres in length with a maximum speed of 25 knots compared to the 14.3 metres of the current Tyne class lifeboat stationed at Kilmore Quay, which has a maximum speed of 18 knots.

The lifeboat is self-righting and is fitted with an integrated electronics Systems and Information Management System, which allows the lifeboat crew to monitor, operate and control many of the boats systems from shock mitigating seats. The Tamar also carries a Y boat (an inflatable daughter boat) which is housed under the aft deck and deployed from a hinged door in the transom. The lifeboat has room for 44 survivors. It will replace the current Kilmore Quay Tyne class lifeboat The Famous Grouse, which will be retired to the RNLI relief lifeboat fleet.

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

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New Tamar-Class Lifeboat: A First for RNLI in Ireland

Next month sees the introduction of the first RNLI Tamar-class lifeboat to enter service at an Irish lifeboat station, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Costing €3m, the RNLB Killarney is to be stationed in Kilmore Quay. The new vessel is expected to make her delivery voyage on 13 October. She is to replace the existing Tyne-class lifeboat, RNLB The Famous Grouse at the Co. Wexford station which was established in 1847.

The Tamar-class is the latest high-tech craft within the RNLI lifeboat fleet in use throughout the UK. Around 17 craft of the class, named after
the River Tamar, Cornwall have entered service. Some of the class are constructed exclusively for the purposes of providing relief duties across
the extensive network of 235 lifeboat stations throughout the UK and Ireland.

One of these relief lifeboats, RNLB Frank and Ann Wilkinson (16-06) arrived in Dun Laoghaire in July from Poole, Dorset, the headquarters of the RNLI. The lifeboat carried out crew training exercises, not just for the local lifeboat crew but other station crews as part of the Irish divisional staff training programme.

The fleet is divided into two categories: inshore and all-weather class lifeboats (ALB). Of the ALB's there are currently five classes: Tyne, Mersey, Trent, Severn and Tamar. These boats can be operated safely in all weathers and are designed to self-right in the event of a capsize.

The lifeboats are fitted with navigation, location and communication equipment with the RNLI policy of operating each craft for around 25 years. The introduction of the RNLB Killarney at Kilmore Quay will enhance the organisation's vital services off the south-east coast.

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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