#RNLI - Over the last few months the generous people of Larne have raised over £2,000 for their local lifeboat station.

More than £600 was raised by the Great Northern Retro car rally that left Larne at 9am on Saturday 30 April, travelling up the scenic Antrim Coast to Malin Head. The event was very well supported with vehicles of all makes and models.

Meanwhile, local man John Stirling – father of lifeboat crew member Lee Stirling – celebrated his 60th birthday recently with a donation of £300 to the Larne lifeboat.

The Stirling family organised a surprise party and kindly asked for donations to Larne RNLI and the NI Air Ambulance in lieu of gifts.

Additionally, Larne Grammar School year 8 pupils, who are committed supporters of Larne RNLI, have again this year presented their local lifeboat station with a cheque for £1147.89 raised throughout the academic year.

"The people of Larne are very generous and dedicated supporters of our local lifeboat crew," said Jim Kerr, Larne RNLI fundraising chair, :I attended the start of the car rally and it was a fantastic spectacle to see the camper vans and cars leave Larne.

"I’d like to thank Gavin Gray who organised the NI Retros car rally, John Stirling for his birthday donation and the year 8 pupils of Larne grammar school for their kind donations.

"RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews around Ireland are willing to drop everything to go and save lives at sea when their pagers beep. We rely on the generosity of the public to continue our lifesaving service, which we operate day and night, 365 days a year.

"These donations can help fund crew training, contribute towards the running costs of a lifeboat station or buy new crew kit and are greatly appreciated by all at Larne RNLI."

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist a person on board a 30ft–cruiser, aground at Gortmore Point, at the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg yesterday morning.

Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist a person on board a 30ft cruiser that had gone aground on Lough Derg, south of Portumna

The lifeboat launched at 10.45am with helm Eleanor Hooker, Ger Egan and Lorna Walsh on board. Winds were west-southwest, Force 3/4, visibility was good.

The lifeboat located the vessel at Gortmore Point, on the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg. The person on board was safe and unharmed, but distressed. They were wearing their lifejacket.

An RNLI volunteer climbed across and provided reassurance. The RNLI crew member checked the boat for any damage, and once satisfied the cruiser was not holed, set up a tow.

The cruiser was taken off the rocks and out into safe water, where the drives and engine were checked and found to be in working order.

With two RNLI volunteers on board the casualty vessel with its skipper, the lifeboat accompanied the cruiser to Dromineer harbour.

Brendan O’Brien, Deputy Launching Authority for Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat, advises lake users ‘who find themselves in difficulty, to dial 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue’. ‘The RNLI Lifeboats and its volunteers provide 24hr rescue service, every day of the year.’

#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI's lifeboat launched this morning (Friday 1 July) to assist four people on board a 40ft cruiser whose anchor came loose and dragged beneath their boat in severe weather.

At 11.20am Valentia Coast Guard requested the lifeboat to attend to the cruiser located by Hare Island.

The lifeboat launched at 11.42am with helm Peter Clarke, Lorna Walsh and Barry Morkan on board. Winds were south-westerly Force 5, gusting 6/7, with good visibility.

The lifeboat was alongside the cruiser at 11.52am. Everyone on board was safe and unharmed and wearing their lifejackets.

An RNLI crew member reassured everyone on board the cruiser. Given the severe weather conditions and the exposed location, it was decided to let the anchor go when it could not be recovered back on board after numerous attempts.

The cruiser for any other potential problems, and everything was found to be in working order, so it continued its journey to the public harbour at Dromineer where it took shelter.

The lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 1.14pm.

Lifeboat operations manager Liam Maloney advises boat users to "check the weather before setting out from harbour and ensure all items are stowed correctly".

#RNLI - Valentia RNLI launched on Monday afternoon (27 June) to a 10m fishing vessel going aground off Bolus Head in Co Kerry after fouling its propeller.

The call for assistance came from Valentia Coast Guard at 3.44pm with Ballinskelligs inshore rescue and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 also tasked to respond.

Ballinskelligs CRBI provided a tow to the vessel to remove it to safer water, where the Valentia lifeboat took over the tow for a short distance to free the obstruction from its propeller.

The skipper was then able to control the boat assistance and the tow was parted. The fishing vessel continued on without incident and Valentia RNLI returned to station.

#RNLI - Courtmacsherry RNLI's all-weather lifeboat was called out at 12.20pm yesterday afternoon (Monday 27 June) to aid a 40ft pleasure cruiser in difficulties just off the Seven Heads in West Cork.

The cruiser, with two people onboard, was on passage from East Ferry to Baltimore when it fouled its propellors about 300 yards off the cliffs at Seven Heads.

Its crew managed to hold themselves off the shore by tying the vessel to lobster pots until the lifeboat arrived. Conditions at sea were windy with a good swell.

The Courtmacsherry lifeboat, under coxswain Sean O'Farrell with crew of six, launched immediately and reached the stricken vessel at 12.45pm, succeeding in quickly getting a tow rope on board the casualty and assessing the damage before taking the vessel under tow to the safety of Courtmacsherry Pier

Naval Service vessel LE Orla also proceeded to the area and stood by with their divers if required.

This was the third similar callout and rescue in the past 10 days for the West Cork lifeboat station.

#RNLI - Crosshaven RNLI has announced that Ian Venner, a helm with the crew, has been appointed to the RNLI Council for Ireland as one of its 15 members.

Venner has been a member of the lifeboat crew and a helm since the station was re-established in 2000.

An accountant by profession and a keen powerboater, Venner replaces on the council well-known Cork businessman and sailor Peter Crowley, who after 10 years on the council becomes an RNLI vice president.

The RNLI Council acts in the interest of the RNLI in the Republic and Northern Ireland and makes recommendations and gives advice to the RNLI Board, the Council and the Executive Team concerning lifeboat matters.

The first Shannon class RNLI lifeboat to go on service in Ireland was officially named today in a special ceremony attended by crowds of people in Buncrana, county Donegal. The €2.4m life-saving vessel has already been on nineteen callouts since its arrival on the North-West Coast last year and today it was officially named the ‘Derek Bullivant’ by the man responsible for getting the RNLI’s latest class of lifeboat named after an Irish river.

Arklow man Jimmy Tyrrell was with the RNLI for 46 years, making him the charity’s longest serving lifeboat operations volunteer on his retirement. He campaigned to have the RNLI name a class of lifeboat after an Irish river, in recognition of the service and dedication of Irish lifeboat volunteers. His wish was finally realised with the design and manufacture of the Shannon class lifeboat. The first of the class went on service at Dungeness in Kent back in 2014 .Jimmy was asked by Lough Swilly RNLI to officially name the lifeboat and he did so through the time honoured tradition of pouring champagne over the bow of the lifeboat to cheers from the crowd.

It was an emotional day for Jimmy, whose family are well-known and respected boat builders, as it is the culmination of a 27-year campaign to name an Irish lifeboat class. Speaking at the ceremony he said, ‘During my lifeboat career I have seen many changes in lifeboats, from wood, to steel, to fibre-glass and to today’s composite construction. Lifeboat speeds varied from eight-knots going downhill with the wind up your transom to this wonderful new waterjet propulsion achieving 25-knots. However, one thing that has not changed in the RNLI and that is its people. The basic commitment of crews is the same. Generations of them have put their lives on the line and sometimes lost their lives trying to help those in peril on the seas.’

A small service of blessing followed led by Fr Francis Bradley, Parish Priest of Buncrana and Reverend Judi McGaffin, Church of Ireland Rector.
The Donegal lifeboat station was the first in Ireland to receive the new lifeboat, which is the most modern and technically advanced lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. The Shannon is first class of lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat in the fleet. The lifeboat has a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles. The lifeboat was developed to operate in the worst of sea conditions and is self-righting, automatically turning the right side up in the event of a capsize.

The Derek Bullivant lifeboat (ON 1315) was funded by legacies from Mr Derek Bullivant and Mrs Valerie Walker. Mr. Bullivant was born in Birmingham in 1922 and went on to establish one of the biggest aluminium recycling companies in the UK. He wanted his success to benefit lifesaving and humanitarian charities which led him to provide a generous legacy which helped to fund the Lough Swilly lifeboat. The second legacy was bequeathed from Mrs. Valerie Walker from Portsmouth. Mrs. Walker was a supporter of the RNLI and her legacy has been used to part fund the lifeboat. A plaque honouring her will be placed in the lifeboat station.

Accepting the lifeboat, Lough Swilly RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager John McCarter said, ‘While we are in celebratory mood today God knows we have seen and been closely involved in our share of tragedy around our community, and we remember all those who have suffered great loss at the mercy of the sea. However at Lough Swilly RNLI it also strengthens our resolve to work harder and keep our equipment state of the art to enable us to provide search and rescue service around our coast. The Derek Bullivant lifeboat is testament to that.’

‘There are thirty volunteers at Lough Swilly RNLI. A number of our crew have been here from the beginning as young boys and girls and matured with the station where they now have families and potential new volunteers coming on themselves. Today is a very proud day for all of us here at Lough Swilly RNLI and I am absolutely delighted on behalf of all at Lough Swilly to accept this new Shannon Class boat the RNLB Derek Bullivant into our care.’

In the 29 years since Lough Swilly RNLI was established they have launched 741 times, brought 568 people to safety and saved forty-nine lives.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have joined with the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Fishermen’s Mission and Seafish, the group responsible for the promotion of the fishing industry, to hold a fishing safety event in Kilkeel, County Down next month.

The event will be held at 11am on Friday 8th July 2016 in the Fishermen’s Mission centre in Kilkeel. It is open to all fishermen to attend and is free of charge.

RNLI Fishing Safety Manager, Frankie Horne will lead the event which will involve a demonstration and discussion focused on safety in the fishing community. It will take an in-depth look at the areas where fishermen are being seriously injured or losing their lives fishing. This year has already seen fatalities in the industry.

The demonstration and talk will focus on the areas of stability, safety awareness and deck machinery. The RNLI have run a number of campaigns in the past aimed at fishermen. Last January the charity launched a hard-hitting campaign encouraging fishermen to make sure their boats kept them safe at sea.

RNLI Fishing Safety Manager Frankie Horne said, ‘I have been a fisherman for 37 years from cook, to deck hand to skipper/owner. I am also a volunteer lifeboat Coxswain at Peel RNLI on the Isle of Man. We are working with fishermen on how to make their industry safer. This starts with the fishermen themselves and with us listening to and addressing their concerns.’

‘We want the fishermen to help us solve the safety problems in the industry that lead to loss of life, or life-changing injuries. Fishing is still the most dangerous peace time occupation and we all have a collective responsibility to make fishing safer.’

#RNLI - Union Hall RNLI was tasked by Valentia Coast Guard at 6.14pm on Monday (20 June 2016) to reports of a yacht in difficulty with a broken tiller three-and-a-half miles south of Glandore Harbour.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched at 6.20pm and on arrival at the scene they escorted the yacht to Eve Island before establishing a tow and continuing on Union Hall pier, where the yacht was tied up at 7.17pm.

Union Hall RNLI deputy launching authority Jim Moloney said: "There was no immediate danger to the yacht or the crew but they were right to request assistance as soon as their tiller broke."

#RNLI - Portrush RNLI's inshore lifeboat launched yesterday evening (Tuesday 21 June) to reports of a swimmer in difficulty at the Herring Pond in Portstewart.

Three volunteer lifeboat crew launched the inshore lifeboat in cloudy conditions in a slight sea swell towards Portstewart, where they observed a young adult male not making progress in the sea.

The swimmer had got very tired and was spotted by an onlooker who raised the alarm.

Quickly arriving on scene, the lifeboat crew got the casualty on board and took him the short distance to Portstewart Harbour where they handed him into the care of the coastguard.

Portrush RNLI lifeboat operations manager Robin Cardwell said: "The onlooker did exactly the right thing. The RNLI would rather be called out if there is a danger of someone being in difficulty in the water. That’s what we are trained to do.

"The Respect The Water campaign highlights the dangers of the cold water and how quickly it is to get into difficulties."