#RESCUE - A lifeguard at Galway's Leisureland has been praised for his part in the rescue of a canoeist who got into difficulty in the water off Salthill, as The Connacht Sentinel reports.

Ian Brennan raced to the water after a woman looking across from the Galway Bay Hotel spotted the man in trouble a few hundred yards from the shore and raised the alarm.

The Leisureland duty manager, a former competitive swimmer with experience in water safety, said he didn't think twice about the incident.

"I grabbed a ring buoy, ran across the road, stripped down to my boxers and swam to the person," he said.

Brennan managed to swim ashore with the canoeist as Galway's RNLI lifeboat was being dispatched to the scene.

He also commended the lifeboat crew "for the speed at which they launched" and for their quick treatment of the canoeist for hypothermia.

Despite the applause he received from onlookers once back on land, Brennan described his actions as "no big deal".

The Connacht Sentinel has more on the story HERE.

#rnli – Diageo Northern Ireland announced that it raised a total of £17,390 for its charity partner, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The staff at Bushmills Distillery participated in a number of fundraising events, ranging from the company's annual barrel roll to running the Belfast Marathon, all in aid of its chosen charity partner. The employees raised £8,965 which was then doubled by Diageo NI through a match-funding initiative.

The staff at the Distillery invited volunteer crew members from Portrush RNLI station to receive the cheque and to have a tour of the premises.

Gordon Donoghue, Bushmills Site Director said

'As part of an on-going commitment to investing in our communities, Bushmills employees and the local community have once again shown great generosity in raising such a huge sum for the RNLI. Diageo NI is proud to have carried out the substantial fundraising effort and we hope the funds raised will go some way towards saving lives at sea."

Robin Cardwell Lifeboat Operations Manager at Portrush said:

The crew were delighted to receive this cheque on behalf of the RNLI. We are overwhelmed at the generosity of Diageo NI and were very proud to be the nominated charity partner for the Distillery this year. The RNLI depends on these funds to train our volunteer crews and to maintain our equipment to the highest standards so we can continue to save lives at sea.

After the presentation the crew were given a tour of the premises and met staff who had participated in the fundraising events.

#rnli –  At a special ceremony held  in Galway on Saturday the RNLI officially named its new Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Binny, at its station on the city's harbour.  Pat Lavelle, Chair of the Lifeboat Management Group, handed over the lifeboat to the RNLI on behalf of the donor who had generously funded it through a gift left in her Will.

Audrey Lydia Finch from Devon funded the lifeboat which has been on service on Galway Bay since last year, in memory of her first husband Jack Binstead (Binny).

Mr Lavelle, a founding member of the Galway RNLI station, and a former Lifeboat Operations Manager, officially named the lifeboat during the ceremony.

The new state of the art Atlantic 85 lifeboat was introduced into the RNLI fleet in 2006. The lifeboat is 8.5 metres in length and weighs 1.9 tonnes.  Improvements on its predecessor include a faster top speed of 35 knots, radar, provision for a fourth crewmember and more space for survivors.

Since the new lifeboat went on service in Galway, it has already launched 19 times and brought 10 people to safety.

Mike Swan, Galway RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said the naming ceremony and service of dedication was a special occasion in the history of the Galway lifeboat station, adding that the volunteer crew is grateful to Mrs Finch for her generous legacy which funded the lifeboat.

He said the RNLI could not operate its lifeboats without the dedication of volunteer lifeboat crew and fundraisers: 'The crew in Galway give 100% at all times. Their commitment and ongoing attendance for training both here and at the lifeboat college means that they are highly proficient in the operation of our lifeboat.  Further testament to the dedication of the crew is their knowledge that they may risk their own lives in the service of others'.

At a cost of €244,000 to fund the Atlantic 85 today, Mr Swan said legacy funding which in Galway's case had paid for the lifeboat, was of huge importance to the RNLI.

'As a charity, the RNLI relies on the generosity of the public for voluntary contributions and legacies. We are indebted to the fundraising support we receive to continuously train and equip our volunteer lifeboat crew here in Galway'.

It was following a number of incidents on Galway Bay that the decision was taken back in 1990 by the local RNLI committee that a lifeboat based in Galway would be invaluable. In 1994, it was announced that a B Class Atlantic 21 would be placed on a year's trial in Galway.

A temporary boathouse was built in 1996 and a temporary cabin arrived to serve as a crew room. Training continued until 27 March that year when the Galway lifeboat was officially put on service.

It was to be a busy start for the station's volunteer crew and it became the third busiest lifeboat station in Ireland that year.

A permanent boathouse was built in 1997 providing facilities for the lifeboat, a changing/drying room, workshop, fuel store, crew training room and an operational room. In that same year, a B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat B-738 RNLB Dochas was placed on service.

It was replaced by Binny, a B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat which was placed on service in 2011.

Mr Swan said: 'The rescue services on Galway Bay at the moment, I believe, are the best they have ever been. We are delighted to have representatives from all the other agencies here today. The training and dedication of the personnel in these services are second to none and I would like to thank them for making Galway Bay a safer place'.

A crowd of well wishers turned up to see the lifeboat officially named. A bottle of champagne was poured over the side of the lifeboat before it was launched at the end of the ceremony.

Among the guests were John Coyle, the President of Galway Lifeboat Station, who welcomed guests and opened proceedings and who later, in his capacity as Chair of the Irish RNLI Council, accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the RNLI. Music including the national anthem at the beginning of the ceremony was provided by St. Patrick's Band while Gareth Phillips sang Galway Bay and Home from the Sea.

MC for the event was Barry Heskin, a Deputy Launching Authority at Galway RNLI. The Very Reverend Richard A Lyny and Archdeacon Gary Hastings conducted the Service of Dedication.

#rnli – A 'Pan Pan' radio call to Valentia Coast Guard resulted in the Crosshaven Lifeboat being tasked to a medical emergency on board a Yacht off Cork Harbour today.

At 1.30pm, the Crosshaven RNLI crew were informed that an adult male was suffering chest pains on board a yacht, south of Roches Point.

The lifeboat with Con Crowley, Aidan O'Connor and Alan Venner on board made their way towards the casualty boats position and rendezvous with a yacht club RIB which now had the casualty on board.

The crew administered oxygen therapy whilst on route back to the lifeboat station where the Lifeboat Station Doctor,John Murphy was waiting.

After an assessment by the Doctor in the lifeboat station, the casualty was removed by ambulance to hospital.

Crosshaven Coast Guard personnel, also assisted at the lifeboat station.

#COASTGUARD - Last week saw two rapid responses by volunteers with the Howth Coast Guard in separate incidents on the peninsula.

On Saturday 22 September a walker on the Howth Head cliff path who suffered an ankle injury was evacuated for treatment.

The walker was with a friend on the path near Red Rock when the accident occurred, rendering her unable to walk. The friend called emergency services who dispatched the on-duty crew at the local coastguard station.

The team arrived quickly on scene and prepared the casualty for evacuation across farmland to the nearest location accessible by road, where they were met by paramedics.

Howth Coast Guard said that as the coastguard service's 999 centre was contacted quickly, a speedy evacuation was carried out before temperatures dropped significantly.

Later in the week, on Thursday 27 September, the Howth Coast Guard joined the Howth RNLI lifeboat and the Irish Coast Guard's Rescue 116 helicopter in responding to a Garda request for assistance with a faller on the cliffs of Howth.

The casualty was reportedly airlifted to Tallaght Hospital by helicopter. There is no word yet as to the faller's condition.

KEEPING A LIFEBOAT UNDER WRAPS

Keeping a lifeboat design under wraps is some achievement, but that's what an Irishman did with the design for the first RNLI lifeboat to be named after an Irish river. In fact, at the age of 24 he designed the hull form in his spare time!

Four years after his original design, the Shannon class was introduced to public view this week at RNLI headquarters.

Peter Eyre, from Derry, could take justifiable pride because he is an RNLI Naval Architect.

'I kept the design under wraps in the early stages. After a while my boss could see I was working on something and encouraged me to continue. My job was to find the design by working with other naval architects, not to design it. I was the youngest in the team and before long I had designed the new lifeboat hull.

I'm chuffed it was named after an Irish river and the strong connection the boat now has with Ireland. I think the moment it first goes out on a service will be the high point of my career. It's a great legacy to be a part of. When the first life is saved I think that's when it will really hit home.'

Peter has a strong commitment to the RNLI, ever since he was just 14-years-old and the family's 30ft. cruiser racer yacht was dismasted in rough seas and Force 7 winds.

"We were escorted back to shore by the volunteer lifeboat crew. We were so relieved," he recalls.

This is the first time that the RNLI has named a class of lifeboat after an Irish rive.

"It is very fitting considering that Peter has been so fundamental in its design," said Owen Medland, RNLI Training Divisional Inspector for Ireland. "All of the crews who have tested the new lifeboat have been thrilled with its speed, manoeuvrability and the improved crew safety features. We don't know yet which Irish lifeboat stations will receive a Shannon class lifeboat, but the Shannon is designed to replace the majority of Mersey and some Tyne class lifeboats. We look forward to seeing the Shannon here in the near future.'

UK stations will be the first to get the new boat for which the RNLI has launched a €6m. fundraising campaign across the UK and Ireland.

• To make a donation visit: www.rnli.org/newlifeboatappeal

 

NEW FACE OF ABERDEEN

The amount of foam which swept into Aberdeen in Scotland from the gales that hit the UK and caused a lot of flooding during the week was astonishing.

As the photograph here shows, it looks like the area close to the seashore was covered in snow.

Capt.Rowan MacSweeney, my son, is serving on offshore oil rig supply work at present and told me:

"Monday night was a lively night about these parts. We were 4.5nm out from Aberdeen breakwaters because the port closed. Top gust on our anenometer 70 knots and we got swells of 13metres in the bay. Check out the photo one of the lads I know from another boat took the morning after of the foam created by the storm. Pretty unusual."

Indeed it is.

 

RULING ENDS 'DARK AGES'

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The tanker Exxon Valdez which became notorious after spilling 750,000 barrels of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska on March 24, 1989, is to be broken-up on Alang Beach in India following assurances given to India's highest court that it would not contain hazardous substances. This was needed after the Court made a ruling which environmentalists have hailed as ending the 'dark ages' of breaking up ships containing hazardous materials on beaches. There have been increasing protests about this practice because of the health, safety and environmental risks involved, particularly for low-paid workers without protection equipment. The Court ruled that vessels sent for shipbreaking will be subject to international rules based on the Basel Convention about hazardous wastes, meaning that shipowners will in future have to remove these materials before the ships are approved for breaking-up on Indian beaches.

 

FIRST NORWEGIAN CRUISE

The first cruise direct from Cork to Norway has been announced. Lee Travel and Royal Caribbean International will run two 12-day cruises on June 3 and September 9 next year aboard the Independence of the Seas departing from Cork Port's cruise terminal at Cobh. There will be a capacity for 200 passengers to join in Cork Harbour, according to Lee Travel with prices from €1,699 per person, based on 2 adults sharing an inside stateroom. Fly/Cruise price includes flights back to Dublin/Cork. The Norwegian cruises will take in fjords, glacial inlets, castles, the Norwegian countryside and Oslo.

Declan O Connell, Managing Director of Lee Travel, said there is a demand for such a service from Cork. "We are confident that these cruises will be popular and that Royal Caribbean will sail more ships out of Cobh for many years to come."

 

GAS FERRIES

Norway is also to the fore in another cruise ship development. The first cruise ferries in the world to be powered by natural gas are under construction in a Bergen shipyard for the Norwegian shipping company, Fjord Line. They will be 170-metres long, powered by Rolls Royce LNG-based engines. The company says they will be the most environmentally-friendly cruise ships on the seas, the first to begin sailing next May out of Bergen in Norway and the second a few months later.

 

WORK-RELATED DROWNINGS

The Irish Water Safety Association has recorded 22 work-related drownings in the Republic in the past five years of which 17 were in fishing, 1 while transporting freight over water, 1 each in quarrying and construction and 2 in agriculture. The figures were released this week, coinciding with the National Ploughing Championships and following the tragic Northern Ireland drownings in the farm slurry tank, as a reminder that safety is needed at all times. The Association has also pointed out that children are naturally curious about water: "Each year too many young children are involved in preventable aquatic accidents - forty children have drowned in the last ten years."

 

FIRST MAN TO WALK ON THE MOON BURIED AT SEA

The first man to walk on the moon has been buried at sea. NASA said Neil Armstrong's cremated remains were buried in the Atlantic Ocean during a ceremony aboard the USS Philippine Sea. The space agency didn't give the location of the ceremony. The ship's homeport is Mayport, Florida. Neil

Armstrong was a Navy fighter pilot before joining the space programme. He died in Ohio in August at the age of 82. His burial followed at sea followed a memorial service in Washington.

 

RUSSIAN SPECIAL

The Russian Navy is to build a new type of search-and-rescue ship which will be launched in 2014. It will have submersible rescue vessels aboard. This is because of the number of Russian submarines which have got into difficulties in past years.

 

CHINESE FIRST

China's first aircraft carrier has entered service. The 300m (990ft) Liaoning - named after the province where it was refitted - is a refurbished Soviet ship purchased from Ukraine. the carrier has no operational aircraft and will be used for training. The Chinese Government said the vessel, which has undergone extensive sea trials, will increase its capacity to defend State interests.

 

TANKER DESTROYED COMMANDER

The Commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer was removed from command after his vessel was involved in a collision. The USS Porter was operating near the Straits of Hormuz when struck on its starboard side by the 300,000-tonne tanker Otowasan. Nobody was hurt in the incident .The tanker suffered only superficial damage, but the destroyer was severely damaged according to reports and sailed to the United Arab Emirates for repairs. The destroyer's Commander, Martin Arriola, was removed from command there and replaced.

 

MAIDEN GROUNDING

A cargo ship has ran aground on its maiden voyage from Southampton to the Channel Islands. The 295ft. £8.8m Huelin Renouf Dispatch hit an isolated rock one and a half miles south-west of Alderney and issued a distress cal, responded to by the RNLI Roy Barker One which was on the scene within 15 minutes. Damage to the Dispatch was assessed and it was found that water was coming in at the stern. The vessel had a crew of eight. The leak was contained and the 2,500-ton ship was floated off the rock then sailed to Falmouth at half-speed where it went into dry dock.

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#rnli – A young Irishman has played a significant role in developing the RNLI's most advanced class of lifeboat - the Shannon class.  Named after the River Shannon and almost 50% faster than the lifeboats it will replace - the Shannon will help the charity's volunteer crews reach those in need even quicker.

Capable of 25 knots, the Shannon is the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be powered by water jets, not propellers. Over 50 new Shannons will need to be built within the next ten years to replace the older classes of lifeboat and the charity estimates that the 50+ Shannons in their class will rescue over 56,000 people and save the lives of over 1,500 in its lifetime.

Peter Eyre, an RNLI Naval Architect from Derry in Northern Ireland was instrumental in the development of the new lifeboat, designing the hull form at the age of 24 in his spare time. Four years after Peter's original design, the prototype of the Shannon class lifeboat is undergoing sea trials around the coasts of the UK and Ireland, with the first lifeboat going into service in 2013.

Peter Eyre, RNLI Naval Architect says:

'I kept the design under wraps in the early stages. After a while my boss could see I was working on something and encouraged me to continue. My job was to find the design by working with other naval architects, not to design it. I was the youngest in the team and before long I had designed the new lifeboat hull.

'I'm chuffed it was named after an Irish river and the strong connection the boat now has with Ireland. I think the moment it first goes out on a service will be the high point of my career. My parents will be so proud. It's a great legacy to be a part of, especially at this age. I think it will sink in gradually. When the first life is saved I think that's when it will really hit home.'

The Shannon class is expected to make up almost a third of the RNLI's all-weather lifeboat fleet and once rolled out all RNLI all-weather lifeboats will be capable of at least 25 knots. The Shannon class will also improve the safety and welfare of the charity's volunteer crews, thanks to its shock absorbing seats and computer monitoring and operating system.

While Peter was not to become actively involved with the RNLI till later in his life, he had a brush with the charity in 1998 when the Lough Swilly RNLI Lifeboat came to his aid.

Peter explains:

'I was just 14-years-old at the time when my family's 30ft cruiser racer yacht was dismasted in rough seas and force 7 winds. The yacht lost its mast and was escorted back to shore by the volunteer lifeboat crew. We were so relieved'

Owen Medland, RNLI Training Divisional Inspector for Ireland says:

'This is the first time that the RNLI has named a class of lifeboat after an Irish river – which is very fitting considering that Peter has been so fundamental in its design. All of the crews who have tested the new lifeboat have been thrilled with its speed, manoeuvrability and the improved crew safety features. We don't know yet which Irish lifeboat stations will receive a Shannon class lifeboat, but the Shannon is designed to replace the majority of Mersey and some Tyne class lifeboats. We look forward to seeing the Shannon here in the near future.'

The RNLI has launched a €6M fundraising campaign across the UK and Ireland to fund two Shannons and their launch and recovery vehicles designed by Supacat for the relief fleet. These 'relief lifeboats'  will be used to replace station boats when they go for maintenance or repair and will therefore operate at many places around the UK and the RoI.

#rnli – Baltimore RNLI have officially named the new €3m Tamar class lifeboat Alan Massey at a harbour ceremony yesterday.

The lifeboat was substantially funded by a legacy from Ms Dorothy May Massey in honour of her late brother Alan.  It was named by Mrs Sue Windsor, a close family friend of Ms Massey, before being handed over to Baltimore RNLI.

Mr. Declan Tiernan, Chairperson of the Baltimore Lifeboat Station stated that the lifeboat has already proved its worth.  He told the crowd about a recent callout which involved the new lifeboat and its Y boat (an inflatable boat carried on the deck of the lifeboat).  Last month two teenagers were trapped in a cave and conditions were making it impossible for rescuers to get close, the lifeboat crew deployed the small Y boat from the lifeboat to bring the lifeboat volunteers as far into the narrow cave as they could safely go before a crewmember then swam the rest of the way and brought them to safety.

RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto OBE, who travelled to Baltimore to accept the lifeboat into the care of the Institution commented, " Baltimore's lifeboats have a proud history of lifesaving dating back to 1919 and since then have launched 718 times and in so doing have rescued 661 people.  Ten medals have been awarded, the last being voted in 1992 to the current Coxswain Kieran Cotter.

In the RNLI, the safety of our volunteer crew is paramount.  We strive to ensure they have the best lifeboats, excellent training and first class equipment to carry out their often difficult tasks.  This Tamar lifeboat is state of the art and has proven to be a thoroughly reliable and capable lifesaving craft since its arrival here at Baltimore."

Tom Bushe, Baltimore RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager accepted the lifeboat into the care of the Baltimore Lifeboat station.  The new lifeboat has already launched 14 times and rescued 17 people since its arrival in February.  Tom added, " We are very proud to be the custodians of this lifeboat. The crew in Baltimore provide an exceptional service to their community. These are ordinary people who are ready to risk their own lives in the service of others."

The lifeboat was officially named in the traditional way of breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow.Mrs Sue Windsor then named the lifeboat Alan Massey.

Ms Dorothy May Massey was born in 1906 and lived in Watford.  She was the youngest of three children.  It was her wish to fund a lifeboat and she passed away in 2003 aged 97.  The Baltimore Tamar lifeboat has been substantially funded by her legacy together with the generous bequests of Henry and Joan Jermyn, John Noel Harvey Ward and John Heath.

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 Baltimore RNLI's former Tyne class lifeboat, which had 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.  It has room for 44 survivors.

The event included local school children from Rath National School who sang the lifeboat anthem Home from the Sea and groups and musicians including the Rathmore Church Choir, The Baltimore Singers and HX Brass.

#RESCUE - The Irish Examiner reports that a man has been airlifted to hospital after taking ill on a fishing vessel off Galway yesterday Friday 21 September.

The man reportedly experienced chest pains on board the fishing boat off the coast of Spiddal.

Galway RNLI's lifeboat was dispatched to the scene to attend to the man before he was airlifted by Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter to Galway University Hospital. His condition is as yet unknown.

#LIFEBOATS - The Larne Times reports that Larne RNLI will be involved in a major maritime exercise in Belfast Lough this Sunday 23 September.

As many as 365 people will take part in 'Exercise Diamond', which involves vessels from the UK coastguard along with lifeboats, helicopters, search and rescue co-ordinators and other emergency services.

The exercise is intended to "test the major incident plans for all the organisations that would be involved should a major maritime incident happen in Northern Ireland," said controller Steve Carson.