#rnli – Lifeboat crew with Tramore RNLI responded to a callout this afternoon at 1.43pm when a six metre half decker boat capsized with four men onboard halfway between Brownstown Head and Rhinashark off the Waterford coast. One man managed to swim to shore and the remaining three were recovered by the Tramore RNLI inshore lifeboat crew. One of the three was airlifted off the lifeboat by the Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 to be taken to hospital.

It is believed the men were in the water for up to a half an hour before they were rescued. There was a moderate swell in the area at the time.

Commenting on the callout Tramore RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Derek Musgrave said, "I am relieved that all four men are safe after their boat capsized. They were wearing lifejackets which provided the necessary buoyancy to keep them afloat while they clung to the upturned vessel.

#rnli – The volunteer lifeboat crew with Howth RNLI were kept busy this weekend when they responded to three callouts in 24 hours and helped bring 11 people to safety.

The first callout came at 2.46pm yesterday (Saturday 10 August) to a 22ft motorboat which had broken down south east of Lambay Island with two adults and two children on board. The craft had broken down and one of the adults and a child were suffering serious sea sickness. Howth RNLI's all weather lifeboat took the boat under two and brought the four people back to Howth Harbour where the two people were checked out by paramedics.

The second callout was received last night and involved a joint operation between Howth RNLI inshore lifeboat and Dun Laoghaire RNLI's all weather lifeboat. The call was received at 8.04pm to a report of a capsized motorboat in Dublin Bay with six people in the water. Howth lifeboat crew were first on scene and started to recover the casualties from the water. They were joined shortly after by the Dun Laoghaire lifeboat and transferred all six people onboard the all weather lifeboat to be taken back to Dun Laoghaire harbour. Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 was also on scene, hovering above the casualties to guide the lifeboats to the scene. The group were all wearing lifejackets but were suffering the effects of the cold water and were met by waiting ambulances at Dun Laoghaire harbour and taken to St Vincent's hospital.

The third callout for the lifeboat crew was received this morning (Sunday 11 August) at 6.28am and was to a lone yachtsman who had left Holyhead on a 25ft wooden boat, when ten miles east of Howth the craft started taking on water and was in danger of sinking. The man raised the alarm by phone when all his onboard equipment failed. Howth RNLI launched their all weather lifeboat and transferred a crewmember onboard the stricken craft to help stem the ingress of water. When this was proving difficult due to the speed the water was coming into the craft the man was taken onto the lifeboat and a second lifeboat crewmember was put on the vessel to help. A tow was established and the boat was taken back to Howth harbour.

Commenting on the three callouts Howth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Rupert Jeffares said, "These three callouts show a day in the life of our RNLI lifeboat volunteers here in Howth. No two callouts are the same but at the end of a busy 24 hours, eleven people have been brought to safety, six of them who were in serious trouble out on the bay when their boat capsized. It was a great result for everyone concerned.

#RNLI – The emergency services were alerted shortly before 5pm on Saturday afternoon, 10 August, that an elderly person might be missing at Garryvoe Beach. The Ballycotton RNLI lifeboat was asked to be on standby while the area was searched.

At 5:10pm the RNLI lifeboat crew pagers in Ballycotton were activated and the Ballycotton lifeboat was requested to launch to help in the search. Also requested to join in the search were the Ballycotton Coast Guard unit and the Waterford based Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 117.

At 5:15pm the RNLI lifeboat boarding boat dropped the all weather lifeboat crew aboard the Austin Lidbury. The boarding boat then proceeded across Ballycotton Bay to carry out a search of the water close to the shore at Garryvoe. The all weather RNLI lifeboat launched and carried out a search of the deeper water in Ballycotton Bay.

At 6:35pm it was reported that the elderly person was safe and well and the search was called off.

#RNLI – Dun Laoghaire RNLI all weather lifeboat and Howth RNLI inshore lifeboat rescued six people in Dublin Bay this evening (Saturday 10 August) after their boat capsized two and a half miles off the coast. The group who were all wearing lifejackets were brought back to Dun Laoghaire were they were met by waiting ambulances.

Dun Laoghaire and Howth lifeboats were launched shortly after 8pm this evening and were joined by Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116. The helicopter spotted the casualties in the water and hovered over the site to guide the lifeboats to the scene. Howth lifeboat crew arrived first and proceeded to recover four people onboard their inshore lifeboat followed soon after by the Dun Laoghaire lifeboat who recovered the remaining two people.

The four people onboard Howth RNLI lifeboat were then carefully transferred onto Dun Laoghaire lifeboat so they could all be taken back to Dun Laoghaire harbour together to be met by waiting ambulances.

Commenting on the callout Dun Laoghaire RNLI Coxswain Mark McGibney said, "These people were extremely lucky. Their small open motorboat had capsized and was upturned in the water. All six were nearby or clinging to the upturned hull when the lifeboats arrived. They were extremely cold and needed medical assistance. Their lifejackets undoubtedly played an important role in their safe recovery."

#RNLI - The crew of the Holyhead RNLI lifeboat in North Wales have rescued two people from a 32-foot yacht trapped on the Harry Furlong reef half a mile north of Cemaes Bay in the Irish Sea.

The lifeboat crew launched a small Y boat from the Severn and evacuated the pair from the vessel. They were taken aboard the lifeboat and brought to Holyhead.

Although shaken by their ordeal no first aid was required. A small fishing boat stood by during the rescue, and a helicopter from RAF Valley and local coastguard teams were all involved.

Later the same evening, the Holyhead lifeboat crew was requested to secure the vessel and attach a tow. As she refloated, the yacht was towed to Holyhead Marina, where her owner was reunited with her.

#rnli – Red Bay RNLI lifeboat recovered two people from Fair Head cliffs after group of five people get into difficulty. Red Bay RNLI launched this afternoon at 4.14pm to a report of a group of people in difficulty on the boulder field at Fair Head near Ballycastle. Two people were recovered by the Red Bay RNLI lifeboat while a further three were airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter and transferred to hospital.

On arrival at the scene the lifeboat crew were informed that five people on the cliff required assistance. The group were approximately sixty metres up from the base of the cliffs when one of them was taken ill. When the emergency services arrived on scene two other members of the party were suffering from the effects of the cold.

A paramedic on scene treated one of the group. Three people were airlifted by the Coast Guard helicopter while the remaining two were guided to the shoreline by Ballycastle Coastguard where they were recovered onto the Red Bay RNLI lifeboat and brought to Ballycastle.

Paddy McLaughlin, Red Bay RNLI helm said, "This was a coordinated rescue effort with the agencies working together to help the five people to safety. These cliffs can be treacherous and difficult to reach in the event of an incident. The recovery of the five people safely by lifeboat and Coastguard was a good result."

Additional reporting by HM Coastguard: 

SIX RESCUED AFTER BECOMING STRANDED AT FAIR HEAD

Six people have been taken to safety after becoming stranded at the foot of cliffs at Fair Head.

Belfast Coastguard received a 999 call just before 3.30pm this afternoon with reports that a group of people were cut off on Grey Man's Path at Fair Head.

The Coleraine and Ballycastle Coastguard Rescue Teams, along with HM Coastguard's Sector Manager for the area, were sent to the scene. The RNLI inshore lifeboat from Red Bay, the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service were also sent to assist.

Coastguard Rescue Officers located the group and administered first aid to a man who reported feeling unwell. This man, along with two others, was then airlifted to Aldergrove while the other three were taken to Ballycastle by the lifeboat.

Liam Colquhoun, Watch Manager at Belfast Coastguard said:

"We want people to enjoy our beautiful coastline, but you need to make sure that you are properly equipped, particularly if you're heading out for a walk along coastal paths. Remember to wear sturdy shoes or boots and check the weather forecast and tide times before you set out.

"There is the worry that some people could end up walking too far and can't get back. If this does happen, don't try to climb cliffs as a short cut back to the top. Instead call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."

#RNLI - Portrush RNLI assisted the crew members of a yacht that lost its mast while out sailing on the River Bann this morning.

The volunteer lifeboat crew were alerted by an observer and launched both the all-weather lifeboat and the inshore lifeboat just before 10am today Tuesday 6 August. The inshore lifeboat was later stood down.



The yacht in question had four people on board and had lost her mast and rigging due to an earlier collision with a navigation marker.

Portrush RNLI came alongside the yacht and passed equipment to her crew to help to stabilise the rigging.


Once this was done, a rope was successfully passed to the yacht to start the tow. This exercise was complicated because the yacht was stuck on the bottom of the river by the rigging and the keel, and the tide was falling fast.

Added to this, the river flow was quite strong, thus making conditions slightly more difficult.

However, due to the skill of the lifeboat crew and the fact that the winds were light, the tow rope was successfully attached and a long slow tow was started.



Mark Mitchell, deputy 2nd cox, said: "This was a tricky operation as the rigging and the sail from the yacht were still in the water, which made progress slow. We had to move at a reduced pace to ensure the tow would be successful. We had to move slowly into deeper water and adjust the tow accordingly."



Lifeboat operations manager Robin Cardwell added: "All the training and experience of our crew was required to ensure a successful outcome of this service. They judged conditions well and made sure the crew and yacht was brought to harbour."



The lifeboat crew towed the yacht to Coleraine Harbour and returned to base.

#rnli – Three RNLI lifeboats from Northern Ireland and three from the Isle of Man took part in a major maritime exercise fifteen miles off the coast of Northern Ireland on Saturday (3 August 2013) to test the effectiveness and familiarisation of search and rescue techniques with multiple lifeboats over a large scale area. Belfast Coastguard coordinated the exercise from their Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Bangor.

The scenario involved the rapid sinking of a small passenger vessel with 30 people onboard. The lifeboats tasked to respond came from Donaghadee, Portaferry and Newcastle in Northern Ireland and Peel, Port St Mary and Port Erin on the Isle of Man.

The role of the casualties were played by lifeboat crew, search and rescue mannequins and numbered oranges. The oranges added an extra challenge for the lifeboat crews as they can be quite difficult to locate in large open seas and really test the search techniques of the volunteer lifeboat crews.

The exercise started just before 9am and continued until 12.45pm. Both all weather and inshore RNLI lifeboats took part in the scenario with a total of 34 lifeboat crew participating. Conditions on the day were challenging with a strong south west wind and moderate to rough seas.

Commenting on the exercise Gareth Morrison RNLI Divisional Operations Manager said, "These major search and rescue scenarios are of huge importance to the RNLI. Our lifeboat crews never stop training for every scenario and outcome. This weekend was an opportunity to have six lifeboat crews from different areas, work together in the event off a major incident involving a large number of casualties. These types of callouts are sadly not uncommon and every exercise to prepare the volunteer crews is welcome. "

Donaghadee RNLI Coxswain Philip McNamara who took part in the exercise added, "This was a great opportunity to work with five other RNLI lifeboats in realistic and challenging conditions. We train every week in waters normally more local to Donaghadee so this exercise allowed my crew and I to train in a less familiar environment.

Newcastle RNLI Coxswain Mark Poland also commented, "This scenario is one we hope we never have to respond to, yet it's vital we are prepared. Conditions were difficult at times - but that made it even more realistic. Every casualty was located and recovered onboard one of the six lifeboats."

The RNLI recently responded to a major incident off the Cork coast where a tall ship struck rocks and thirty people, most of them teenagers, had to be rescued quickly. Four RNLI lifeboats responded with two taking all thirty safely off the stricken vessel.

#rnli – On Sunday evening (4th August 2013), Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat was launched to a rib which suffered engine failure off Inishmurray island.

The rib with 2 people on board suffered engine failure and made contact with another vessel who in turn called out Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat for assistance. The lifeboat paged at 18.57 launched in 4 minutes and headed directly for the casualty vessel, arriving on scene around 20 minutes later.

The Sligo based helicopter Rescue 118 offered assistance by releasing a smoke signal to direct the lifeboat to the rib. On reaching the rib, one of the volunteer crew of Bundoran RNLI transferred to it and assisted the the occupants onto the lifeboat and remained on board to assist with the towing of the vessel to Mullaghmore Harbour.

The lifeboat then completed the tow and returned to base.

#RNLI - Two men were rescued in the early hours of this morning (Sunday 4 August) after their small boat got into difficulty off the pier at Courtmacsherry Harbour in West Cork.

Fourteen crew of the Courtmacsherry RNLI all-weather lifeboat station responded immediately to the Mayday call at 4.25am and the two casualties were pulled ashore from the water after the small boat which they were in capsized.


Following an 999 call from two local people, the Irish Coast Guard immediately tasked the Courtmacsherry lifeboat and the Shannon-based coastguard rescue helicopter.

Within minutes the small craft had overturned and the two young men on board were thrown into the water. Without delay, crew members and helpers succeeded in getting a lifebelt from the pierced to one of the casualties, while the other man was helped ashore at the pierhead.


The two men, both from Cork City, were said to be "shocked and traumatised" by their ordeal after they were brought back to the lifeboat station in Courtmacsherry to be assessed by station crew and officers. Conditions at sea this morning were good with little wind.

Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian O'Dwyer said the men "had a very lucky escape in the early hours of this morning" and praised the fast response of the lifeboat crew members, local helpers and emergency services for "certainly averting a potential life threatening situation".