Wicklow RNLI Lifeboat Station is set to open its doors to the public on Sunday, August 6th, for its annual Open Day. This much-anticipated event has been absent for the past four years due to Covid-19 restrictions, but the volunteers, supporters, and fundraisers are excited to welcome visitors back once again. From 1 pm to 5 pm, guests can participate in a behind-the-scenes tour of the station and its two lifeboats. The volunteer crewmembers will be available to discuss their specialised training, demonstrate the equipment used on the lifeboats, and answer any questions.

The Open Day will feature demonstrations and displays by the local Emergency Services, showcasing their life-saving equipment. The lifeboat shop will also be open, and visitors will have the opportunity to meet the lifeboat mascot, Stormy Stan. Children can enjoy face painting, magic acts, and fun entertainment provided by Codling Wind Farm. The Wicklow Sailing Club has also kindly provided an area for sensory play activities for younger children.

This event is an excellent opportunity for the whole family to enjoy a day out while supporting the Wicklow lifeboat station.

Arklow RNLI is also holding its Open Day on the same day, making it ideal for lifeboat enthusiasts to visit two RNLI stations in the Garden County of Wicklow.

Tommy Dover, the Wicklow RNLI Press Officer, expressed his gratitude for the community's support, stating that they "do what we do thanks to generous local support. The Open Day is our way of saying thank you."

The Open Day promises to be a great day out for all ages, and the volunteers, supporters, and fundraisers look forward to welcoming visitors to the Wicklow RNLI Lifeboat Station.

Last week, Fethard RNLI came together to honour and bid farewell to Dr John Cox, who retired from his role as a volunteer Lifeboat Medical Advisor after over 25 years of dedicated service.

Dr Cox began his tenure as a medical advisor in 1996 when Fethard station reopened, taking care of the volunteers and ensuring their regular medical certifications were up to date. Prior to this, he had served for many years at Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI station.

During the retirement ceremony, Owen Medland, Area Lifesaving Manager for the southeast, presented Dr Cox with a framed print of Fethard's D-Class Naomh Dubhan on a chart of Ballyteige Bay, which is the station's operational area. Medland praised Dr Cox's voluntary commitment to saving lives at sea and his long-standing dedication to the RNLI. He wished the retiring doctor all the best for the future.

The Fethard RNLI crew with retiring Medical Advisor Dr John Cox Photo: Sorcha Bird

In response to the presentation, Dr Cox expressed his gratitude, saying, "While Fethard has done a lot for the Lifeboat by providing crews to man our D-Class lifeboat, the Lifeboat has done a lot for our community, not just in the high-profile activities of saving lives at sea but also in providing somewhere where people feel they belong and, most of all, that they feel they are doing something special and are appreciated."

Dr Cox added, "The picture of the Naomh Dubhan with the chart of Ballyteige Bay in the background is quite beautiful and will hang in our hallway for visitors to see for years to come. I wish you all continued success, and now that I do not have to go to work, I will try to take you up on your kind invitation to pop into the station for a cup of tea and a chat some evening."

Fethard RNLI station's management and crew extended their best wishes to Dr Cox and his wife, Mary, as they began the next chapter of their lives. Dr Cox's service and dedication to the RNLI will undoubtedly be missed, but his legacy will continue to inspire and guide volunteers for years to come.

The volunteer crew of Crosshaven RNLI were kept busy on Monday evening with two back-to-back callouts in Cork Harbour. The first callout came at 7.45 pm when the crew was alerted to a 19-foot motor boat with two people on board that had mechanical issues and an anchor that was dragging at Roches Point, near the mouth of the harbour. The crew quickly arrived on the scene and established a tow to Monkstown Marina.

As the lifeboat was berthing the casualty at Monkstown, Valentia Coast Guard diverted the crew to take part in a medical evacuation at Rushbrook Hotel. The National Ambulance Service requested assistance in extracting a patient with a lower leg injury from the shoreline. Cobh Fire Service was also in attendance. 

The patient was placed on the lifeboat by stretcher and taken to the ferry slipway before being handed back into the care of the paramedics. The lifeboat returned to the station at 10.50 pm, where it was washed down, refuelled, and declared ready for service once more at 11.30 pm. 

The RNLI crew involved in the operation included Alan Venner, Kline Pennefather, Molly Murphy, Conor Barry, Gary Heslin, Jeff Lasarda, Darryl Hughes, and Ian Venner. Michael McCann was DLA. 

This successful operation highlights the dedication and commitment of the Crosshaven RNLI to provide assistance to those in need.

The RNLI has teamed up with British Canoeing to encourage people to make safety a priority before taking to the water.

And echoing their safety advice is a kayaker who claims his trip to the coast may have ended in tragedy had he not been carrying the correct kit.

The summer safety campaign is in response to figures showing the number of lives saved while kayaking or canoeing by RNLI crews more than doubled last year in comparison to 2021.

Stand-up paddleboarding has continued to increase in popularity as last year, RNLI lifeboat crews saw a 21% rise in launches to paddleboarders across the UK and Ireland, in comparison to 2021.

It is a particular issue on Anglesey, where RNLI lifeboat crews at Trearddur Bay, Moelfre, Holyhead and Beaumaris have seen the number of people rescued while taking part in these activities rocket from six in 2021 to 37 in 2022.

RNLI crews are urging visitors to the coast to make safety a priority this summer. It’s a message shared by kayaker Guy Lowdes from Llandegla, who was returning from the Skerries near Holyhead with a group of 10 other kayakers back in December when he got into trouble.

Guy says: “I’m an experienced coastal kayaker and never did I expect to find myself in this situation. My kayak was capsized by a rogue wave and I found myself in the water on a very cold December afternoon. The tide pushed me one way and my boat the other, I must have been in the water about 20 minutes.”

Guy’s friend was able to remain with him and thankfully had a personal locator beacon (PLB) which he used to call for help. A rescue operation was mounted including a helicopter and RNLI crews from Holyhead and Moelfre.

“I’m just so grateful we had a means of calling for help, so we could alert the RNLI to exactly where we were located,” Guy says. “I was starting to feel incredibly cold and poorly despite wearing a dry suit. I’m convinced if I’d have been there any longer with the failing light, we may never have been found.

“Once the RNLI arrived and I was taken onboard Holyhead’s lifeboat, the adrenaline stopped. I felt very unwell and cold. I’m so pleased to be here today sharing my story and hoping people take heed of the RNLI’s advice and never set up without having the necessary equipment. My story just goes to show how dangerously unpredictable the sea can be.”

The RNLI and British Canoeing are raising awareness of how to stay safe on the water when planning to stand-up paddleboard, kayak or canoe on any type of water.

Their safety advice is to:

• Wear a buoyancy aid or personal flotation device.
• Carry a means of communication to call for help in an emergency.
• Check the weather before heading out.
• Tell others of your plans so they know when you will be returning.
• Paddle within your ability.

The Anglesey coastline in Wales has become a mecca for people wanting to take to the sea and experience these popular activities, but local RNLI crews are encouraging people to heed by their advice.

Vince Jones, RNLI mechanic at Moelfre says they have been inundated with calls to stand-up paddleboarders in particular.

“We want people to enjoy our stunning coastline but are urging people to think carefully before setting out,” he says. “Many of our calls are to people being blown out to sea in offshore winds. We ask people to think carefully about the weather and tides before setting off and ensuring they have a means of calling for help.”

For more information on how to stay safe during paddlesports, see the RNLI website HERE.

A member of the public alerted the Coast Guard to a stranded vessel with one person onboard near Spike Island and Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour on Saturday afternoon (July 29th).

The Crosshaven lifeboat volunteers were called to action and launched at 5.40 pm. The crew, consisting of Alan Venner, Susanne Deane, and David Venner, located the 20-foot motor vessel at anchor near the Haulbowline bridges.

The skipper explained that he had experienced engine failure after leaving the slipway at Paddy's Point. The weather conditions at the scene were challenging, with a westerly Force 5 and choppy sea.

After establishing a tow, the crew returned the vessel to Paddy's Point and helped the skipper retrieve it to his trailer before heading back to the station. Helm, Alan Venner, commented, "all water users should carry a means of calling for help and to call for help in a timely manner." He also praised the member of the public who reported the incident.

The crew members involved in the operation were Alan Venner, Susanne Deane, and David Venner, while Gary Heslin, Jon Meany, Michael Livingstone, Kline Pennefather, and deputy launching authority Hugh Mockler participated in the launch and recovery.

In case of an emergency on or near the water, contact the Coast Guard by calling 999 or 112, or by using VHF channel 16.

The Baltimore RNLI provided a medical evacuation on Sunday morning, July 30th, from Sherkin Island located off Baltimore in West Cork. The request for assistance came from the Irish Coast Guard to evacuate an injured man from the island.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 8:09 am and arrived at Sherkin Island pier at 8:18 am. Once there, the casualty was assessed by the Casualty Care lifeboat crew member before being transferred onto a stretcher and taken onboard the lifeboat.

The crew returned to the Baltimore station at 8:47 am, and the casualty was handed over to the care of the HSE Ambulance crew.

The crew consisted of seven volunteers, and the conditions in the harbour during the call-out were choppy with a westerly force four wind and reasonable visibility.

Castletownbere lifeboat was dispatched to help a man whose speedboat was having difficulty off the West Cork coast this afternoon.

The Irish Coast Guard's Marine Research Coordination Centre in Valentia received reports that a 17' speedboat with one person aboard had become stuck on a rope and required 'immediate assistance'.

The RNLI lifeboat, 'Annette Hutton,' was tasked and launched within minutes under the command of Coxswain Marney O'Donoghue with volunteer crew Dave O'Donovan, Joe Cronin, John Paul Downey, and Donagh Murphy.

The speedboat was located shortly thereafter just off Dunboy Point within Berehaven Harbour.

The volunteer crew were able to release the pleasure craft by using a grappling hook and then cutting the snagged rope. The lifeboat then towed the vessel to safety and berthed it at Castletownbere Pier.

Coxswain O'Donoghue commented, "the boat was in an awkward location, making the rescue slightly more challenging, but the volunteer crew managed to release the boat with little effort."

The weather on the scene was described as having good visibility with Force 5/6 winds and a calm sea.

Baltimore RNLI responded to a distress call on Thursday, 27 July, to assist a 12m sailing yacht with engine failure near Baltimore Harbour, West Cork.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their inshore lifeboat at 7 pm after the Coast Guard requested their assistance.

The inshore lifeboat arrived at the vessel at 7.15 pm, and the crew decided to tow the yacht.

The inshore lifeboat, with the casualty vessel under tow, returned to Baltimore Harbour and arrived at 8.45 pm. There were four volunteer crew members onboard the lifeboat.

The conditions at sea were calm with a westerly force 3 wind, no sea swell and good visibility.

Pat O’Driscoll, Baltimore RNLI Volunteer Helm, advised the public to call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard in case of an emergency at sea.

Newcastle RNLI’s lifeboat crew launched both their all-weather and inshore lifeboats yesterday (Wednesday, 26 July) at 3.08 pm following a request from HM Coastguard. A 36ft yacht with five people onboard, including two children, had reported that their equipment had failed and they were drifting five miles east of Ardglass.

First to launch was the station’s all-weather lifeboat. On arrival at the scene, a short time later, the lifeboat crew observed that the casualty vessel was, in fact two miles west of St. John’s Point and was in danger of drifting onto rocks. Conditions were moderate to rough, with a force 5 to 6 wind, and visibility was less than two nautical miles.

The lifeboat crew immediately checked on the welfare of those onboard, some of whom were showing signs of fatigue and sea sickness. A decision was made that the lifeboat would bring the vessel under tow to the safety of Newcastle Harbour.

As the All-Weather lifeboat approached Newcastle Harbour Coxswain, Gerry McConkey, requested the assistance of the station’s inshore lifeboat to provide support on the last part of the journey and to tow the vessel into harbour. The yacht was then towed into Newcastle harbour, where it was secured, and all on board brought ashore and to the lifeboat station, where the crew were able to provide casualty care. Newcastle Coastguard team were also on scene to provide care, and paramedics arrived to check the group over and ensure they were well enough to leave.

Speaking on the callout, Newcastle RNLI Launching Authority Daniel Curran said, ‘It was a busy day on station yesterday with a lot of lifeboat crew being present for a training exercise and scheduled inshore lifeboat maintenance. This ensured an extremely fast lifeboat launch, and the crew were on scene with the casualties shortly after raising the alarm.

Commenting on the callout, Newcastle RNLI Launching Authority Daniel Curran said, ‘The location of the yacht, along with the loss of their navigational equipment, meant that the group were in serious danger of drifting onto rocks if they had not managed to raise the alarm. Conditions were not pleasant for those on the boat, and it was a tough few hours for them. I’m delighted, with such an excellent turnout on station yesterday for our training, that we were able to assist this group and bring them back to land safely in an extremely fast time. The call for help was raised through a radio onboard the yacht, and having a means of calling for help is vital when out on the water.

The all-Weather lifeboat crew for the callout were Coxswain Gerry McConkey, Mechanic Shane Rice, Mark Mitchel, Andrew Lynas, Trez Dennison and Karl Brannigan. The inshore lifeboat crew were Helm Locky Leneghan and Brendan Rooney and Ciaran Leneghan.

Aran Islands RNLI has come to the aid of eight people in two separate incidents over the weekend after two yachts got into difficulty.

The volunteer crew spent six hours at sea on Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning (23 July) after responding to a request to launch their all-weather lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard at 10.58 pm on Saturday.

An 11.2m yacht with seven onboard was in difficulty two nautical miles northeast of Kilmurvey Bay.

The lifeboat launched under Coxswain Declan Brannigan and a full crew onboard and headed straight for the yacht.

Conditions at the time of launching were tough, with poor visibility, squally showers, a west to south-west force five wind blowing and a 3m sea swell.

Arriving on scene, the crew assessed the situation and were happy the crew aboard the yacht were in good health and in no immediate danger. The yacht was drifting as the steering had stopped working completely.

A decision was made to establish a tow line, but it was difficult to maintain due to the conditions.

A discussion between the lifeboat crew and the Coast Guard resulted in Casla Coast Guard being tasked to the scene, 1.5 nautical miles south of Cannon Rock light. A tow line was established between Casla Coast Guard and the yacht. The lifeboat proceeded to escort the vessels into Casla Bay where in calmer waters, the Casla Coast Guard was able to get the yacht alongside them and guide her safely into Rossaveal Harbour.

The Aran Islands lifeboat returned to Kilronan at 5.20 am.

Meanwhile, the volunteer crew were also requested to launch the lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard at 6.26 pm last Friday (21 July).

A 15m yacht was in difficulty in Casheen Bay, north of the Aran Islands.

The lifeboat launched under Coxswain Declan Brannigan and a full crew and headed straight for the yacht.

Conditions at the time of launching were challenging with moderate visibility, a 2-3m sea swell and a south-west force 6 wind blowing.

Arriving on scene, the crew assessed the situation, and established the yacht with one person onboard was in no immediate danger.

A tow line was established and once clear of a nearby fish farm, the sailor was able to start his engine and the tow line was dropped.

The lifeboat guided the yacht out past Ceann Golam and towards Cannon Rock and the entrance to the channel for Rossaveal harbour. The yacht proceeded safely towards the harbour unaided.

Speaking after the call outs, Aran Islands RNLI Coxswain Declan Brannigan said: 'Saturday was a long night for the volunteer crew but the benefits of regular training paid off. Experience is earned from showing up. I am extremely proud of how they conducted themselves. There was a great response time from the crew for both call outs and in the first call out on Friday, we were able to get to the yacht quickly, and tow the sailor out safely. Saturday’s call out proved more challenging with the conditions and the hours of darkness but again, we were delighted to bring all seven to safety. Calling the Coast Guard for assistance in both cases was correct.

‘Even in the summer conditions can change quickly and push even the most experienced sailors out of their comfort zones. We would encourage everyone to be fully trained in the usage of all their equipment onboard ahead of their planned trip at sea.’