#RNLI - Union Hall RNLI rescued five men after their yacht was in danger of hitting rocks off the coast of West Cork on Friday evening (26 June).

The volunteer lifeboat crew was alerted shortly after 5pm following a report from the Irish Coast Guard that a 54ft French yacht, with five men onboard, was dragging an anchor on a lee shore in the inner harbour in Glandore village.

The inshore lifeboat, helmed by Stephen Hurley and with crew members Johnny McKenna and Sean McCarthy, launched at 5.15pm and was on scene minutes later. Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a Force 4-5 westerly wind blowing.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that the vessel was in danger of hitting rocks after its propeller had got tangled in a rope. The yacht’s crew had put out an anchor but it then started to drag on a lee shore.

Having assessed the situation, one lifeboat crew member went aboard the yacht before a towline was quickly established to divert the vessel from hitting the rocks.

The lifeboat crew then proceeded to bring the vessel and the five men onboard safely back to Union Hall.

Speaking following the callout, Union Hall RNLI deputy launching authority Jim Moloney said: "The quick response of the lifeboat crew prevented a more serious situation developing this evening and I would like to commend our volunteers for using their skills and training to bring the yacht out of danger."

#Kayaking - Just days after embarking on an ambitious kayaking expedition from Kinsale to Germany, pizza oven company boss Hendrik Lepel was picked up by the RNLI after calling for help off Cornwall.

Padstow's volunteer lifeboat launched around 12am in the early hours of yesterday morning (Thursday 25 June) to rescue the German kayaker, who was suffering from fatigue after 30 hours at sea and unsure how to reach Padstow Harbour.

Quickly locating the four-metre kayak The Flying Northman, which was set up with an outrigger and sails, the crew took the tired casualty onboard and towed the kayak into Padstow where his support crew were waiting. 

"It was a beautifully calm and flat night, with very light winds," said deputy second coxswain and mechanic Michael England. "The chap had been at sea for 30 hours and was extremely tired.

"Although he was also equipped with an outboard engine, he’d used the fuel and under sail it would have been a long passage into Padstow.  Unfamiliar with the area, he was also unsure of the best way into the harbour.

"He did exactly the right thing to call for help, and although it was a late night for the crew, we didn’t get back to the station until 2.20am, we were happy to help him out."

Here's hoping Lepel – who admitted earlier to "not being experienced" at offshore kayaking – can resume his journey to Rostock in time to meet the tall ships without further incident!

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI assisted six people in the early hours of this morning (Friday 26 June) after their yacht got into difficulty off the Wexford coast.

Volunteers were alerted shortly before 2.30am following a report from the Irish Coast Guard that a 14m yacht with six people onboard was experiencing difficulties 12 miles south east of Rosslare Harbour.

The all-weather lifeboat under coxswain Keith Miller launched at 2.55am and made its way to the scene. Weather conditions at the time were described as good with some light rain and a south east Force 4 wind blowing. Visibility was fair.
 


Arriving on scene at approximately 3.30am, the lifeboat crew observed that no one was in any immediate danger.
 
The yacht, which was on passage from Poland and making its way to Dublin, had got entangled in lobster pots.

Having assessed the situation, two crew from Rosslare Harbour RNLI proceeded to launch the small inshore Y boat from the all-weather lifeboat so that they could get as close as possible to the yacht.

A towline was established and the lifeboat began to gently pull until the rope was untangled and the yacht was freed. The lifeboat stood by for 15 minutes before the yacht resumed normal passage.
 


Speaking following the callout, Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat press officer Jamie Ryan said: "The crew of the yacht did the right thing this morning and raised the alarm when they got into difficultly.

"It was an early call out for our volunteers but they were delighted to be able to assist and ensure the six crew members on the yacht could resume their passage to Dublin safely."

#RNLI - Both Wicklow RNLI lifeboats launched yesterday afternoon (Saturday 20 June) at 3.10pm to investigate a report of an object floating in the sea off the beach at Brittas Bay.

A vigilant lifeguard on duty at Brittas Bay contacted the Irish Coast Guard to report a white object in the water about two miles off the popular tourist beach. 

Both lifeboats were on scene 20 minutes after launching, and they conducted an extensive search from Mizzen Head back towards Wicklow Head.



Conditions in the area were good, with a slight sea state and wind westerly force two. Visibility in the search area was good.

During the search the lifeboat volunteers made contact with some boats in the area but none required any assistance.



Following an extensive search of the area and no boat found to be in difficulty, the coastguard stood down both lifeboats at 4.05pm, and they were back in their station by 4.30pm.



The crew on the all-weather lifeboat were coxswain Ciaran Doyle, mechanic Connie O'Gara, John Vize and David Collard. The inshore crew were helm Graham Fitzgerald, Peter McCann and Matt Doyle.

#HotTub - Vessels in the English Channel have been warned to keep watch for a hot tub adrift in the water after a houseboat sank near Brighton this week.

On Wednesday 17 June, Newhaven RNLI attended to a tug towing two 22-metre houseboats on their way to the Thames area, one of which began taking on water and sank within 20 minutes.

As YBW reports, the lifeboat and tug crew were able to collect some debris that floated to the surface from the sunken houseboat.

But the hot tub was too large to recover, and its last known position was passed to Dover Coastguard.

#RNLI - Volunteer lifeboat crew from Wexford and Rosslare Harbour RNLI launched on Sunday (14 June) to go to the assistance of two people onboard a 37ft yacht which got into difficulty off Wexford’s east coast.

Wexford RNLI launched their inshore lifeboat first at 4.30pm following reports that a yacht had suffered engine failure two miles south west of Raven’s Point. They then requested the assistance of their colleagues at Rosslare Harbour RNLI who subsequently launched their all-weather lifeboat.

Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a Force 5-6 northerly wind blowing. The sea was calm and there was good visibility. 



The Wexford lifeboat, helmed by Lorraine Galvin and with crew members Simon Gulliver and Martin Conway onboard, arrived on scene at 5pm. Gulliver, who is also Wexford RNLI’s station mechanic, boarded the yacht and assessed the situation.

After inspection, Gulliver was able to get the fuel system working again and ran the boat for 10 minutes to ensure the vessel was operating smoothly. Rosslare Harbour RNLI stood by meanwhile, ready to assist if required. 

Following the checks, the yacht was able to continue on its journey. 


Speaking following the callout, Galvin said: "We were delighted to be able to assist the two people who got into difficulty on their yacht today.

"Simon’s skills as mechanic paid off as he successfully managed to get the yacht back underway and in doing so avoided a lengthy tow back to shore."

#RNLI - Six teenagers have been rescued by Crosshaven RNLI this morning (Tuesday 16 June) after a member of the public spotted them in the water and raised the alarm.

The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 6.10am following a report from the Irish Coast Guard that six teenagers, three male and three female, were on a homemade raft half a mile east of Crosshaven.

Weather conditions at the time were described as good but the tide was changing and going out rapidly.

The lifeboat, helmed by Gary Heslin and with crew members Vincent Fleming and Aoife Dinan onboard, was launched at 6.15am and was on scene three minutes later. The crew observed five teenagers on the raft while another was in the water trying to pull the raft ashore using a rope. 


The crew proceeded to take the six – one of whom was cold – onboard the lifeboat and transport them safely back to Crosshaven Harbour where they were made comfortable in the lifeboat station.



"Time was of the essence this morning and we have to thank the vigilant member of the public who spotted the group and raised the alarm," said Heslin after the callout.

"While weather conditions were good the tide was starting to turn pretty fast and was pushing the group out to sea. Thankfully, all are now returned to shore and are safe and well.

"We would encourage anyone taking to the water this summer to always be mindful of tides and weather conditions and always carry a means of communications in case you find yourself in any difficulty."

#RNLI - Arklow RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew were alerted by pager at 6.44pm yesterday evening (14 June) to a call for help from a local fishing vessel in the station's second callout of the week, following the lifeboat's midweek rescue of a stricken sailboat.

The crew consisting of coxswain Ned Dillon, station mechanic Michael Fitzgerald, John Bermingham, Scotty Heaney, Keith Forde and Eddie McElheron launched the lifeboat Ger Tigchleaar and proceeded to the vessel, which had suffered machinery failure and was adrift outside the mouth of Arklow Harbour.

After locating the casualty vessel, the lifeboat crew established a tow line and proceeded back in to Arklow with the vessel alongside. All crew members aboard the casualty remained aboard during the service and all hands came ashore safely.

Speaking following the incident, Arklow RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Mark Corcoran said: "All people who take to the water whether for a living or for pleasure must always wear their lifejackets and should always have a means of raising the alarm."

Elsewhere, RNLI volunteers aboard Donaghadee's all-weather lifeboat Saxon sped to the rescue of a stricken vessel as darkness fell on Friday evening (12 June).

The 10-metre craft with a crew of one developed engine trouble on a passage to Westport in Co Mayo and was adrift in the busy sea lanes at the mouth of Belfast Lough.

The Donaghadee lifeboat launched at the request of the coastguard at 10.15pm and conducted a search in the gathering gloom one mile north of the Copeland Islands until the vessel was located.

In light sea conditions, a member of the RNLI crew boarded the vessel to assist with repairs and the lifeboat then escorted it to the safety of Bangor Marina. Saxon was back on station and stood down shortly after midnight.

Donaghadee RNLI coxswain Philip McNamara advised all boat owners "to conduct a thorough check of their engines, communications and safety equipment before putting to sea.

"If you encounter a problem, call for assistance at the earliest opportunity. We are ready to be of service and It is always better to be safe than sorry."

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI is holding a 'blessing of the boats' ceremony and lifeboat open day in Dunmore East harbour next Sunday 21 June at 2pm.

The Dunmore East RNLI all-weather lifeboat will position in the harbour for the ceremony, and all seagoing vessels are welcome to come alongside for the duration.

The flotilla of boats will then head to sea, just outside the harbour wall, where the Dunmore East lifeboat crew will lay a wreath to remember those lost at sea.
 


At 3pm the Dunmore East Lifeboat will be joined by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 for a winching demonstration. On return to the harbour, the lifeboat and station house – and lifeboat shop – will be open to the public. 


The crew of Dunmore East RNLI are also having a BBQ at the station house afterwards, and welcome everyone to come and join them for a burger and light refreshments complements of the crew, along with music by the Matt Tappers and lots of fun with net mending and splicing competitions open to all. 


"The blessing of the boats is a great tradition in Dunmore East and we hope that the fishermen, sailors and all seagoers will join our flotilla to remember those lost at sea," says Dunmore East RNLI's Neville Murphy.

"Our boat will be open to the public, so it a great chance for everyone to get a look inside an all-weather Trent class lifeboat and meet the crew who will answer all your questions.

"Our open day is our way of saying thank you to those who support us in our mission to save lives at sea."

#RNLI - Arklow RNLI came to the assistance of a sailing vessel with sail damage and mechanical failure on Wednesday evening (10 June).

Following a planned exercise, Arklow lifeboat Ger Tigchlearr and its volunteer crew of Eamonn Kavanagh, John Berminghham, Michael Fitzgerald, Jimmy Myler and Trevor Conroy were returning to station around 8.30pm when a distress call was received from the vessel, about one mile south-east of Arklow Harbour.

The lifeboat crew proceeded to the location and took the vessel under tow back to Arklow, where all hands came ashore safely.

Following the rescue, Arklow RNLI sea safety officer Mark Corcoran said: "All skippers of vessels going to sea for work or pleasure should carry a means of calling for help and wear lifejackets.

"Calling for help in good time will lessen the chances of people ending up in the water and increase the chances of successful rescue."