#RNLI - Skerries RNLI was requested for the first time in 2015 yesterday morning (Thursday 8 January) following a report of a swimmer in difficulty.

The volunteer crew launched their Atlantic 85 lifeboat Louis Simson at 11.30am following a call to Dublin Coast Guard from a concerned member of the public about a swimmer in the water off Red Island headland.

The lifeboat, with Joe May at the helm and crewed by David Knight, AJ Hughes and Stephen Crowley, launched and proceeded directly to the area indicated by the coastguard.

Arriving on scene, it was discovered there was a local swimming group ashore after returning from a swim. After speaking to the group, the volunteer crew were assured that everyone was accounted for.

The lifeboat performed a precautionary sweep of the area before being stood down and returning to station.

The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 was also on scene and carried out a search before returning to base.

Speaking after the callout, Gerry Canning, volunteer lifeboat press officer for Skerries RNLI, said: "Thankfully in this case our assistance wasn’t required. 

"However, the member of public had good intentions and we would always advise people to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard if they think they see someone in difficulty at sea."

#rnli – As Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) research reveals more fishermen die in January than in any other month of the year, the lifesaving charity has launched a hard-hitting campaign encouraging fishermen to make sure their boats keep them safe at sea – with an emotive advert due to be displayed around the town of Kilkeel.

The campaign features five short films which provide practical advice and use easy to follow animation. The films show how to keep fishing boats stable and highlight factors that lead to dangerous instability, with RNLI research showing that the majority of deaths in the commercial fishing industry occur when vessel stability is lost.

RNLI figures show that 59% of commercial fishing fatalities were due to a loss of vessel stability leading to capsize, leaking or swamping between 2010 and 2013 – with 30% of deaths occurring in the month of January when seas can be rough and water temperatures are at their lowest. The campaign is targeted at fishermen who work on vessels under 15m in length, as the majority of fishing-related fatal incidents (73%) occurred on fishing boats in this category.

The films cover five key areas that lead to boat instability: overloading, watertight integrity, free surface effect2, modifications and hauling.

The films, which are all under 10 minutes in length, feature experts Peter Duncan, lecturer from the Scottish Maritime Academy, and RNLI Fishing Safety Manager and former commercial fisherman Frankie Horne. They can be viewed at RNLI.org/stability.

Alexander McCauley volunteer lifeboat crew member from Kilkeel RNLI lifeboat station, who is also a commercial fisherman, said: 'I know just how demanding and dangerous commercial fishing can be, especially in rough conditions throughout the winter months. I'd encourage all fishermen to take a look at these films at RNLI.org/stability. They provide excellent, practical advice in an easy to digest format.

'It's easy to get complacent with boat safety checks and it can be very tempting to cut corners to maximise a haul. But these films highlight just how easily you can compromise your boat's stability by doing this, and the consequences can be fatal.'

Emotive adverts are also being used throughout the campaign, using the strapline 'Dad's gone fishing'. The powerful image used in the adverts shows coat hooks in a family home. The coats of mum and two young children are hanging up, but dad's coat is missing – he's failed to return home from fishing.

This advert will be displayed on an ad van driving around Kilkeel in early January. The hard-hitting advert will also appear on Facebook posts targeted at fishermen and their families and friends, in commercial fishing publications and websites.

In addition to the adverts, drinks glasses, coasters and coffee mugs have been produced to support the campaign and will be distributed to pubs and bars at fishing ports across the UK and the Republic of Ireland in January. These products feature key safety tips and point fishermen to the vessel stability films online at RNLI.org/stability.

Frankie Horne, RNLI Fishing Safety Manager, said: 'Data3 shows that, tragically, 49 fishermen died between 2009 and 2012 across the UK and Ireland. We hope that this campaign will help prevent further deaths at sea.

'The majority of these fatalities were fishermen working on boats under 15 metres long and 30% of deaths occurred in the month of January, when sea conditions are often very rough and the water temperature is dangerously low.'

The films offer tips and guidance on areas including:
Leaks, overloading and the free surface effect2 of a loose catch can all make a vessel unstable.
Keep your boat watertight by checking hatches are closed at sea.
Tie down loose kit and keep scuppers clear.
When modifying a fishing boat, get professional advice on stability first.
Cut the net if hauling in a heavy catch makes your boat list.

'I would also like to remind fishermen of the importance of wearing a personal floatation device. Our figures show that of all commercial fishing fatalities between 2010 and 2013, 59% of those who died were not wearing a lifejacket or buoyancy aid,' added Frankie Horne.

Between 2009 and 2013, RNLI lifeboats launched 2,555 times to incidents involving commercial fishing boats, rescuing 3,762 people.

1 RNLI-commissioned causal analysis of fatalities in waters around the UK and Republic of Ireland between the period 2010 and 2013.

2 Definition of free surface effect In a partly filled tank or fish hold, the contents will shift with the movement of the boat. This 'free surface' effect increases the danger of capsizing. The centre of gravity moves over to the side, making the vessel less stable.

3 Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) data 2009–12.

#rnli – Howth Lifeboat, one of the top five fundraising branches in the whole of the RNLI, has produced a seven minute youtube video to Thin Lizzy's 'The Boys are Back in Town' soundtrack, showing some great onboard action scenes from both allweather and inshore boats. The above vid is no longer publically available on youtube.

There is positive news too at the north Dublin station regarding the new pontoon berth for the All-Weather lifeboat alongside the boathouse slip. Permission has been granted and planning permission is to be applied for shortly. Installation is expected to take place during 2015.

Howth RNLI volunteers were recipients of a number of awards during the year, notably operations manager Rupert Jeffares who received a "bar" to his gold badge at an awards ceremony in the Barbican in London.

It was a tremendous year for fundraising with €141,916 raised, making it the second highest amount since 2007. 

Derek Evans  in the Irish Times has more on Howth lifeboat developments here

#RNLI - In the first callout of the year for Newcastle RNLI in Co Down, both lifeboats were launched in the early hours of Saturday morning (3 January) following reports of a missing male sighted near the beach close to Down Roads.

The inshore lifeboat crew were paged at 3.08am by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to assist local police and coastguard in their search for the missing man.

The inshore lifeboat arrived on scene within minutes to commence a search of the shoreline from the Shimna river mouth to Dundrum Bar.

In a moderate sea state with some big swells and a northwest Force 4-5 wind, the decision was made at 3.29am to launch the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) to assist with the search.

The ALB lifeboat crew stood by and provided cover as the inshore lifeboat manoeuvred its way through the surf. Both lifeboats used white parachute flares to illuminate the search area in poor weather conditions.

Both lifeboats were stood down at 4.35am and returned to station after the man was safely found on land.

Commenting on the callout, Newcastle RNLI helm Dylan Mooney said: "Thankfully the casualty was found safe and well on shore. It was great to put the new lifeboat through its paces once again.

"It handles well in the surf. We used night vision and the search light to help us see in the darkness."

Newcastle RNLI deputy launching authority Raymond Deery added: "We have a dedicated crew here at Newcastle that respond rapidly to the lifeboat pager no matter what the conditions."

The volunteer lifeboat crew for the inshore lifeboat were Dylan Mooney, Gary Agnew and Aaron Latus and on the all-weather lifeboat were Richard Herron, Alan Jones, Peter Uprichard, Fionnuala Niallais, Declan Barry, Daniel Rooney and Aidan Riley.

Shore crew were Paul Beeks, Brian Leneghan, Nathan Leneghan, Niall McMurray and Robert Latus.

#RNLI - A week after Dun Laoghaire RNLI remembered those who lost their lives at sea, Wicklow RNLI held its annual New Year's Day service of remembrance this past Thursday.

The ceremony began with a short religious prayer conducted by Fr Donal Roche and Rev Ken Rue, who blessed the flowers and wreaths.

After the blessing, coxswain Nick Keogh and the lifeboat crew took the floral tributes out to sea and launched them on the water.

The annual ceremony remembers past RNLI volunteers and all associated with the sea from Wicklow.

#Lifeboats - The RNLI in Ireland has put together this thrilling looking back at its year of rescues in 2014 as their lifeboat crews saw it themselves via helmet- or boat-mounted cameras.

Among the callouts featured here involving inshore and coastal lifeboat crews throughout the island of Ireland are some of the more daring night-time rescues.

But there are also some of the year's more unusual incidents, such as when Tramore RNLI were tasked to bring a stranded bull to safety, or the Wicklow inshore lifeboat's mission to rescue a sheep trapped in a sea cave.

#RNLI - Volunteers at Kilmore Quay RNLI were called upon to go to the aid of an American yacht with three people on board in the early hours of Wednesday 17 December.

The 42-foot yacht, which was on passage from Falmouth in the UK to Crosshaven in Cork, was experiencing difficult conditions.

The crew encountered some damage to their rigging, being forced to alter course and run before the southwest wind that was blowing at Force 6.

The yacht was 12 miles to the south of Kilmore Quay in Co Wexford at 11pm when its crew put in a call to the Irish Coast Guard for help.

Kilmore Quay’s all-weather lifeboat Killarney left the harbour at 11.15pm and was alongside the yacht 35 minutes later.

A tow rope was passed to the yacht and its was towed back to the marina at Kilmore Quay, arriving in at 2.30am.

#rnli – Clifden RNLI lifeboat crew had their first callout in their new all weather lifeboat last night (Tuesday 23 December) to bring a local GP to provide urgent and immediate medical attention to an elderly resident on Inishturk Island. The treatment means that the man will get to spend Christmas at home and not in hospital.

Earlier today, Afloat.ie reported how some 58 people on Inisturk face their first Christmas in decades without medical cover.

Clifden RNLI received their new all weather lifeboat, which is on a trial, during the Summer and the first callout was received at 6pm on Tuesday evening. Dr. Ciaran Mac Loughlin, a local GP contacted the emergency services and requested transport to a patient on the Island for urgent medical attention.

The volunteer lifeboat crew with Clifden RNLI was alerted and launched with the doctor onboard and returned to Clifden after 11pm.

Commenting on the callout Dr. Mac Loughlin said, 'The lifeboat provides an invaluable service to the community. My callout last night was to a man in need of immediate and urgent medical attention. The swift response of Clifden RNLI meant that the man did not have to be moved to hospital for treatment and is now recovering well at home.

I was very impressed with the new lifeboat and with the volunteer crew who brought me out to the island last night. We travelled there and back in complete darkness and their actions ensured that I could administer care to my patient on scene and not have to move him. I am very grateful to them for this.'

Clifden RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager John Brittain added, 'We have been eagerly awaiting the first callout for our new lifeboat, which works alongside our two inshore boats. I am pleased that its first callout had a successful outcome and that we were able to help the man from Inishturk spend Christmas at home.'

#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI has rescued a man who got caught out by the tide yesterday afternoon (Monday 22 December).

The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 2.24pm following a report of person in the water on Strangford Lough.

A kayaker who was in upper parts of the lough at the time raised the alarm after he saw a man waist-deep in the water.

The lifeboat launched and headed towards Rainey Island at the north end of Strangford Lough, arriving on scene at 2.50pm, and the crew began a search of the area around Rainey and Sketrick Islands.

When nothing was found, the lifeboat carried on up into Watson Island on Ardmillan Bay, where the crew located the casualty.

The man, who was a wildfowler, had set off walking to the island earlier in the morning when the tide had been out but then got caught out by the rising tide.

It was when he was attempting to return to the mainland that he was spotted by the kayaker waist deep in the water.

With the water getting deeper the man decided to return to the island for his own safety, where he was waiting when the lifeboat located him.

In what is a muddy area that can be dangerous, the Portaferry crew carefully manoeuvred in shallow water to get to the man and bring him on board the lifeboat.

The casualty, who was cold and fatigued but who didn’t require any further medical attention, was then transported to Ballydorn.

Speaking following the callout, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager Brian Baille commended the kayaker who had raised the alarm.

"The kayaker spotted the casualty, raised the alarm and then stayed with the man until the lifeboat arrived on scene and brought him to safety. Had the alarm been raised later it would have been much trickier to locate the casualty in the dark.

"We would remind anyone planning to go out on the lough to be mindful of the weather and tide times."

#rnli – The crew of the RNLI lifeboat station at Dun Laoghaire on Dublin Bay will hold their annual ceremony to remember the 15 volunteers that died on service in 1895 on Christmas Eve as well as all those who lost their lives around our coasts in 2014. Families are especially welcome to attend this long-standing local tradition of remembrance.

The short ceremony will take place at mid-day on Christmas Eve at the lighthouse end of Dun Laoghaire's popular East Pier and will include music, an ecumenical blessing, a contemporary newspaper account of the 1895 tragedy and a piped lament.

Both RNLI lifeboats stationed at Dun Laoghaire will launch and the crews will lay wreaths at sea close to the pier.

The ceremony is a long-standing Christmas Eve tradition that remembers the lives of the 15 volunteer crew that died when their lifeboat capsized in gale force winds while attempting to rescue those on board the SS Palme that had run aground off Blackrock, Co. Dublin. All lives lost at sea will also be included in the ceremony.

Relatives of the original 1895 lifeboat crew are expected to be amongst those who will walk the pier for the 20-minute ceremony. Musician William Byrne and journalist Fergal Keane will be joined by a lone piper on the East Pier lighthouse battery during the short ceremony that has been facilitated by the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. In case of inclement weather, an alternative ceremony will still be held closer to the lifeboat station.