#RNLI - Arklow man and former lifeboat operations manager Jimmy Tyrrell will have the honour of naming the first class of RNLI lifeboat to be named after an Irish river this Saturday 25 June in Buncrana, Co Donegal.

Lough Swilly RNLI will hold the special naming ceremony and service of dedication from 11.30am to officially name the first Shannon-class lifeboat in Ireland, Derek Bullivant.

The Donegal lifeboat station was the first in Ireland to receive the new €2.4 million lifeboat, which is the most modern and technically advanced lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.

Shortly after its arrival on station, the lifeboat brought three local fishermen to safety after they had been reported missing when their vessel had lost power and drifted out to sea.

The lifeboat was funded by legacies from Derek Bullivant and Valerie Walker. Bullivant was born in Birmingham in 1922 and was a trained chemist before working as an industrial analyst for a company in the metal industry. He went on to start his own company which became one of the biggest aluminium recycling companies in the UK. He always wanted his success to benefit lifesaving and humanitarian charities which led him to provide a generous legacy which helped to fund the Lough Swilly lifeboat.

The second legacy was bequeathed from Valerie Walker from Portsmouth. Walker was a supporter of the RNLI and her legacy has been used to part fund the lifeboat. Her generosity will be remembered and acknowledged by a plaque which will be placed in the boathouse at Lough Swilly lifeboat station.

The Shannon is first class of lifeboat to be propelled by water jets instead of traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat in the fleet.

Waterjets allow the vessel to operate in shallow waters and be intentionally beached. The lifeboat has a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles, which makes it ideal for offshore searches and rescues in calm and rough seas.

The new lifeboat was developed to operate in the worst of sea conditions and is self-righting, automatically turning the right side up in the event of a capsize. Its unique hull is designed to minimise slamming of the boat in heavy seas and the shock-absorbing seats further protect the crew from impact when powering through the waves.

Commenting on the forthcoming occasion, Lough Swilly RNLI lifeboat operations manager John McCarter said: "Many people will know that we welcomed the lifeboat to Buncrana a little over a year ago but in grand RNLI tradition we officially name and dedicate the lifeboat after that and in doing so remember our generous benefactors who through their legacies have provided this incredible gift to our community.

"We are delighted that Jimmy Tyrrell will be officially naming our lifeboat. Our colleagues in the lifeboat community will know that Jimmy lobbied the RNLI for years to have a class of lifeboat named in recognition of the role Ireland and Irish lifeboat volunteers have played in the work of the charity for 192 years. All other lifeboat classes are named after UK rivers so the Shannon is truly an Irish lifeboat."

The Shannon lifeboat also has another strong Irish connection. Peter Eyre, an RNLI engineer from Derry who works at the charity’s headquarters in Poole, was instrumental in the development of the new lifeboat, designing the hull form at the age of 24.

The first all-weather lifeboat put on service in Lough Swilly was The Good Shepard in 2000.

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched yesterday afternoon (Sunday 19 June) to a solo sailor in distress six miles off the Wicklow coast.

A marine VHF radio distress signal was received by the Irish Coast Guard from the French sailor on passage from France to Norway, when the twin rudder of his yacht suffered damaged and he was unable to steer the vessel.

The lifeboat was alongside the casualty 30 minutes after launch. Rescue 116, the Dublin-based coastguard helicopter was also tasked to the incident, remaining overhead while lifeboat volunteer Ciaran Doyle was transferred onto the yacht to assist the sailor with hauling an anchor and preparing a towline.

Weather conditions at the time had a rough sea state with a southerly Force 5-6 wind and good visibility.

With a towline established, the 10m yacht was taken back to Wicklow Harbour. Due to the conditions at the time, the journey took over 90 minutes as the line parted on three occasions.

The yacht was safely alongside the south quay at 5pm on Sunday evening.

Speaking after the callout, Wicklow RNLI lifeboat press officer Tommy Dover said: "Our coxswain Nick Keogh displayed great boat handling skills this afternoon in challenging conditions, while safely transferring a crewmember onto the yacht to assist the lone sailor."

This was the second callout over the weekend. On Saturday morning (18 June), during the Round Ireland Yacht Race, Wicklow RNLI helm Vinnie Mulvihill was busy preparing the inshore lifeboat for exercise when he heard shouts that someone was in the water near the East Pier.

Quick-thinking Mulvihill left the boat and entered the water to assist the woman after she slipped and fell in while going ashore from a moored boat.

Woman rescued by Wicklow RNLI after she slipped into the harbour (Photo: RNLI/Milo Vanbeck)

He brought the women alongside a nearby boat and with the help of the occupants, she was taken out of the water and assessed at the lifeboat station by first aider Carol Flahive.

No further medical assistance was required and the woman left the station none the worse from her ordeal after a cup of tea and changing into dry clothes.

#RNLI - Arklow RNLI was called out early this morning (Sunday 19 June) to go the assistance of a casualty in difficulty near Arklow Harbour.

Within minutes of a pager alert at 6.23am, the lifeboat Ger Tigchlearr and her volunteer crew was launched to a report of a man in difficulty in the water outside the harbour.

As the lifeboat arrived on scene, a local fishing vessel had also come to the assistance of the casualty and had been trying with difficulty to get the man aboard the fishing boat.

The man was shortly thereafter recovered from the water by the fishermen and transferred to the Arklow lifeboat.

Casualty care was administered aboard the lifeboat, which then returned to station immediately to transfer the casualty to a waiting ambulance.

Following the callout, Arklow RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Mark Corcoran said: "We’re thankful to the skipper of the local fishing vessel for assistance in this rescue. Working together we were able to recover the casualty from the water. We would like to wish the casualty a speedy recovery."

The Courtmacsherry RNLI All Weather Lifeboat was called out at 2pm today Sat to go to the aid of a 36 foot Fishing Vessel that had got into difficulty just 300 meters off the rocks at Dunworley Point in West Cork.
The Courtmacsherry Lifeboat under Second Coxswain Mark Gannon and a crew of six launched immediately and reached the stricken vessel at 2.28pm and succeeded in quickly getting a tow rope on board the Casuality, which had got into difficulty while fishing and was in danger of going on the nearby dangerous rocks.
With a crew of two on board, the Causality has immediately been taken under tow by the Lifeboat and is expected to arrive back to Courtmacsherry Pier at 3.40pm.
The fishing vessel sent out a Mayday distress call for immediate assistance just as Ireland kicked off the Euro battle with Belgium and the Lifeboat crew were quickly at the Lifeboat station to put to sea.
Conditions at sea today are windy with a difficult swell. Local Angling boat the Lady Louise also assisted in the rescue.

#Lifeguards - RNLI lifeguards will commence full-time summer patrol on 10 beaches in Northern Ireland from next Saturday 25 June.

Following a busy period of intensive training in preparation for the new season, the lifeguards will be keeping visitors safe on seven beaches along the Causeway Coast and three in Co Down.

The beaches include Benone, Downhill, Castlerock, Portstewart Strand, Portrush West, Portrush East, Whiterocks, Tyrella, Murlough and Cranfield.

From next weekend, the RNLI will take up full-time daily duty on all beaches continuing to Sunday 4 September, when weekend duty will then resume on selected beaches throughout September.

Lifeguards will be on the beach daily between 11am and 7pm on the Causeway Coast and between 10am and 6pm in Co Down.

Speaking ahead of the new season, RNLI lifeguard manager Mike Grocott is encouraging those planning a visit to the beach this summer to bear in mind some key water safety messages.

"The RNLI’s advice for anyone planning a trip to the beach is to check weather and tide times before you go and if planning to go into the water, swim at a lifeguarded beach, between the red and yellow flags," he says.

"Avoid using inflatables in strong winds or rough seas. If you get into trouble, stick your hand in the air and shout for help and if you see someone else in trouble, tell a lifeguard. If you can’t see a lifeguard, call 909 or 112 and ask for the coastguard."

The RNLI is running its annual national drowning prevention campaign Respect the Water throughout the summer months with the charity this year warning the public to watch out for key dangers that can catch people out in or near water.

Central to the campaign are the dangers that can lead to accidental drowning: cold water, unexpected entry into the water, and rip currents and waves.

Rosslare Harbour RNLI launched last night to four young men attempting a record-breaking row off the UK coast after they requested assistance in worsening weather conditions. They were brought to safety by Rosslare Harbour RNLI in a call out that lasted over six hours as the all-weather lifeboat towed the 24-foot rowing boat out of the channel and back to the safety of Rosslare harbour.

The four young rowers have had to set aside their record attempt after setting off from Tower in London 10 days ago to row around the UK coast. After leaving London they came up through Bristol channel and out into the open sea. However the weather was worsening last night and they found themselves battling the elements 22 miles off the Irish coast. Conditions were fresh with a north north-westerly wind gusting 25 knots. It was then hey made the decision to contact the Coast Guard and request help.

Volunteer lifeboat crew at Rosslare Harbour RNLI received the call at 6.15pm and launched in minutes. When on scene an hour later they checked if the young men were okay before establishing a tow and bringing the craft back slowly so as not to part the tow to the safety of Rosslare Harbour. The tow took six hours. The four rowers are currently being looked after in Rosslare before they decide on their next move.

Commenting on the call out Rosslare RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager David Maloney said: ‘This call out was a good example of people recognising the importance of calling for help early when they realise they may be getting into difficulty. The group were dealing with worsening weather conditions and a changing tide which was taking them further from where they needed to be, all while they were mid-channel on a record attempt.’

However they didn’t let this sway them and raised the alarm bringing help. They had the right safety equipment and made a call quickly. If they had waited until things got worse and help was not close enough, it could have ended very differently. I have no doubt they will achieve any records they set their mind to in future.’

The RNLI has today launched an innovative free text message service aimed at preventing people getting caught out by dangerous tides when travelling to Coney Island in County Sligo.

In what is the first of its kind in Ireland, the RNLI text messaging service is being introduced by the charity in a direct response to a coastal safety risk identified by the local community in Sligo.

For years the causeway which provides access to Coney Island and the nature of its flooding tidal waters have presented a risk to the public who are unsure of the tide times and the appropriate times to cross from the mainland.

Sligo Bay RNLI has responded to numerous incidents around Coney Island that relate to tidal cut off and activities around the sandbanks and tidal channels. However, the volunteer lifeboat crews have often been restricted by water depth when attending these incidents especially during the crucial early phase of the flooding tide where people are starting to cut off or are bogged in.

It is hoped that the new text messaging system accompanied by signage directing people to the numbers to text, will encourage safer crossing and decision making.

Anyone planning to visit the island by car, bike or foot is encouraged to Text Coney to 53600 (from Republic of Ireland mobiles) or 81400 (from Northern Ireland/UK mobiles) to find out the safe crossing times for that day.*

The RNLI will reply with information on the best times subject to good weather conditions along with key safety messages reminding users to always leave extra time to return safely to the mainland, to never attempt to cross if the strand is covered with water and in the event of an emergency to dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.

Speaking at the launch of Text Coney today, Rogan Wheeldon, RNLI Community Incident Reduction Manager said: ‘This is a perfect example of a community on the coast identifying a risk and working collaboratively to help save lives at sea. By providing the public with the relevant information to make safer choices when accessing the coast it reduces their risk, the risk to our lifeboat crew, and also to those in the community that are putting their own lives at risk to help those in trouble’.

Joe Henderson, Sligo Bay RNLI Coastal Safety Officer added: ‘Over recent years our lifeboat crew at Sligo Bay RNLI has been called out many times to rescue people who have been caught out by the tide. As part of the RNLI’s work in prevention of accidental drowning we now have this wonderful texting system in place with good signage here at The Causeway and we really want to make people aware that is here and encourage locals and visitors alike to get texting when planning a visit to the beautiful Coney Island. We would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this development to fruition including the residents of Coney Island and Sligo County Council.’

The Text Coney launch comes a week after the RNLI launched Respect the Water, its annual national accidental drowning prevention campaign which will run throughout the Summer.

Respect the Water aims to highlight the risk of accidental drowning when people are near the coastline by encouraging safer behaviour both in and around the water.

The campaign is primarily aimed at males aged between 16 and 39 but the same advice is relevant for anyone visiting the coast.

The RNLI is warning of the key dangers that can lead to accidental drowning - cold water, unexpected entry into the water, and rip currents and waves.

Fethard RNLI launched this morning to a 21-foot fishing vessel with a fouled propeller one mile from Baginbun Head.

There was one fisherman on board the boat. While the lobster pots were being recovered onto the vessel a rope became tangled in the propeller and prevented the vessel from moving, leaving it stranded.

The lifeboat launched from Fethard dock in good weather with a northerly wind gusting 3/4 knots. Fethard lifeboat was on scene with the fishing vessel at 11.05am.

The volunteer lifeboat crew were able to release the rope and the fishing vessel came back to Fethard Dock under its own steam.

Speaking following the call out, Walter Foley, Fethard RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘The fisherman did exactly the right thing calling for the assistance of the RNLI. Weather conditions were good and allowed the volunteer crew to swiftly release the rope from the propeller allowing the fishing vessel to return under its own steam.’

Fethard RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew on the callout were Helm Thomas Stafford and Nicoletta Parrell, Dean Foley, Damian McGarry. The launch vehicle driver was Eileen Murphy.

Yesterday, US businessman and life long-sailor and entrant in tomorrow's Round Ireland Race, George David, met one of the men who saved his life off the Cork coast five years ago.

George’s 100 foot yacht, Rambler 100, capsized during the 2011 Fastnet Race. See photos of Rambler100's capsize here

George and seven other of the 21 crew members were hurtled overboard, where they remained stranded in freezing waters for over three hours.

US businessman and life long-sailor, George David, pictured right with Pat Collins, one of the Baltimore lifeboat crew, who saved his life after his yacht capsized during the 2011 Fastnet Race.

Following a dramatic air and sea rescue by the Baltimore RNLI and the Irish Coastguard, George vowed that he would one day return to Ireland to compete in the 704-mile Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race as a tribute to the people of Ireland.

He has come good on his promise and has arrived ahead of Saturday’s race start from Wicklow Bay with his latest racing boat, Rambler 88.

George joined the hundreds of crew from the record 64-strong Volvo Round Ireland fleet for a special welcome reception in Dún Laoghaire’s Royal Irish Yacht Club on Thursday evening.

He received a hero’s welcome, but remained philosophical about his experience:

“When you’re in trouble it is what it is. We had 21 people sailing and 21 people survived. We think about these things intellectually. It was very important that the entire team was amazingly calm in the face of adversity.”

Pat Collins was one of the Baltimore lifeboat team who rescued George and his crew. He recalled the difficulty in locating Rambler amid the foggy conditions on the evening: “Everything happened so fast. We were getting no response from Rambler. Five of the crew had drifted away and had spent hours in the water. The outcome could have been very different.”

George aboard Rambler is a strong contender to break the Volvo Round Ireland Race record of two days, 17 hours, 48 minutes and 47 seconds which was achieved by Mike Slade in ICAP Leopard 3 in 2008.

However George says that after many years in business he has learned to “under-promise and out-perform.”
“I have good expectations but actuals always exceed expectations. I would rather look back at a successful race than to promise something that might or might not happen. But I think we’re ready”

Race organiser Theo Phelan said George’s decision to return to Ireland for the 2016 Volvo Round Ireland is a huge honour for the race and for the people of Ireland.
“The efforts of the Irish rescue services in locating and bringing to safety George and his crew after three hours in the water, is a matter which raised his interest in finding a suitable offshore event for a return to the country for which he has enormous regard and appreciation.”

An all-weather lifeboat has officially been put on service and become a declared search and rescue asset for a two year trial period at Red Bay RNLI in County Antrim.

The Trent class lifeboat Henry Heys Duckworth has come from the existing RNLI fleet and will now operate alongside the station’s existing inshore lifeboat.

Prior to its arrival in Cushendall, the lifeboat was moored at Glenarm Marina for a short period to facilitate the completion of shore works at Red Bay.

Today’s fully operational status for the all-weather lifeboat follows an intensive period of training for the station’s volunteer crew members.

The Henry Heys Duckworth was first launched in 1996 and since then has launched 200 times and rescued 217 people.

The decision to place an additional all-weather lifeboat on the North Antrim coast follows an in-depth review by the RNLI, of lifeboat cover in Northern Ireland.

Since the announcement last May there has been a concentrated period of preparation for the lifeboat crew, which has included months of training and visits to the RNLI College in Poole.

There are currently five coxswains, four mechanics, four navigators and a group of all-weather lifeboat crew members trained and ready to respond to call outs aboard the Henry Heys Duckworth.

Last year, Red Bay RNLI launched 20 times and brought 18 people to safety. Of those launches, 11 services were in the dark. In all, some 160 service hours were spent at sea.

Speaking as the lifeboat officially went on service this morning, Andrew McAlister, Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said there was great excitement within the Cushendall community: ‘This is a proud day for everyone involved with Red Bay RNLI. The new lifeboat will allow us to provide lifesaving cover in all weathers and in challenging conditions up to 100 miles off the North Antrim coastline. To see this group of volunteers coming together and training with the all-weather lifeboat in recent months was wonderful and we are now fully prepared and equipped with the necessary training and skills to respond operationally alongside our inshore lifeboat.’

Developed by the RNLI in the early 1990s, the Trent class lifeboat is designed to lie afloat and is inherently self-righting. At sea, it is crewed by six all-weather lifeboat volunteers. It is capable of 25 knots and can carry up to 73 survivors.

The Trent carries an XP boat, an inflatable daughter boat with a 5hp outboard engine capable of six knots. She is used to access areas where the lifeboat cannot reach.

The comprehensive electronics include VHF and MF radios with DSC functionality, VHF direction finder, DGPS with electronic chart system and radar. Comprehensive first aid equipment includes stretchers, oxygen and entonox. Other equipment includes a portable salvage pump carried in a watertight container.