#RNLI - Arranmore RNLI in Donegal has assisted nine people after two yachts got into difficulty within five hours earlier this week.

At 12.30pm on Wednesday 2 July, the volunteer lifeboat crew responded to a call for assistance from a yacht which had got into difficulty west of Bloody Foreland.

The 37ft yacht, with seven crew members on board, was experiencing problems with its engine and sails.

On arrival, the lifeboat crew stood by. but with deteriorating weather conditions and a 3-4 metre swell, coxswain Anton Kavanagh decided to escort the yacht to safety until it was safe to secure a tow rope.

As both the lifeboat and the yacht reached the lee side of Arranmore at Beal a’ Chreesh, the crew managed to secure a tow and brought the vessel into Burtonport, where two of the yacht’s injured crew were then transferred to Letterkenny General Hospital by ambulance.

Meanwhile, at around 2.15pm another 10m yacht with two crew members on board got into difficulty eight miles northwest of Arranmore when the vessel’s boom broke.

With no immediate danger, the skipper of the yacht began to make his way towards Burtonport until the lifeboat could return from its first call and escort them into harbour as a safety precaution in what were rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.

Speaking after both rescues, Arranmore RNLI mechanic Philip McCauley said: "For four to six weeks we were quiet and now have responded to six calls in just under two weeks, but I suppose that’s the nature of the business we are in and the volunteer lifeboat crew will always be ready to go out whenever we get the call.

"We were pleased to assist both casualty vessels and their crews today; it is all part of the service."

The lifeboat station at Arranmore is experiencing one of its busiest summers with calls for assistance to help locate missing swimmers, rescue injured fishermen and carry out medical evacuations.

Elsewhere, the Clogherhead RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew launched yesterday morning (Friday 4 July) to the aid of a fishing vessel with engine failure located 3 miles north-east of Dunany Point in Co Louth.

The all-weather lifeboat was launched and underway by 7.25am. On arrival at the scene, coxswain Tomas Whelahan and his crew assessed the situation, and together with the skipper of the casualty vessel it was decided to tow the disabled vessel to Port Oriel.

There were no injuries and the boat was safely tied up at 10:24am.

#RNLI – Wicklow RNLI all weather and inshore lifeboats launched this afternoon (Wednesday 2 July 2014) to three incidents involving four people on Silver Strand beach in Wicklow. The alarm was raised initially for a woman who was spotted in difficulty in the water and who had been swept into a cave. This was followed, with the assistance of the Coast Guard Helicopter, by the rescue of two people who had become injured on rocks and needed medical attention. The lifeboat crew were then called on to assist a woman on the beach who had become unwell.

The Wicklow RNLI lifeboats launched at 3.39pm this afternoon to a report of a woman in difficultly in the water at Silver Strand beach, one mile south of Wicklow Head. The Wicklow inshore lifeboat crew found it difficult to locate the casualty and following a search with help from a member of the public on the shore, the lifeboat crew found the woman at the rear of a cave close to the beach. A crewmember then entered the water and swam into the cave to assist the woman. He placed her in a lifejacket before assisting her from the cave to the waiting inshore lifeboat and the crew started to administer first aid, as she was showing signs of hypothermia. They then transferred the casualty to the all weather lifeboat a short distance away, which returned to the shore and was met by an ambulance.

The inshore lifeboat returned to the area and the volunteer crew was informed that two people who had earlier tried to assist the first casualty had injured themselves on rocks while trying to return to the beach. They also requested the all weather lifeboat to return to the scene and the lifeboat crew began to administer first aid. They were joined on scene by the Dublin Coast Guard helicopter and the two people were winched on-board and taken to hospital.

While returning to the inshore lifeboat a crew member was made aware of a further person who needed assistance after they became unwell following their attempt to go to also go to the aid of the first casualty. Due to the lack of access for an ambulance the Coxswain requested the casualty be transferred by lifeboat and was taken ashore and met by ambulance.
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Commenting on the day's events Wicklow RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Des Davitt said, 'This was an extremely busy afternoon for the lifeboat crew. What started as a callout to assist one person in trouble turned into a series of events which led to four people needing urgent attention.

It is very easy for people to get themselves into difficulty while they are at the beach and the rescue services are trained and available to deal with these situations. .

Both the RNLI and the Coast Guard helicopter responded to today's callout and ensured that the group were brought to safety and seen immediately for medical treatment.'

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew launched yesterday (Tuesday 1 July) to assist a 17ft vessel that suffered engine failure two miles south of the harbour.

At 7:40pm the lifeboat launched at the request of the Irish Coast Guard to assist the vessel with two people on board, located just off Red Head.

Five minutes after launch, the Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald arrived on scene to find the motor vessel drifting 300m from shore and both passengers wearing life jackets.

The volunteer RNLI crew took the casualty under tow and arrived safely back at Dunmore East Harbour at 8:05pm.

Dunmore East RNLI coxswain Roy Abrahamsson said: "The conditions this evening were very good, which helped the whole operation run smoothly."

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's volunteers had a busy weekend answering three calls for assistance in a 24-hour period.

The first callout was on Saturday afternoon (28 June) at the start of the Round Ireland Yacht Race in Wicklow Bay when a competing yacht reported it was taking on water after sustaining damage on the race start line.

The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh, and the inshore lifeboat escorted the 37-foot yacht with six crew safely into Wicklow Harbour.

The second callout came on Sunday morning (29 June) when both lifeboats were launched shortly before 8.30am to investigate a report of an injured man near Bride's Head.

The inshore lifeboat crew were on scene eight minutes later and found an injured man on a beach near Bride's Head. First aid was administered to the casualty after he sustained leg injuries from a fall off nearby cliffs.

The man was taken off the beach on the inshore lifeboat, transferred to the all-weather lifeboat and taken back to Wicklow Harbour. The lifeboat, under the command of Second Coxswain Ciaran Doyle, was met on arrival by a waiting ambulance crew at the East Pier.

Speaking following the callout, Wicklow RNLI press officer Tommy Dover said:  "The casualty was extremely lucky and did not sustain any life-threatening injuries after his ordeal."

The third callout occurred on Sunday afternoon near the entrance to Wicklow Harbour, when the inshore lifeboat came to the assistance of a small boat with engine failure.

Helm Mark Kavanagh and two crew brought the boat with one person on board safely ashore.

#RNLI - After a series of 999 emergency calls reporting an object crashing into the sea off Bray, Co Wicklow yesterday evening (29 June), a brief search by the volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew from Dun Laoghaire discovered a giant Mickey Mouse balloon on the water.

Several callers to the Irish Coast Guard's Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Dublin reported an object crashing into the water 1km off the Bray seafront. 

Several paragliders had been operating in the area recently, and there were fears that the object might have been one of these in difficulty.

Arriving on scene, the all-weather lifeboat crew of seven recovered a large inflatable Mickey Mouse balloon that had fallen into the sea and was being carried by the light breeze and flood tide towards the cliffs at Shanganagh.

"We're happy that this was a call made with good intent and calling 999 and asking for coast rescue is always the best course of action," said Stephen Wynne, lifeboat operations manager at Dun Laoghaire. 

"And in this case, we were particularly happy to assist Mickey Mouse, one of the all-time favourite cartoon characters."

#RNLI - Kilkeel RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew responded early yesterday morning (29 June) to a 40ft two-masted glass fibre yacht reported to be burning out of control.

The owner of the yacht, anchored south south-east of Rostrevor Pier on Carlingford Lough, had been contacted and it was confirmed there were two gas cylinders aboard the yacht.

The Kilkeel lifeboat Frank William Walton was launched at 2.20am and quickly reached the stricken yacht, which very quickly was ablaze from bow to stern. There was a slight sea and good visibility with light and variable northerly winds.

One of the propane gas cylinders had already exploded so the lifeboat, with four firefighters from Warrenpoint and a mobile firefighting pump aboard, stood off at a safe distance.

When the fire had somewhat subsided the lifeboat returned to the yacht and the flames were extinguished. The lifeboat left the firefighters and the pump ashore at Warrenpoint and returned safely to the boathouse in Kilkeel at 6.45am.

Lifeboat helm Gerry Smyth said: "It was vital that the lifeboat crew, the firefighters and the lifeboat were kept out of danger whilst there was the possibility of the gas cylinders exploding.

"The yacht was extensively damaged and still afloat when we left the scene but importantly no lives were lost."

#RNLI - The crew of the Arranmore RNLI lifeboat were called on Wednesday afternoon 25 June to assist a fisherman involved in an accident on board a 12-meter fishing boat some 12 miles northwest of Tory Island.

Malin Head also dispatched the Irish Coast Guard helicopter from Sligo to assist in the evacuation of the injured fisherman in his mid-40s.

Anton Kavanagh, coxswain of the Arranmore lifeboat, said the transfer of the casualty went smoothly as the weather was good and the lifeboat had no problems manoeuvring alongside the fishing boat.

The casualty was transferred from his boat to the care of the lifeboat crew and taken to Burtonport, where he was transferred to Letterkenny Hospital by ambulance.

This is the fourth time in five days that the Arranmore lifeboat has been called out to render assistance. Two of the calls were medical evacuations from Arranmore who were transferred to Letterkenny Hospital by ambulance.

At the weekend, the lifeboat was called to search for a missing swimmer off Portnoo. Fortunately the swimmer was located by coastguard helicopter and the lifeboat returned to Arranmore.

Elsewhere, Rosslare Harbour's lifeboat and its volunteer crew launched at 7.30pm yesterday evening (26 June) to a reported sighting of two people stranded on a rock surrounded by water.

The alarm was raised by a concerned member of the public. Arriving at the scene within 15 minutes of launch, the lifeboat's daughter craft was deployed and it was soon clear that the two people were fishermen in no immediate danger.

Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat press officer Jamie Ryan said: "The person who raised the alarm did the right thing. It is always better to call out the lifeboat and let them check on a person or situation of concern then to ignore it and risk a serious incident. 

"The lifeboat crew are volunteers and never mind being called out to check on a situation."

#rnli – The RNLI Annual Presentation of Awards took place on Saturday (21 June) in the Ballroom of Farmleigh House in Phoenix Park. It was a special occasion as it also marked the 190th anniversary of the charity that saves lives at sea and on inland waters. The awards recognise fundraising and operational volunteers from across Ireland for their role in raising funds and awareness for the RNLI and in doing so supporting the volunteer lifeboat crews in their work.

Guest of honour for the occasion was RNLI Chairman Charles Hunter-Pease, who handed out awards to sixty-one volunteers. Other attendees included the British Ambassador to Ireland Dominick Chilcott CMG, Commodore Hugh Tully, Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Breda Collins, Chairperson of Irish Water Safety and Yvonne Shields, Chief Executive of the Commissioners of Irish Lights.

This year the highest award the charity can bestow on a volunteer, an Honorary Lifeboat Governorship, was given to Buddy Valkenburg who was instrumental in the establishment of the Ballyglass lifeboat station in Mayo.

Awardees were present from all over Ireland representing lifeboat stations and branches in Dublin, Donegal, Sligo, Wicklow, Cork, Louth, Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary, Kerry, Galway, Clare, Mayo and Kildare. The awards presented included the Honorary Lifeboat Governorship, 5 Gold Badges, 8 Silver Badges, 9 Inscribed Statuettes, 2 Inscribed Binoculars, 20 Bronze Badges, 7 Supporter Awards and 9 Certificates of Thanks.

During his speech RNLI Chairman Charles Hunter-Pease spoke of the awardees that were to be honoured during the ceremony, He said, 'It all starts with the people who give their time, their donations and their expertise. Over the decades, as we have expanded our service and developed new craft and facilities; our volunteers, fundraisers and supporters have become more important than ever. Without them there is no lifeboat station, no lifeguard unit, no flood rescue team, and no coastal safety work preventing tragedies.'

The Gold Badges were received by Pat Lavelle in Galway, Dr. Damien Jennings in Howth, Valerie Good in Kinsale, Charley McCarthy in North Louth and Tom Purcell in Waterford. A Bar to Gold Badge and Gold Badge had been previously presented to Rupert Jeffares, Howth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager and Audrey Irwin from the Donegal RNLI branch at the RNLI annual awards in London earlier in the month.

#RNLI - The RNLI brought two of its all-weather lifeboats into Belfast on Wednesday 17 June for the charity’s 190th anniversary of saving lives at sea.

To mark the milestone, the RNLI hosted an awareness day in the Titanic Quarter with a full display of their life saving equipment including the Severn and Trent class all-weather lifeboats, RNLI beach lifeguards and their vehicles and the Flood Rescue kit.

The lifeboats were crewed by volunteer lifeboat crew members from Northern Ireland lifeboat stations.

First Minister Peter Robinson visited the event to meet with the RNLI lifeguards and volunteer lifeboat crew, view the lifesaving equipment and learn about the work of the charity in Northern Ireland.

The First Minister also boarded the Severn class lifeboat for a short trip around Belfast Harbour.

"We wanted to bring a little bit of the RNLI to Belfast city," said RNLI divisional operations manager Gareth Morrison. "There is huge awareness of the work of the charity out on coast and at the inland stations where we are present but we wanted to bring our volunteers and equipment into the city for people to see.

"With the awards taking place in the Titanic centre it was a fitting way to mark 190 years saving lives."

The day culminated with the RNLI Annual Presentation of Awards for Northern Ireland fundraising and operational volunteers, which this year was held at Titanic Belfast.

RNLI volunteers and supporters from across Northern Ireland were recognised for their dedication and commitment to raising funds and awareness for the lifesaving charity and for playing a pivotal role in ensuring lifeboat crews and lifeguards can continue to save lives at sea.

Guest of honour and presenting the awards was RNLI chairman Charles Hunter-Pease, who was attending his first awards ceremony in Northern Ireland since taking up his role with the charity last year.

The awards included five gold badges, three silver badges, six bronze badges, 14 inscribed statuettes, six regional supporter awards and six certificates of thanks.

Among the gold badge recipients was Rita Jarvis from the Bangor branch, who was described as an outstanding volunteer who had worked tirelessly for over 20 years for Bangor RNLI.

Hubert Annett from Kilkeel was acknowledged as one of the station's characters, who had performed various roles including that of deputy launching authority over the last 20 years.

Guests heard how Kay Magee joined Maghera RNLI over 30 years ago and remained a driving force at the inland branch throughout.

Gavin Weatherall from Newtownabbey RNLI was acknowledged for his devotion to fundraising for over 25 years with roles including that of treasurer and more recently secretary of the branch.

Patricia Ritchie, the fifth of the gold badge awardees, was described as a highly devoted secretary at Portadown where she has worked tirelessly for more than 23 years.

Two gold badge recipients collected their awards at the RNLI’s annual presentation of awards in London last month. These included Lennie Lawson, deputy launching uthority at Portaferry RNLI and Patricia Crossley, chairman of the Ballymoney fundraising branch. Merwyn Hanna MBE from Kilkeel Fundraising Branch was made an Honorory Life Governor.

Praising the awardees, Hunter-Pease said: "It all starts with the people who give their time, their donation and their expertise.

"Over the decades, as we have expanded our service and developed new craft and facilities; our volunteers, fundraisers and supporters have become more important than ever.

"Without them there is no lifeboat station, no lifeguard unit, no flood rescue team, and no coastal safety work preventing tragedies."

#RNLI - Wexford RNLI came to the rescue of a woman who sustained a leg injury off the Point of Park yesterday (Friday 20 June).

The lifeboat launched at 11.44am and was on scene at 11.47am. Volunteer lifeboat crew member Matt Crispin, who is also an advanced paramedic, administered first aid on the lifeboat.

The woman was then brought to Wexford lifeboat station before being transferred to a HSE ambulance and taken to Wexford General Hospital.

1. RNLI helm David Maguire commented on the skills of the volunteer lifeboat crew: "With an advanced paramedic and three advanced first aid crew on board, the woman was in safe hands."

Crew on the call-out included helm David Maguire, Matt Crispin, Frank O'Brien and Martin Conway.

Elsewhere, it was a busy Thursday evening for Lough Ree RNLI on 19 June when they received three lifeboat callouts in succession.

The first call for help was made at 4.25pm by a sailing boat standing by a cruiser on the rocks on the Long Shoal. The Lough Ree lifeboat was launched at 4.33pm and was on scene 10 minutes later.

The casualty was a 38ft cruiser with two adults and three children on board. The cruiser was refloated and checked over. There was no damage and she continued on passage with two other craft in convoy.

The volunteer crew had just finished preparing the Dorothy Mary for continued service when another call-out was received at 5.20pm by the Irish Coast Guard for a cruiser aground in Blackbrink Bay.

The lifeboat was launched at 5.23pm and was on scene at 5.39pm. This time the casualty was a 32ft cruiser with five adults on board. She was refloated and examined and was able to continue her journey.

A third and final callout was received at 7.25pm, and concerned a speedboat with two adults and three children on board that had broken down while crossing the lake from Hodson Bay.

The lifeboat was launched at 7.30pm and was on scene 15 minutes later. One adult and the three children were taken on board the Dorothy Mary, which then towed the casualty, and the remaining adult, back to Hodson Bay, departing the scene at 8.21pm.

After dropping the speedboat and her party, the lifeboat crew carried out a training exercise that had been planned for that evening, arriving back at the station at 9.20pm.