#RNLI - Youghal RNLI is to launch a 2014 calendar to mark the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the lifeboat station, which has been serving the areas around East Cork and West Waterford since 1839.

A photographic trawl from past to present, combined with a scattering of insightful facts, makes this calendar a fascinating study of the station’s rich history.

The calendar takes us from humble beginnings when the first lifeboat station was built at a cost of £100 back in 1857, right up to the present day where we see the current state-of-the-art station that’s home to an Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat and continues to be crewed by the community’s volunteers.

Since the station was established, Youghal RNLI has launched 504 times, saving the lives of 213 people and rescuing a further 362.

Published by Youghal RNLI and their fundraising branch, the calendar will be launched at 7.30pm on Sunday 20 October at the Mall Arts Centre in Youghal.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Youghal RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Noreen Varney said: “The original idea for the calendar came about following a discussion between crew members Joe Moore, Brendan O’ Driscoll, myself and fundraising secretary Susan Mason. We thought it would be a great idea given that we would be celebrating our 175th anniversary in 2014.

“Once we had decided to go for it, we asked our local businesses to sponsor the project and we are indebted to them for their support."

Varney added that the photos included “are a combination of the lifeboats we have had in Youghal throughout the 175 years and the crews that have served them. The photos were taken by various people and we are grateful to them too for their input.

“We hope the calendar will make way for a nostalgic 2014 as readers peruse the photos and savour the short snippets of history month after month. The proceeds raised from the sales of the calendar will help us to continue to save lives at sea."

The calendar - simply entitled Youghal Lifeboat Calendar 2014, will be available to purchase locally in Read & Write, Cree’s card shop, Muckley’s Jewlellers, Crowley’s service station, Galvin’s CostCutters, Country Stores Kinsalebeg, Centra in the Strand, Centra in Killeagh, J Coleman in Killeagh and the Youghal Lifeboat Souvenir shop for €10, or alternatively by contacting Noreen at 087 050 6640 or [email protected].

#RNLI - Youghal RNLI launched yesterday evening (12 August) to a report of a six-meter pleasure craft that was adrift 200m east of Youghal shipping quay in Co Cork.

The lifeboat, helmed by John Griffin Jr with crew members Patsy O’Mahony and Joe Moore on board, launched at at 6.19pm and quickly located the pleasure cruiser, subsequently ascertaining that the boat had suffered engine failure.

There were three people on board; two males and one female. All were wearing lifejackets and were safe and well. The weather at the time was blowing a Force 2-3 north westerly wind with a slight swell.



The volunteer crew established a tow and brought the boat and the three casualties back to its moorings at Ferry Point in Youghal.

#RNLI - Youghal RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (5 August) to a report of an object in the water off Redbarn Strand at Youghal - and picked up a stranded kayaker instead.

The volunteer crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 2.30pm when a member of the public raised the alarm after spotting something in the water.



The lifeboat, helmed by David Slattery with crew members Martin Morris and Joe Moore on board, located the object minutes after launch. It turned out to be a large human hamster ball that apparently had blown into the water from the strand.



While the crew were taking the ball on board, they spotted a lone male kayaker 50 yards away who had lost his paddle and proceeded to his aid.

The kayaker told the lifeboat crew that he had lost his paddle and was drifting for some time. He was very tired after attempting to paddle with his hands and did not have a spare paddle or any form of communication or flares.



Weather conditions at the time were sunny with a moderate to fresh northerly breeze and a one-metre swell.



The lifeboat took the man and his kayak on board and proceeded back to the Youghal lifeboat station, where they checked if he was in need of any medical attention.


Youghal RNLI lifeboat press officer Noreen Varney said: “It was a very fortunate set of circumstances for the kayaker to be rescued from what originally was a non-related incident.”

#rnil – Youghal RNLI in county Cork launched this evening to search for a young boy who was reported to have got into difficulty at sea while swimming off Youghal beach.

The volunteer crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard at 5.20pm. A member of the public had raised the alarm after seeing a person in the water who was making no movement.

The lifeboat helmed by Patsy O'Mahony and with crew members Jason Clohessy and Daragh Mathews on board, was on scene, east of Youghal lighthouse, within minutes.

With the tide coming in, two members of the public including a nurse who had swam out to the area where the casualty had disappeared were brought onboard the lifeboat. Several members of the public were assisting in the search along with a numbers of vessels which were in the area at the time.

The lifeboat was alerted by the crew of a fishing vessel that they had located the casualty and brought him on board their boat.

The lifeboat proceeded to the nearby vessel where both crew member Daragh Mathews and the nurse transferred and together began to administer CPR to the casualty. The lifeboat meanwhile escorted the boat to the pontoon at the new jetty in the area.

In what was a multi-agency response, the lifeboat was met at the shore by ambulance paramedics, a doctor, and first responders from the Youghal community. The casualty was airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter and was subsequently brought to Cork University hospital.

The boy was later pronounced dead.

Speaking following the tragedy, Fergus Hopkins, Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: 'This is a devastating and heartbreaking loss for this young boy's family and a terrible tragedy for the Youghal community. I wish to offer my condolences and those of Youghal RNLI to the family at this difficulty time

#NavalService- L.É. Ciara (P42) recently made a surprise visit to Youghal, from where the coastal patrol vessel (CPV) was carrying out navigation exercises at the harbour mouth.

On board was Officer Commanding Lt Cdr Brian Sweeney with a crew of 40 approx. Locals and tourists saw the CPV from the vantage points along the quayside.

Among the onlookers were the proud parents of Chief Petty Officer Michael ( Rocky) Cashell from Youghal who was at the wheel of the LÉ Ciara as she steamed up the river Blackwater.

To watch a video of the L.É. Ciara during her brief visit and to read more YoughalOnLine has a report

The small port engages in the export of timber products which are served by coasters.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the sale-listed 113 year-old 'Kathleen and May' a historic West Country schooner, made frequent calls to the port town up to the 1960's.

On these calls she would be typically laden with coal having made passage from Bristol.

 

#TallShips - A tall ship that once plied the route between Bristol and Youghal may be sold to Asia unless funding can be secured to keep it at its current home in Liverpool.

The Daily Mail reports on the 113-year-old schooner Kathleen and May, which has been berthed since 2010 at Liverpool's Hartley Quay where it is cared for by a team of 60 volunteers with support from the UK's Arts Council.

Previously she made heritage visits to Dublin in 2008 and 2009 carrying a cargo of French wine, the first commercial voyages for the vessel since the 1960s.

The ship is the last traditional (West Country) wooden topsail schooner and was built at Deeside. She is also listed on the National Historic Ships Register.

Kathleen and May is priced at £2 million (€2.36 million) and has been on the market since last year.

Now an offer for the former coal ship has come in from a Far East Asian buyer - and concerns are growing that she could leave the British Isles for a new life half-way round the world.

The Daily Mail has more on the story HERE.

#COASTAL NOTES - Cork County Council has announced it will be at least two more days before it knows if its bathing ban at seven beaches can be lifted, according to RTÉ News.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the seven coastal beaches - including blue flag strands at Garretstown, Redbarn and Garryvoe - have been closed to swimming over concerns at elevated E.coli levels in the water, resuling from water runoff after the recent heavy rainfall in the county.

Notices were first posted by the council last Friday, and the latest water samples were collected at the affected beaches yesterday.

Youghal is the worst affected by the outbreak, with three beaches closed.

Meanwhile, a popular east coast beach has been reopened after a similar E.coli scare.

The Irish Independent reports that Rush South in north Co Dublin was closed to bathers after bacterial contamination was detected over the August bank holiday weekend.

Levels of E.coli recorded in the water were at 2,143, above the EU mandatory level of 2,000, but samples taken since have been given the all-clear.

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council described it as "a once-off pollution incident that will not have any ongoing impact on bathing at Rush South".

#COASTGUARD - Youghal in Co Cork will host the seventh Joint Search and Rescue (JSAR) competition between the Irish Coast Guard and HM Coastguard Northern Ireland this coming weekend 11-13 May.

The contest is organised by the volunteers of the Youghal Coast Guard unit, and aims to increase the level of awareness of all coast guard members in the island of Ireland, as well as enhance co-operation between services.

Twelve teams from each of Ireland's four coastguard divisions of Dublin, Malin, Valentia and Northern Ireland will take part. A wide range of skills will be tested, from leadership to search planning and co-ordination, chart work, knots, communications and salvage pumping.

The competition also provides a forum for the national maritime SAR management to discuss policy in an informal and friendly environment, and for volunteers from both jurisdictions to exchange their experiences.

Youghal Online has more on the story HERE.

#ROYAL CORK - It was "uncharted waters" for the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven last night as it hosted its first ever film screening, a showing of the John Huston classic Moby Dick.

The epic adventure, starring Gregory Peck, was shot on location in nearby Youghal, and tells the story of the obsessed Captain Ahab's pursuit of the titular whale.

Joleen Cronin of the Crosshaven Film Club told the Irish Examiner: "There are lots of people throughout Cork who were involved in the making of the film and it’s a real celebration of movie making and special effects for its time."

The screening is hoped to be the first of many special events at the world's oldest yacht club, which will be hosting the biennial Cork Week regatta from 7-13 July.

Team Youghal Bay have just returned from the European P750 (Thundercat) Powerboat Racing Championships having taken the silver medals for Ireland. The championships which were held in Ireland for the first time, took place on Lough Derg over the October Bank Holiday weekend and featured teams from Ireland, the UK and Sweden. Racing took place over three days in three disciplines - surf, circuit and long-haul - with some of the best crews in the world competing (former world-champions, current world speed-record holders). With that kind of competition it proved to be a truly great result to see an Irish boat take second place in the top category. The Team Youghal Bay boat was piloted by Ronan O'Connor with Gearoid Hooley as co-pilot.