#rnli – Skerries RNLI volunteer crew and station committee have this week received their new Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat.  The lifeboat was officially put on service last night (Thursday 28 February 2013). The north county Dublin lifeboat station is the beneficiary from a legacy that is three quarters of a century old. The new lifeboat is named in loving memory of Louis Simson, by his widow Charlotte, who passed away in Paddington in 1938.
The lifeboat arrived into the North Dublin coastal town on Monday 25 February from the Inshore Lifeboat Centre in Cowes on the Isle of Wright to start a week of trails and training with the Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew. During the handover and training the relief lifeboat Pride of Sherwood remained on service, ready to respond to any emergencies.
The lifeboat is named Louis Simson.  Mr Simson was born in 1844 in London and ran a large sharebroking firm, with his bother Augustus, in Tasmania.  Louis died on the 28 July 1922 aged 78 and was survived by his wife Charlotte.  Mrs Simson wanted a lifeboat named in Louis's memory and this has now been made possible 75 years later. They have no surviving friends or family.
The new lifeboat has some advancements on its predecessor at the station.  The Atlantic 85 design allows room for four crew members and more kit than the Atlantic 75 lifeboat, which only had room for three crew.
The lifeboat is powered by two 115horse power engines and has a stronger hull and greater top speed of 35 knots. The added radar allows the crew to operate more effectively in poor visibility and there is also VHF direction-finding equipment.

The Louis Simson. Photo: Eric Walsh

The vessel also has a manually operated self-righting mechanism which combined with inversion-proofed engines keep the lifeboat operational even after capsize. The lifeboat can also be beached in an emergency without causing damage to its engines or steering gear.
The Atlantic 85 carries a full suite of communication and electronic navigation aids, as well as a searchlight, night-vision equipment and flares for night-time operations.
Commenting on the arrival of the new RNLI lifeboat to the town, Mary Courtney Skerries RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer said: 'Everyone involved with Skerries RNLI is delighted with their new state of the art lifeboat and is looking forward to familiarising themselves with it over the coming weeks.  All lifeboat crew have already undergone a familiarity briefing and are currently undergoing intensive training onboard the vessel.
The volunteers with Skerries RNLI would also like to acknowledge both Louis and Charlotte Simson and their generosity to the lifesaving charity.  Each time the lifeboat launches, it will have been made possible by this couple who lived a century ago on the other side of the world. We are eternally grateful to them'.
Overseeing the transition is RNLI Divisional Operations Manager Owen Medland added: 'We've had a wonderful week in Skerries familiarising the volunteer crew with their new lifeboat. Skerries RNLI is a busy lifeboat station on the east coast and the crew have handled many challenging callouts.  They deserve the very best in lifeboat technology and I wish them well with their new lifeboat'

#RNLI - Children from Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa in Kilcloon, Co Meath yesterday visited the Howth RNLI lifeboat station to present a cheque for €1,300 raised by pupils through a Christmas fair and a 'Chore Tuesday' at their school.

Project teams from the class presented posters and poems about sea safety, the crew kit and the lifeboat. They also met lifeboat station mechanic and crew member Ian Sheridan, who was so impressed by their work that he presented them with a special RNLI flag to hang in their classroom. All of the pupils then had the opportunity to get onboard the inshore lifeboat.
 


Following a visit to the school by the RNLI Education Team before Christmas, pupils became interested in the lifesaving work carried out by the volunteer lifeboat crews, and were inspired to organise a fundraiser to help save lives at sea.
 


"The funds raised by the pupils of Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa will go towards our current fundraising project to fund the running and maintenance costs of the lifeboat station for a week," said Howth RNLI fundraising chair Rose Michael.

#RNLI - Kilrush RNLI launched on Thursday afternoon (21 February) after pagers were set off by Valentia Coast Guard to the Foynes area, where it was reported that a boat had lost engine power with five people on board.

Within minutes the crew assembled and set out to the location to investigate. Within 25 minutes they located the vessel and quickly set up a long tow. Tides were running and weather conditions were reaching force 7 to 8.

For their safety the five men were taken on board the lifeboat, while a lifeboat crew member was transferred onto the casualty vessel to oversee the tow. On establishing that the men were fine, the lifeboat proceeded to Tarbert Pier. At this stage the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 from Shannon was also on scene.

Within an hour the Kilrush RNLI lifeboat reached Tarbert Pier, where the lifeboat crew assisted the men in tying up their vessel.

Lifeboat helm Tom Blunnie praised the work of his crewmen in this rescue, stating that “under such conditions it’s great to know that our training pays off when calls like this occur.”

The crew on the day were helm Tom Blunnie, Pauline Dunleavy, Fintan Keating and Charlie Glynn.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI went to the assistance of two people whose powerboat got into difficulty off the Balbriggan coast in north Co Dublin yesterday.

Shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday 19 February) the station’s volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch after the alarm was raised by gardaí that a 4-metre speed boat was in difficulty just off Hampton Cove in Balbriggan.


The boat, which was approximately three miles out from Skerries, had fouled its propeller.

Weather conditions at the time were described as cold and dusk was settling into dark.

The 
Skerries RNLI crew put to sea accompanied in the air by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter, which had been on exercise locally.

Arriving on scene, it became apparent that the two people on board had managed to paddle their boat safely to the shoreline. The 
Skerries lifeboat crew proceeded to tow the speedboat back safely to Balbriggan Harbour.

#Rescue - The Irish Times reports on the rescue of five fishermen of West Cork this morning (21 February) after their fishing trawler was stranded in strong coastal winds.

RNLI Castletownbere's lifeboat crew responded to the trawler Anders Nees after its propeller fouled some 6km south of Bere Island in the early hours.

The stricken fishing boat was subsequently towed back to Castletownbere.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI volunteer crew recently undertook an exercise the likes of which they had not done before - shadowing a local ambulance team to observe how they respond to emergencies.

Philip Ferguson, a Skerries RNLI crew member, is also an advanced first responder with the local Dublin fire brigade. He has been on many sea rescues and call outs, and though not all have resulted in an ambulance being called to the scene, there are always those incidents that do require their specialist services. 

In this regard, Ferguson believed that for the local lifeboat crew to witness how the ambulance teams operate would provide invaluable experience to the crews.  


He approached Skerries RNLI lifeboat operations manager Niall McGrotty and divisional operations manager Owen Medland with his idea to discuss the possibility of some of the local RNLI crew joining the ambulance teams on some of their shifts in an observational capacity. They would not be allowed to take part or assist the HSE crew at any point, they were there to look and learn. 

Both agreed that it was an exercise worth pursuing, and an arrangement was then made with the local HSE ambulance base in Swords. Over a period of three weeks, all of the RNLI crew took either a day or a night shift with the HSE ambulance crews. As the ambulance teams were called out, the RNLI volunteer rode along in the ambulance, observing the HSE teams at work be it at roadside after car crashes or to the homes to which they were called. 

They witnessed first-hand the long hours and the dedication put in by the HSE ambulance teams as they waited in A&E at hospitals and transported their patients with care. Each individual who went on the exercise said it was, without doubt, an enlightening experience. 

They also witnessed the professionalism of the HSE ambulance crews in sometimes very difficult circumstances. They saw how the ambulance crews worked with each other, their partners, and how they did their utmost to provide care and attention to the patient as they reviewed the situation, analysed the needs of the patient and did what was necessary to stabilise and transport that individual to hospitals. Each of the RNLI crew who went on the training came back with renewed and utmost respect for the ambulance crews. 



The RNLI volunteer crew has not yet had to put their latest training to the test in 2013. However, with the knowledge they gained on the observational placements, they have added to their skills.



Such was the success of this exercise between that it is hoped it can be repeated. Skerries RNLI would like to thank each of the HSE ambulance crews for allowing them to spend time with them and learn.    

#RNLI - Portrush RNLI has rescued a kayaker who got into difficulty off the Co Antrim coast.

The volunteer lifeboat crew had an early call out on Sunday morning (17 February) to the kayaker who got into trouble on the water at West Bay.



There were strong southerly winds at time which caused a swell. The kayak capsized and was whipped by the prevailing wind into the harbour area, leaving the kayaker stranded and treading water.



A Portrush lifeboat crew member who witnessed the scene on the West Strand spotted the incident and promptly raised the alarm.



The inshore lifeboat crew - including Mark Mitchell as helm, Andy McClelland and Stevie Ritchie - launched within minutes and had the kayaker back at base within 20 minutes.



Portrush RNLI lifeboat operations manager Robin Cardwell said: "The kayaker was very fortunate as the winds were quite strong in the West Bay. Our volunteer crew launched quickly and was able to bring him back to shore safely."

#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat was launched to assist two Kayakers in difficulty in near gale winds at Terryglass at the northern end of Lough Derg.

Yesterday afternoon Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was launched at the request of Valentia Coast Guard to assist two kayakers who were in difficulty in Force 6/7 winds after launching their 7ft open canoe from Terryglass Harbour on the Tipperary shore.

The lifeboat launched at 13.58hrs with Helm Eleanor Hooker, David Moore and Tom Dunne on board.  Winds were Southerly, Force 6 gusting 7 (28-35knots).  The lifeboat crew were informed that the kayakers, unable to control their canoe, were being blown across the lake by the strong winds.

The lifeboat located the two people at the entrance to Portumna Harbour, on the County Galway shore. They were both shaken by their ordeal, but unharmed. It was their first time to go afloat on Lough Derg. They had not dressed adequately for the conditions and needed to get warmed up. The kayak was secured on the shore at Portumna Harbour, and the two kayakers were taken on the lifeboat back to Terryglass Harbour, where they dried off and warmed up and returned to their car before collecting the kayak from Portumna Harbour.

Deputy Launching Authority Liam Maloney said that it is important to 'check the weather conditions before going out on the lake, dress appropriately and make sure to tell someone when you set off and what time you expect to return'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 15.15hrs.

#Coastguard - The Irish Times reports that a fisherman has died after sustaining head injuries in an incident off the Old Head of Kinsale last night.

The man, one of three crew on the West Cork-based fishing trawler Liberty, is believed to have died from his injuries on board the vessel.

According to TheJournal.ie, the Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat and Irish Coast Guard helicopters from Shannon (Rescue 115) and Waterford (Rescue 117) were all scrambled to the scene.

The deceased was airlifted by Rescue 117 to Cork for transfer to hospital, while the remaining crew returned to Kinsale this morning with the lifeboat crew.

It is thought that the accident involved trawling wires on board the fishing boat.

#rnli – Baltimore RNLI Lifeboat launched at 05:20 this morning 12 Feb 2013 to participate in a search for a missing Spanish fisherman.

The Alan Massey, proceeded to an area 20 miles SW of Mizen Head in West Cork.  Alongside the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat, two Irish Naval vessels, Coastguard helicopters, an Irish Airforce fixed wing aircraft and a fleet of trawlers the lifeboat carried out a prolonged search pattern.

Weather did not impede the search as it was overcast but clear with light winds and a heavy swell.

By 12 noon with no prospect of a successful outcome the Coastguard called off the search and the lifeboat made the 40–mile passage back to her new berth at Baltimore Lifeboat Station. On board Coxswain Kieran Cotter, Mechanic Cathal Cottrell, Aidan Bushe, Pat Collins, Don O'Donovan, Micheal Cottrell and Eoin Ryan.

This week marks the first anniversary of the Alan Massey's arrival in Baltimore.