Rosslare Harbour and Kilmore Quay RNLI, in a joint operation, came to the assistance of two people on board a yacht that was taking on water eight miles northeast of Rosslare Harbour on Thursday evening (13 July 2023)

The Rosslare Harbour RNLI volunteer crew were requested to launch their Severn class lifeboat Donald and Barbara Broadhead, by the Irish Coast Guard at 4.52 pm. The lifeboat under Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke and with six crew members on board, launched at 5.10 pm, arriving on scene at 5.30pm. At the time, a Force 5 south westerly wind was blowing with moderate seas but with good visibility.

Having assessed the situation and in consultation with the yacht crew, two lifeboat crew boarded the casualty vessel with a bilge pump, preventing further flooding aboard the vessel. A tow was established at 5.40pm. However, given the inclement weather conditions at Rosslare Harbour, it was decided that it would be safer to bring the yacht to Kilmore Quay harbour.

Following a request by the Irish Coast Guard, the volunteer RNLI crew at Kilmore Quay, who at the time were taking part in the opening of the annual Kilmore Quay Seafood Festival, launched their all-weather Tamar class lifeboat, Killarney, arriving on scene at Carnsore Point at 8.15pm.

The crews worked together to transfer the tow to the second lifeboat relieving the Rosslare Harbour lifeboat and crew to return to base. Two members of the Kilmore Quay crew were transferred to the casualty vessel and the boats made their way back to Kilmore Quay arriving just after 10.00pm.

Speaking following the call out, Deputy Launch Authority, Tony Kehoe, said: ‘I would like to commend both crews on the successful outcome which was down to the excellent cooperation and teamwork between all involved. I would also like to commend the crew of the yacht for raising the alarm when they did, ensuring we got to them in time. It is vital to have proper means of communication such as VHF radio when heading out to sea as they did.’

The Rosslare Harbour Crew involved in the call out were Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke, mechanic Mick Nicholas, crew members: Dave McCusker, Paul McCormack, Conor Barry, Keith Morris and Peter Carr.

The Kilmore Quay RNLI lifeboat crew involved in the call out were Coxswain Aidan Bates, mechanic Philip Walsh, crew members: Sean Furlong, Michelle Hinchy, Mark Power, Tom Lambert and Michael Roche.

Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat was tasked by the Coast Guard at 8 45 am on Saturday (July 1) to assist a 12-metre-long sailing yacht that had fouled its propellor half a mile from the Splaugh Buoy.

The yacht crew were wearing flotation devices and were unharmed.

Having assessed the situation and consulted with the two crew on board, a decision was made to tow the vessel to Rosslare Harbour. A tow line was secured at 9.20 am, and the vessel was safely berthed alongside the fisherman’s wall at 10.12 am.

The sea was calm in a Force 2 to 3 wind. The weather was fair, and visibility was good.

The lifeboat volunteer crew were: Coxswain Eamon O’Rourke. Mechanic, Keith Morris. Crew: Dave McCusker, Andrew Ironside, Seán Cullen.

Deputy Launch Authority, Tony Kehoe, commended the yacht crew for wearing their flotation safety devices and for carrying communication equipment. He said that it is essential that sailors contact the Coast Guard when in difficulty. He also commended local fisherman James Walsh for his crucial intervention in ensuring a safe, speedy and safe conclusion to the service.

The story of Ned Wickham, a 23-year-old lifeboat coxswain and the 25-metre Blue whale he captured at the mouth of Wexford harbour in 1891 is the theme of a project created by south-east artist David Begley.

Now known as the Wexford whale, the skeleton of the mammal capture by Wickham hangs at The Natural History Museum, London and is named “Hope”.

Wickham saved 151 lives during his time with the lifeboat.

Begley, who makes art from driftwood charcoal, was commissioned to celebrate Irish Sea port by Ports, Past and Present, a project funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

David in his studio on the Wexford Coast, surrounded by the images he used to create ‘The Wexford Whale’ Photo: Clare Keogh

It involves the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme, led by Professor Claire Connolly at University College Cork (UCC), and explores heritage through a series of creative commissions.

Professor Claire Connolly and David Begley with charcoal animations used to make ‘The Wexford Whale’ Photo: Clare Keogh

Begley began gathering driftwood at The Burrow, Rosslare and Rosslare Harbour to bake driftwood charcoal. He also facilitated drawing and animation workshops at Scoil Mhuire, Rosslare so that the children could draw their interpretations of the story and create short animations.

During his scavenging work, he noticed the scale of coastal erosion in and around Ballyconniger beach, Co Wexford.

The dramatic coastal erosion at Ballyconniger Beach, Co. Wexford

“The bay at Ballyconniger has changed so much in my time here. I used to walk in front of the gate along the cliff top,” he says.

“ This same gate is now perched on the edge of the cliffs. That's a loss of three metres in as many years. Up until 2020, I think, the bay was a crescent. It was an excellent place for gathering driftwood. By contrast, Killmuckridge has gained land as the currents sweep north,” he says.

Begley also makes ink from seawater.

“The salt content of sea water has fascinated me for a long time. Salt acts as a catalyst in ink making,”he says, explaining he has also begun researching the acidification of the ocean as part of ink making.

Following his project with the fifth and sixth class pupils of Scoil Mhuire National School in Rosslare, Begley began drawing scenes for an animated film.

It is accompanied by soundtrack specially composed by Ruah Pearson, and can be found here

Rosslare Harbour RNLI came to the aid of a man after his 16 ft inflatable fishing boat got into difficulty off Ballytrent Beach on Tuesday, 2 May.

The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard shortly before 6 pm. The lifeboat under Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke and six crew members onboard, launched at 6 pm and made its way to the scene.

Weather conditions at the time were described as fine and dry with a slight wind and calm seas.

Once on scene, the crew observed that the man was safe and well. Having assessed the situation, a decision was made to tow the vessel to the nearest safe port at St Helen’s Harbour.

Speaking following the call out, Jamie Ryan, Rosslare Harbour RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: ‘We were delighted to be of assistance this evening and bring the man safely back to shore. We would remind anyone planning a trip to sea always to wear a lifejacket and always carry a means of communication such as a mobile phone or VHF radio. Always let someone on the shore know where you are going and when you are due back. Should you get into difficulty or see someone in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’

The lifeboat crew on this call out were Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke, Mechanic Michael Nicholas and crew members Keith Miller, Padraig Quirke, Keith Morris, Seamus Macdonald and Paul McCormack.

On Thursday, February 9, Rosslare Harbour RNLI responded to a call early in the morning and helped two sailors.

The Irish Coast Guard called the volunteer crew at 3.20 a.m. to deploy their all-weather lifeboat and rescue two yachtsmen after their 10-metre yacht encountered trouble off the coast of Rosslare.

Six crew members were on board the lifeboat, which was coxswain by Eamonn O'Rourke. It launched immediately and headed to the incident at South Blackwater Buoy, about 12 nautical miles north of Rosslare Harbour.

The night time weather conditions were described as good, with a Force 3 wind and a calm sea.

Arriving on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that the two male sailors were safe and well. The yacht had got into difficulty when it experienced engine problems.

Having assessed the situation, a decision was made to tow the yacht and her crew safely back to Rosslare Europort, where the operation ended successfully at 6.40 am.

Former Rosslare RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, David Maloney has been awarded a Commendation from the Operations Director of the RNLI for his role in a rescue in September 2016, where his actions saved the life of a woman trapped in a cabin on a yacht which had been dashed on rocks in the harbour.

As Afloat reported at the time, in the early hours of 14 September 2016, during a strong north-west gale, a small yacht owned and crewed by a Swedish couple entered Rosslare Harbour. On arrival, the engine stalled, and the yacht was blown onto on the rock armour, where it was pummelled by waves.

A call for help was raised, and Rosslare lifeboat was launched. However, due to the location of the casualty vessel, the lifeboat was unable to reach the yacht from the water. Rosslare RNLI volunteer Jamie Ryan arrived at the scene with the station Lifeboat Operations Manager David Maloney and found a man standing on the quay wall looking at the yacht, clearly in shock. In sympathising with the man on what they thought to be the loss of his vessel, they discovered that his partner was still onboard.

The stricken yacht damaged by rock armour in Rosslare Harbour

With the yacht being broken up by the waves, Jamie discussed the option of using a rope which could be put around Dave’s waist, to reach the woman, but they both realised there would be no time for this. The woman was in immediate risk of being pulled out to sea and lost. Using his skill and lifeboating knowledge and with the waves pummelling the vessel, Dave manoeuvred across the rocks and into the cabin of the yacht. Once there, he took hold of the woman and pulled her out of the cabin and up to the safety of the quay wall.

Dave never sought recognition for his action that night, but the station put him forward for his role in the rescue and during a recent Coast Review visit by the RNLI, the Operations Director, Mr. John Payne, presented Dave with the RNLI commendation. In doing so, the charity wished to acknowledge his brave actions that night and recognise it as a life saved by an RNLI volunteer.

Commenting on the honour, Rosslare RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Jamie Ryan, who succeeded David in the role, said, ‘we are delighted that David has been officially recognised by the RNLI for his incredibly brave action that night five years ago, which saved a life. It was a split-second decision but one that was made with years of experience and knowledge of lifesaving behind it. It could have easily been a tragedy, and I’m sure was a traumatic experience for the couple. David embodies the best of our lifesaving ethos, and we are very proud of him and his role at our station.’

Lifeboat crew at Rosslare Harbour RNLI, who carried out a rescue on 16 October 2017 during ‘Storm Ophelia’ that saw three lives saved in hurricane conditions, will receive an award from the RNLI for the service. The Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke will receive the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum and the lifeboat crew involved will each receive Vellum Service Certificates.

The rescue took place in conditions described by the lifeboat crew involved as some of the worst they had ever witnessed as they battled 10-metre seas in force 12 conditions. In announcing this award, the RNLI recognised the Coxswain for his boat handling and exemplary leadership in hurricane-force weather conditions and the lifeboat crew involved for their teamwork, courage and collective efforts in the rescue of the crew and the yacht.

The award was decided at a recent RNLI Trustees meeting and is the second recognition for Rosslare Harbour RNLI, following the Gallantry Award for the rescue of the Lily B off Hook Head, which saw nine lives saved and averted an environmental disaster when the 4,000-tonne cargo vessel was prevented from getting dashed on the rocks.

The full lifeboat crew for the callout were, Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke, Mechanic Michael Nicholas and lifeboat crew, Art Sheil, Micheal Ferguson, Keith Morris, Padraig Quirke, Stephen Breen and Richard Parish.

As Afloat reported at the time, at 10 am on 16 October 2017 a ‘Mayday’ was received by the Irish Coast Guard from the skipper of Second Love, a 10-metre Dehler yacht, in serious trouble en route from the UK to Malahide. With conditions deteriorating rapidly the crew were struggling to keep control of the yacht. They had planned to berth in Rosslare but decided to head to Arklow in a bid to outrun the weather. Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat was launched, and the rescue lasted four hours in severe weather and sea conditions.

In what proved a vital course of action on the day, a decision was made to pass a drogue (a device trailed behind a vessel to slow it down in rough conditions) to the casualty yacht and then establish a tow to bring the vessel to safety. These actions took place in 10-metre seas and required great skill and patience from all involved.

Commenting on the Vellum recognition, Rosslare Harbour RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager David Maloney said ‘While no lifeboat crew does any rescue for reward this is a great honour for our station. The conditions that day were terrible but when a Mayday is being broadcast, the lifeboat crew go.’

‘The rescue was a challenging one where skill, good seamanship and patience were needed. We are fortunate to have incredibly dedicated and skilled lifeboat crew in Rosslare where each volunteer would have been ready and willing to go to sea. When the pagers went off for this shout, we had eighteen of our lifeboat crew respond. Without their excellent work, the outcome of this service would have been very different.’

A unique whale-shaped mosaic which is set for permanent public display aims to connect present-day Wexford with its storied maritime past, as RTÉ News reports.

With the help of artist Helen McLean, Wexford Arts Centre has been creating the patterned artwork from shards of Staffordshire pottery — known as ‘chanies’ — collected from the shore at Rosslare over many decades by local woman Ann Borg.

Many of these shards are believed to originate from the wreck of a US-bound ship that went down in Moran’s Bay in the 1850s.

They have now been used to create an impression of the blue whale that famously beached in Wexford in the 1890s — the skeleton of which now hangs inside the entrance of London’s Natural History Museum.

RTÉ News has much more on the story HERE.

The Stena Foreteller is to be redeployed on the direct route to the Continent following border closures between the UK and France.

As Afloat reported earlier, in light of recent international border closures which have seriously impacted freight flows, Stena Line has confirmed that it will bring forward the introduction of its Stena Foreteller ferry on the Rosslare-Cherbourg service to Tuesday 22nd December, ahead of its original date of 4th Jan.

The freight-only Stena Foreteller will join the Stena Horizon which already operates on the route, doubling the freight capacity as well as the frequency of sailings between Ireland and the Continent.

Stena Foreteller will provide an additional 3, 000 lane metres of freight capacity per trip and can accommodate a mix of accompanied and unaccompanied traffic with onboard facilities for up to 12 freight drivers.

Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line said: “The developments of the last few days in terms of border closures have put enormous strains on the logistics industry. Our Rosslare-Cherbourg service is the shortest direct crossing between Ireland and France, and I’m delighted to see that our operational team on the Irish Sea have been able to ‘fast-track’ the introduction of the Stena Foreteller, providing vital additional capacity in the run up to Christmas.”

“We have developed a reputation for keeping vital supply lines open for food and medical supplies throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and once more we have shown our flexibility and expertise in being able to react swiftly to market demands. We are currently experiencing huge demand for our direct services to the Continent with our North Sea vessels (ex Killingholme and Harwich) being oversubscribed by a multiple of three.”

“From tomorrow (18:00 hrs ex Rosslare) we will provide 12 weekly crossings connecting Rosslare and Cherbourg and up to 240 sailings per week throughout the Irish Sea region, offering transport organisations and their customers the flexibility, availability and reliability they require at this time.”Glenn Carr, General Manager, Rosslare Europort said: “This is obviously a critical time for Irish industry, and as Port Authority, we are determined, working in partnership with Stena Line, to offer alternatives to those whose supply chains are impacted by the newly introduced restrictions to the landbridge. We welcome Stena Line’s response in quickly arranging additional capacity on the Rosslare Europort to Cherbourg route, and we will continue our efforts to respond effectively as COVID-19 measures impact Irish business.”

Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, with the biggest fleet offering the widest choice of routes including, combined passenger and freight services from Belfast to Cairnryan, Heysham and Liverpool, Dublin to Holyhead, Rosslare to Fishguard and the direct service from Rosslare to Cherbourg.

TUG drivers and hauliers using Rosslare Europort have created a “stay home” message which has been captured by drone photography.

The formation of trailers and tugs into the words “Stay Home” is intended to appeal to non-essential travellers during the Covid-19 pandemic, Rosslare Europort says.

Over 20,000 trailers and trade cars have been handled through Rosslare Europort and the ports of Bilboa, Fishguard, Cherbourg, Pembroke and Zeebrugge over the last number of weeks, it says.

“While we greatly miss our passengers using the port, we thank you for staying at home during these very challenging times and look forward to seeing you again in the near future,” the port says in an appeal issued through Iarnród Éireann.

It says its current focus is on continuing to “ remain fully operational through the dedication of our frontline team”, working in conjunction with the shipping lines and haulage industry to deliver essential goods throughout Ireland.

“We are working hard and ask that you stay home,” the port says.