#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI responded to a mayday call about a converted fishing trawler at Ringhaddy Sound in Strangford Lough on Saturday night (24 August).

The alarm was raised by the crew of a nearby yacht who reported two men and two women on board an 80ft converted trawler, which had lost all power and was taking on water.

The Portaferry lifeboat crew launched before 8pm and were on the scene within 15 minutes. The sea at the time was calm with no wind and good visibility.



When the lifeboat arrived, one man and one woman had already transferred to the neighbouring yacht. The lifeboat crew then requested a salvage pump to help pump the water from the stricken boat.



A local vessel from Portaferry lent assistance by taking a pump to the lifeboat crew, and they met halfway between Portaferry and Ringhaddy.



With the assistance of the crew of the yacht who had called in the alert, the lifeboat manoeuvred the converted trawler onto the pontoons at Ringhaddy, and remained while the last of the water was pumped out and all four of its compliment were safely ashore.


Portaferry RNLI volunteer lifeboat operations manager Brian Bailie said: "We would like to pass on our thanks to everyone who helped bring this mayday call to a safe conclusion.


"The prompt actions of everyone involved resulted in a positive outcome and the volunteer RNLI crew for the second time in as many days helped to avert a potentially very serious situation."

Meanwhile, Donaghadee RNLI also launched on Saturday to go to the aid of a 17ft powerboat with four men on board that had run out of fuel off the Copeland Islands.

Belfast Coastguard received a call from the men shortly after 5pm and requested the lifeboat to launch.

The all-weather lifeboat crew, under second coxswain John Ashwood, located the vessel quickly and the decision was made to tow the casualty back to Donaghadee harbour. All returned safely shortly after 5.45pm.

#RNLI - Wexford RNLI rescued two people late on Monday night (26 August) after their yacht went aground on a sandbank on the way into Wexford Harbour.

The volunteer lifeboat crew responded to the report of the yacht which had grounded near Ravens Point around midnight on Monday.
 
Weather conditions at the time were good with a calm sea state and a north westerly force three wind.

But a fast-flowing tide of four knots meant that the inshore lifeboat and crew of the yacht had to work hard to refloat that boat.

Wexford RNLI lifeboat helm Peter Scallan commended the action of the yacht's crew, who he said were experienced sailors.

"The yacht's crew had taken all the correct precautions with the appropriate equipment on board to ensure their safety. They co-operated greatly with the lifeboat crew and as a result both they and their yacht were rescued." 
 


Lifeboat crew member Alan Keville went onboard the vessel to assist in the manoeuvre to get the yacht off the sandbank, which involved using the mast to get the vessel on its side as the keel was stuck hard in the sandbank. The yacht was under tow at 1.14am and back in Wexford at 2.30am.


Elsewhere, the Courtown lifeboat launched on Sunday afternoon (25 August) to a report of a swimmer missing off Ardamine beach.

The lifeboat crew, who were in the harbour at the time, launched within minutes and commenced a search of the area. Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 was also tasked to the scene, along with the Courtown coastguard unit.

After a thorough search of the area between Glasscarrig and Courtown pier, all rescue services were stood down as nothing was found. Courtown RNLI thanked all the members of public who helped and provided information during the call out.

The day before, the Wicklow RNLI inshore and all-weather lifeboats were launched after a member of the public reported seeing a small craft with two people drifting off Brittas Bay beach.

While the lifeboats were on route to Brittas Bay, they were requested to stand down and return to station by the coastguard as the boaters managed to make their own way ashore.

Speaking after the call-out, Wicklow RNLI lifeboat operations manager Des Davitt said: "While this turned out to be a false alarm with good intent, we are delighted that the public are being vigilant and contact the coastguard immediately when they suspect someone is in trouble on the water."

#WaterSafety - The RNLI has posted the above video outlining what kayakers can do to call for help if they get into difficulty on the water.

Taking a whistle along for the trip is one sensible idea, as is ensuring a means of longer-range communication such as a VHF radio or a mobile phone in a dry case.

Carrying a flare may also prove handy, and there's always that old standby if other water users are within earshot - shouting as loud as you can to attract attention.

#rnli – A teenager became very unwell this evening whilst on an angling trip to the Ling Rocks on the south coast.

The skipper of the angling boat became concerned as her condition deteriorated and asked Valentia Coast Guard for assistance.

The volunteers of Crosshaven lifeboat were paged at 5.33 pm and were underway at 5.40pm. The crew of Vincent Fleming with Ian O'Keefe and Warren Forbes were on scene 20 minutes later and assesed the casualty whilst in communication with the lifeboat Doctor, Dr john Murphy.

It was decided to get the casualty ashore as quickly as possible and the lifeboat headed to Roberts Cove and was met by the lifeboat Doctor and the ambulance service.

After assesment the casualty was transferred to Hospital.

#helicrash – The RNLI has released video footage (above) and photographs of the Aith Lifeboat crew at the scene of Friday's helicopter wreckage off the West Coast of Shetland as Afloat.ie reported earlier

The lifeboat footage taken from onboard cameras shows the crew surveying the scene of the incident on Friday evening with lighting rigs erected on the mainland to assist rescuers.

A yellow flotation device can be seen in the images and this is part of the helicopter's safety equipment.

Four people were killed when the Super Puma helicopter came down south of Garths Ness.

#RNLI - Galway Bay FM reports that the Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat was tasked to assist a yacht that ran aground off Inis Mór in the Galway Bay island chain yesterday afternoon (23 August).

The yacht apparently got into difficulty in Killeany Bay while approaching Kilronan harbour, but the lifeboat crew soon helped it get on its way again, and all four people on board were safe and well.

Elsewhere, Portaferry RNLI was called out in the early hours of Thursday morning (22 August) to rescue two people stranded on an island at the north end of Strangford Lough.

The two adults, a man and a woman, had become stranded on Island Hill, a small island which lies just offshore in Strangford Lough between Newtownards and Comber in Co Down.



The island is accessible on foot at low tide via a concrete causeway connecting the mainland to the small island, but the couple had been cut off when the causeway became submerged due to the incoming tide.



Both were taken on board the lifeboat and taken to a nearby car park where they were they were passed into the care of the local coastguard.

#RNLI - Three bodies have been recovered from the water after a helicopter with 18 people on board crashed in the North Sea last night (Friday 23 August).

RNLI lifeboats from Aith and Lerwick in the Shetland Isles have spent the night involved in a multi-agency rescue operation, following reports that a helicopter had ditched into the sea west of Sumburgh airport.

It's believed the helicopter, a Super Puma L2, was carrying 16 passengers and two crew from the Borgsten Dolphin oil platform in the North Sea.

Both volunteer lifeboat crews made their way to the scene throughout the evening and assisted in the search for passengers with other agencies, including two coastguard rescue helicopters, a passenger ferry and a cargo vessel.

Fourteen people were rescued while the lifeboats were still making their way to the scene.

But early this morning Police Scotland conformed that three bodies had been recovered, two of which were recovered by Lerwick RNLI lifeboat and taken to a nearby pier. Work is now underway to recover the fourth individual.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: "Sadly the bodies of three people have been recovered in the aftermath of yesterday’s crash, and we know that agencies are working to recover the body of the fourth person.

"We can confirm that the RNLI lifeboat crew from Lerwick lifeboat station recovered two of those people. The lifeboat crew transported them to Sumburgh and we are liaising with other authorities as things develop.

"Obviously this is the news that everyone, included our lifeboat volunteers, dreaded – our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those four people. We can also confirm that one of our lifeboats has also been involved in reclaiming wreckage from the scene as part of the operation."

The wreckage of the helicopter is in a fairly inaccessible position near cliffs, and weather conditions at the time were described as not particularly good.

Lerwick RNLI lifeboat managed to tow the wreckage off rocks and it was being held in the shelter of a bay until a recovery operation could commence.

#Greystonesharbour – Greystones Motor Yacht Club will have an RNLI Lifeboat presentation night next Thursday 29th August at 8pm.

The venue is upstairs at the nearby Beach House Pub, next door to Greystones Harbour, a location popular with visiting sailors, including the Squib class.

Joe Taylor from the RNLI hopes to have the lifeboat 'Annie Blaker' in attendance at the harbour.

GMYC We is also going to launch the new Greystones Harbour defibrillator scheme with an explanation of how it will operate.

#RNLI - Lough Swilly RNLI came to the aid of two fishermen yesterday (22 August) after their open boat was grounded on rocks near Malin Head, as the Irish Independent reports.

The Lough Swilly lifeboat was joined by the volunteer crew from Greencastle and the Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter to attend the 22ft fishing boat. Both fishermen on board were recovered and are well.

It is not yet clear how the vessel came to crash on the rocks off Trawbrega Bay, with conditions in the area said to be "not bad". The Irish Independent has more on the story HERE.

Five young teenagers were assisted to safety this evening as they were transferring by dinghy from a Yacht to the shore and their engine failed.
With 6 knots of an ebbing tide running, the dingy was quickly swept down the East Ferry channel.

Other persons onboard the yacht alerted Valentia Coastguard to the plight of the teenagers and Crosshaven RNLI lifeboat launched at 9.58pm
with Alan Venner, Dan O'Donoghue and Ian O'Keefe on board to make the 6 mile crossing of Cork Harbour to East Ferry arriving on scene at 10.15pm.

On arrival, the motor vessel "Vixen" had responded, rescued and taken on board the persons adrift, The lifeboat stood by whilst "Vixen" put them ashore at Murphy's pier.
The crew made sure the occupants were in no need of medical help. It then became apparent that two adults and three further children were now marooned
on board their yacht with no tender and the 45' yacht had too deep a draught to come alongside. The lifeboat proceeded to the yacht, took off and landed
the remaining five persons at Murphy's pier.

The lifeboat then returned to the station, refuelled, washed down and was ready for service at 11.15pm