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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
Busy Weekend With Four Call-Outs For Portaferry RNLI
#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI in Co Down had a busy weekend with four separate call-outs over the two days. The first came on Saturday 6 July following a report that three children were drifting offshore on an inflatable toy. The volunteer…
Castlerock RNLI Lifeguards Rescue Family of Six From Rip Current
#Rescue - Castlerock RNLI lifeguards rescued a family of six after they got into difficulty on the town’s seaside beach in Co Derry yesterday (7 July). Senior RNLI lifeguard Gordon Clark was patrolling busy Castlerock beach when at he noticed…
Teen Rescued From Howth Cliff Edge
#Rescue - TheJournal.ie reports that 15 members of the Irish Coast Guard's Cliff Rescue Unit were involved in the rescue of a 16-year-old boy trapped on a cliff edge on Howth Head in North Dublin on Saturday evening (6 July).…
Ballycotton Lifeboat Tows 30-Footer to Safety
#rnli – Ballycotton lifeboat launched at 17:15 this evening to a 30 ft Irish registered vessel with mechanical difficulties 12 miles east of Ballycotton. The vessel with two persons on board ran into difficulties and sought assistance. The Ballycotton lifeboat,…
New Emergency Info System Put Through Its Paces
#Rescue - The Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI were among the emergency services putting some new communication technology to the test last month. As Phys.org reports, the emergency exercise in Malahide Estuary was designed to test the effectiveness of…
Skerries Lifeboat Rescues Colt Island Kayakers
#RNLI - Skerries RNLI rescued a group of teenagers who got into difficulty while kayaking on Sunday evening (30 June). The volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat shortly after 6pm to reports of a group of kayakers on Colt Island who were…
Marine Notice: 3D Seismic Survey in Porcupine Basin
#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises of a 3D seismic survey in the Porcupine Basin off the Kerry coast to begin in early July for a period of seven weeks,…
Skerries RNLI Assists Lone Sailor On Grounded Yacht
#RNLI - Skerries RNLI launched shortly before 7pm yesterday evening (Thursday 27 June) to assist an 11m yacht with one person on board that had run aground north of Rush Harbour. The Dublin branch of the Irish Coast Guard requested…
Clifden RNLI Upgrade Inshore Lifeboat to New Atlantic 85
#rnli – Clifden RNLI have this week taken delivery of a new Atlantic 85 lifeboat at the station. The lifeboat is named Joyce King and will be replacing the Atlantic 75 lifeboat that has been on service in the Galway…
Dinghy Drowning Report Blames Poor Planning
#MCIB - Marine investigators have reiterated the importance of boaters informing people ashore of planned trips in their report into the drowning of a dinghy sailor in West Cork last autumn. As reported last August on Afloat.ie, an afternoon sail…
Loss of Buoyancy Led to Drowning of Lady Eileen Crew - MCIB
#MCIB - Overloading of the boat deck and a missing hatch at the stern may have caused a fatal loss of buoyancy that led to the drowning of two fishermen off Co Clare last year, according to the official report…
Donaghadee RNLI Rescues Man In Boat Breakdown
#RNLI - Donaghadee RNLI has rescued a man after his boat got into difficulty off the Co Down coast. In good weather conditions, the volunteer crew launched the all-weather lifeboat at 3.07pm yesterday (Wednesday 26 June) to go to the…
Wicklow Lifeboat Launched to Free Boat from Lobster Pot
#rnli – The Wicklow inshore lifeboat was launched at 1800hrs last night after the Coast Guard received a call for assistance from a small boat with four people onboard. The alarm was raised after the boats propeller got fouled in…
Skerries RNLI Responds To Concerns Over Shore Walkers
#RNLI - Skerries RNLI in North Co Dublin were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard on Monday evening (24 June) following a call from a concerned member of the public regarding a group of people walking back to shore…
Kayaker Walks Miles to Raise Alarm After Capsize
#kayak – A kayaker has been located safe and well after he capsized in the Gulf of Corryvreckan. Belfast Coastguard was contacted by a local fishing vessel just after 3.30pm this afternoon, reporting that they had spotted the kayak upside down…
New Zealander Honours Arklow RNLI Crew Who Saved His Grandfather
#RNLI - New Zealand man Greg Murphy and his wife Anne have made an emotional journey to Arklow RNLI to visit the lifeboat station where more than a century ago the lifeboat crew set out in heavy seas and torrential…

Every Year Ireland's Search & Rescue Services deliver emergency life saving work on our seas, lakes and rivers.

Ireland's Water Safety Agencies work hard to provide us with the information we need to keep safe, while enjoying all manner of water based activities.

There's no better fun than getting out on the water but being afloat is a responsibility we all need to take seriously.

These pages detail the work of the rescue agencies. We also aim to promote safety standards among pleasure boaters, and by doing so, prevent, as far as possible, the loss of life at sea and on inland waters. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]

Think Before You Sink - Wear a Lifejacket

Accidents can happen fast on water and there may not be time to reach for a lifejacket in an emergency therefore don't just carry a lifejacket - wear it; if it's not on you, it can't save your life.

Irish Water Safety's Safe Boating Alert:

Check condition of boat and equipment, hull, engine, fuel, tools, torch.

Check the weather forecast for the area.

Check locally concerning dangerous currents and strong tides.

Do not drink alcohol while setting out or during your trip.

Carry an alternative means of propulsion e.g. sails and oars or motor and oars.

Carry a first aid kit on board and distress signals (at least two parachute distress rockets, two red hand flares).

Carry a fire extinguisher, a hand bailer or bucket with lanyard and an anchor with rope attached.

Carry marine radio or some means of communication with shore.

Do not overload the boat - this will make it unstable.

Do not set out unless accompanied by an experienced person.

Leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore - including departure and arrival times, description of boat, names of persons on board, etc.

Wear a Lifejacket at all times.

Keep an eye on the weather - seek shelter in good time.

In Marine Emergencies, call 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue.

Lifejackets Checklist

Ensure Cartridges have not been punctured and are secured firmly.

Ensure all zips, buckles, fasteners and webbing straps are functioning correctly and adjusted to fit the user.

Check that fitted lights are operating correctly.

Ensure that Automatic Inflation devices are fully serviced and in date.

Check that the valve or lifejacket is not leaking.