Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat assisted two people on a 21ft motorboat suffering engine failure in severe weather conditions.

At 5.02 pm today, June 20, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to go to the assistance of two people on a 21ft motorboat that had suffered engine failure near the Corakeens Islands. At 5.15 pm the lifeboat launched with volunteer helm Owen Cavanagh, volunteer crew Keith Brennan, Jimmy Gund Kjell and Joe O’Donoghue on board. The wind was southerly, Force 7 and gusting. Visibility was fair, with driving rain and frequent squalls.

A vessel in the vicinity had taken the motorboat under tow, but under the severe weather conditions, the vessel being towed was driven onto rocks by the entrance to Dromaan Harbour on the County Clare shore. The lifeboat arrived on scene at 5.20 pm. Once the RNLI volunteers established that the casualties were safe and unharmed, they took the motor vessel off the rocks and into Dromaan, the closest safe harbour, where it was tied alongside at 6.20 pm.

The two casualties, wearing face masks and gloves, were taken by the lifeboat back to Dromineer. The vessel that had provided assistance made its own way to the public harbour at Dromineer.

Owen Cavanagh, volunteer helm at Lough Derg RNLI advises boat owners to ‘ensure your engines are fully serviced and fuel is clean before returning to the water for the summer season’. He says ‘respect the water, and remember, always check the weather forecast before going afloat'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service once more at 6.54pm

The past weekend’s good weather tempted a group of jet-skiers who subsequently ran into difficulty in Clew Bay, as The Irish Times reports.

Achill Island RNLI launched its lifeboat on Saturday evening (25 April) to reports of three men on personal water craft needing assistance between Newport in Rosmoney — waters considered treacherous for even the most experienced of mariners.

All three were towed to Rosmoney with a locally owned RIB in an operation that also involed the Irish Coast Guard and An Garda Síochána.

Gardai also mounted further patrols of Lough Derg, where earlier this month they had exercised their emergency powers to warn inland waterways users to stay at home as measures to control coronavirus remain in place.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Gardaí exercised their emergency powers this past Thursday (9 April) on Lough Derg, warning cruisers, motor boats and anglers alike to stay at home, as the Clare Echo reports.

Terryglass Angling & Conservation Club informed its members on Thursday afternoon that the Garda was patrolling the lough with a fast RIB to enforce the Covid-19 restrictions “so no getting away”.

Under Operation Fanacht, which has been extended from this Easter weekend to Tuesday 5 May, gardaí have the power to detain anyone found in breach of movement measures — which include travel beyond a 2km radius of one’s home being restricted to essential reasons.

Grocery shopping is considered one such essential purpose. However, it is understood by the Clare Echo that gardaí were turning back traffic in the Shannon area and telling drivers there were options closer to home.

The Clare Echo has more on the story HERE.

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and water users that the Green E Buoy buoy at Goat Island on Lough Derg is off station, and to proceed with additional caution in the vicinity of the island.

Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was requested by Valentia Coast Guard to assist a family of three, two adults and a child, on a 21ft cruiser suffering engine failure near the County Clare shore today.

Weather conditions were calm with Force 2 winds and good visibility.

The lifeboat, with helm Dom Sharkey and crew Michael O'Sullivan and Tom Hayes on board, reached the casualty vessel at 12.10 pm. The skipper of the vessel had dropped anchor to prevent his boat drifting onto the rocky shore. Once the RNLI volunteers established that the people on board were safe and well and that the vessel had not suffered damage, they set up for a tow and took in the anchor.

At 12.30 pm the lifeboat had the cruiser, with her passengers and an RNLI crew member on board, under tow to Mountshannon Harbour.

After tying the cruiser safely alongside at Mountshannon Harbour, the lifeboat returned to Station and was ready for service again at 2.30 pm.

Dom Sharkey, volunteer helm at Lough Derg RNLI said: ‘We advise people to ensure that their vessels are regularly serviced, and, in the event of difficulties, to always carry a means of communication.'

On Tuesday evening (30 July), Lough Derg RNLI launched to the aid of an 18ft boat with engine failure by Mountshannon Harbour on the Clare shore.

On arrival at the reported location, the volunteer lifeboat was directed by Valentia Coast Guard to new co-ordinates as the vessel had drifted two miles south and was anchored at Castlelough on the Tipperary shore.

Once alongside, the crew observed that the boat’s onboard motor had had a fire.

The crew advised the skipper to disconnect the motor’s battery and the fuel line to the engine, and to locate the fire extinguisher.

Once satisfied the engine posed no danger, the lifeboat crew took the vessel under tow to Mountshannon where it was tied alongside at 8pm.

The crew then administered minor first aid to the skipper who had a recent finger injury and had lost the dressing from his wound.

Speaking following the callout, volunteer crew member Ger Egan said: “We would remind all boat users of the importance of doing regular checks on their boat’s engine and make sure it is serviced regularly.

“As we continue to enjoy the summer, we would also like to remind all users of the lake to respect the water.

“Always wear a lifejacket, always carry a means of communication and let someone on the shore know where you are going and when you are expected back.

“Should you get into difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

Today Lough Derg RNLI was requested by Valentia Coast Guard to assist two people on a 30-ft cruiser who had become stuck on rocks on a raised shoal on the Eastern Shore of Lough Derg.

The lifeboat launched at 1.46 pm at the request of Valentia Coast Guard with volunteer crew members Dom Sharkey, Owen Cavanagh and Christian Parker and helmed by Eleanor Hooker.

Weather conditions were calm with force 2 winds and good visibility.

The lifeboat reached the casualty vessel and established that the people on board were safe and well. The lifeboat took soundings of depth on approach as the cruiser was high on a rocky shoal.

A crew member transferred to the vessel and checked it was not holed and the rudder and drives were all in good working order. With the crew member still aboard they set up a tow and took the boat off the rocks and into safe waters. The RNLI volunteer showed safe water and markers on the chart before the cruiser continued its journey without further assistance from the lifeboat.

Deputy Launching Authority, Brendan O’Brien said ‘We advise people using the lake to anticipate each marker on their route and study their charts when passage planning and to enjoy Lough Derg’

Vintage barges and fantastic events are promised in the line-up as the Mountshannon Arts Festival returns this June Bank Holiday, Thursday 30 May to Monday 3 June.

Inspired by this year’s theme, ‘Roots and Wings’, the festival features all facets of the arts including music, theatre, visual art, sculptures, films, poetry, literature, workshops, puppets, talks, walks, family fun and even a dog show.

And this year it will be almost two festivals in one as a gathering of vintage barges in Mountshannon Harbour on Lough Derg will comprise a floating fringe festival delivering a cargo of poetry, writing and performance.

Mountshannon Arts Festival has been running since 1995, and each year brings a new collection of exhibitions, performances and workshops to inspire and entertain both locals, and visitors to the area.

Rooted in the visual arts, the ethos of the festival is to create access to works and exhibitions that would not be easy to find in a rural area, while at the same time stimulating the creation of works and performances from within the local community.

For more information, visit www.mountshannonarts.net or find the festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

At 2.30pm, Saturday, May 11 2019, Lough Derg RNLI held their naming ceremony for their new inshore lifeboat, the Atlantic 85 B911 ‘Jean Spier’, in Dromineer.

The new B class lifeboat was donated to the RNLI by Robert Spier and his late wife Jean Spier. As active supporters of the RNLI they had together decided to donate money to the RNLI for an Atlantic lifeboat. Sadly Jean died in October 2017 and Robert dedicated the new boat in her honour.

With fantastic weather, the ceremony was held outside on the lawn of the Lough Derg Yacht Club. Children of the volunteer crew handed out brochures to guests as they arrived.

Guests on the lawn for the RNLI Lough Derg launch of the new lifeboat Photo: Geraldine Wisdom

Niamh McCutcheon, Lifeboat Fundraising Chair and Irish Council Member opened the ceremony with special thanks to Robert Spier and the late Jean Spier for their generous donation.

Robert Spier expressed his pleasure in handing over the boat to the RNLI and into the care of Paddy McLaughlin, an RNLI Irish Council Member and Coxwain of Red Bay Lifeboat Station. Mr. McLaughlin thanked Robert, saying ‘there is no greater gift that we can receive, no act of generosity more appreciated by the volunteers than the bequest of a lifesaving vessel’.

Lough Derg Lifeboat Operations Manager, Liam Maloney accepted the lifeboat on behalf of volunteer crew, expressing his thanks to Robert and his late wife Jean, saying ‘on behalf of all of us at Lough Derg how proud we are to get this state of the art lifeboat for our station’. He acknowledged the magnitude of the gift, saying ‘This B class lifeboat means we now have the latest and finest rescue equipment available’.

Volunteer crew – Doireann Kennedy, Dom Sharkey, Kjell Jimmy Gundergjerde and Joe O’Donoghue Photo: Geraldine Wisdom

On behalf of all station personnel at Lough Derg RNLI, volunteer members Aoife Kennedy, Administrative Officer and Ger Egan, Lifeboat Mechanic and helm presented Robert with the signature Lough Derg jacket with the ‘Jean Spier’ crest as a token of their appreciation, and welcomed him as an honourary member of the Lough Derg Lifeboat team.

The Reverend Roderick Smyth and Father William McCormack were invited to lead a service of dedication before poet and Lough Derg volunteer helm Eleanor Hooker read her poem, Lifeboat: for Robert Spier, i.m. Jean Spier.

Robert then officially named the lifeboat ‘Jean Spier’ in Dromineer before Pat Kelly, Boathouse Manager closed the ceremony with a note of thanks to all involved in making the event so successful.

Following the ceremony, guests were invited for afternoon tea in the Yacht Club, provided by Simply Foods from Nenagh. Fundraising Committee member, and former Deputy Launching Authority Teddy Knight took guests out on the lake in his boat the Ku-Ee-Tu to watch a demonstration of the new lifeboat in action.

We would like to express our thanks to the Commodore Tadgh Murphy and his committee for permitting is the use of Lough Derg Yacht Club’s premises for the occasion, to Gerardine Wisdom, official photographer for the day, and for the support of our friends and colleagues in the RNLI and various rescue agencies who attended and to members of our local community who are unfailing in their support of the lifeboat.

The success of the day was in no small way due to the hard work by the dedicated team of volunteers at Lough Derg RNLI Station and fundraising and by Alex Sivyer and Emily Weaver from the Events and Ceremonies team who travelled over from RNLI Headquarters in Poole. This great team spirit contributed to the great atmosphere of celebration on the day.

A painting by Montague Dawson recently sold at auction may not depict an amateur sailing race on Lough Derg as claimed, according to one yachting historian.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the painting titled ‘Racing for the Corinthian Challenge Cup on Lough Derg’, by the renowned maritime artist, fetched more than €87,000 in the Marine Sale at Bonhams in London last Wednesday (1 May).

The auctioneers confess that “it has not yet been possible to identify the specific race and those yachts depicted”.

But that could be because the race never happened, an expert on Lough Derg has suggested.

In correspondence seen by Afloat.ie, Vincent Delany — a member of the Association of Yachting Historians, author of a definitive history of Lough Derg’s yacht clubs, and a regular contributor to Afloat.ie — identified a number of reasons why he believes the painting takes artistic licence with its title.

Among them are the sail numbers, when Lough Derg boats used house flags; the size of the boats depicted, when there were no six-metre yachts on the lough; and the background, which is “not reflective of the hills of Co Tipperary, or of Cos Clare or Galway or the eastern shorelines of Lough Derg”.

Delany also posits that the quality of the lighting in the painting is more suggestive of the south of England than the lakes of the Shannon.

Afloat.ie awaits Bonhams’ response to Delany’s questions.