Busy afternoon for Skerries RNLI as they respond to two call outs in two hours

Shortly after 2pm the lifeboat was tasked following reports to Dublin Coast Guard of a Jet Ski broken down near Colt island off Skerries. The volunteers launched the Atlantic 85 lifeboat and proceeded to the area.

They quickly located the jet ski alongside the tender from Skerries Sailing Club, they had spotted the men and taken them on board. The men were transferred to the lifeboat and a tow was established with the jet ski, which had suffered mechanical failure. They were returned, with their craft, safely to the beach at the lifeboat station.

The lifeboat and the station were disinfected and made ready for the next service, which came soon after.

Shortly after 4pm, the volunteer’s pagers sounded again, following a 999 call from a member of the public to Dublin Coast Guard reporting a swimmer in difficulty between Colt island and St. Patricks island off Skerries.

The lifeboat proceeded directly to the scene and with no visual confirmation of the swimmer’s location, immediately began a search pattern. They were joined in the search by Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116, and by Skerries Coast Guard unit who searched from the shore.

Following a thorough search of the area, and the crew speaking to numerous kayakers in the area, Dublin Coast Guard was satisfied that it was a false alarm with good intent and the helicopter and lifeboat were stood down.

Before proceeding back to the station, the lifeboat crew spotted a man and his daughter on stand-up paddle boards making their way ashore from Shenick island against a strong offshore breeze and a flowing tide. As a precaution they decided to speak to the man to see if they required any assistance. While they were in no danger, and were quite experienced sea goers, they gratefully accepted the offer of a lift. They were dropped off closer to shore on the south beach where the conditions were noticeably calmer.

Speaking about the call out, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Skerries RNLI, Gerry Canning said: ‘It’s days like this that you really see the dedication of our volunteer crews. Some of them were still on the harbour following the first call out when their pagers sounded the second time. This meant that we could launch quite quickly to what was potentially a serious incident. Thankfully in both cases it was a good outcome.’

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Gerry Canning, Skerries RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 087 988 4965 or email [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, RNLI Ireland Media Officer on 087 648 3547 or email [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, RNLI Ireland Media Manager on 087 1254 124 or [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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