ARKLOW RNLI LAUNCHES TO ASSIST KAYAKERS.
The volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 3.20PM on Saturday 30.05.20 following a report that two persons were overdue back from a kayaking trip to Arklow Windfarm.
The all-weather lifeboat under Coxswain Ned Dillon and our volunteer crew of Brendan Dillon, Geoff Kearnes, Eddie McElheron, Leigh Downey and Matt Heaney. launched immediately and made its way to the scene.
Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a calm sea, light wind and good visibility.
Upon arrival onscene approximately 2 miles east of Arklow, one of the kayakers and his boat were transferred to the lifeboat, while the other one was escorted back to Arklow South Beach by Arklow lifeboat.
Speaking following the call out, Mark Corcoran, Arklow RNLI Community Safety Officer said , “Thankfully we were able to assist these kayakers safely back to shore, given the good weather and the relaxation of some the Covid 19 protocols, there are a lot more people around and on the water, we would like to re iterate our message that if you are going on or in the water:
Always carry a means of calling for help, always wear a lifejacket and other appropriate protection, always check the weather and tides before going to sea and please Respect The Water.
Arklow RNLI remains on call and is fully operational during the Coronavirus pandemic. While there is no crew training or exercises taking place, our volunteers are here if and when our community need us.”
The RNLI has issued advice with the Irish Coast Guard, to ask people to avoid using the water for exercise while restrictions are in place. This is to minimise the risk to search and rescue volunteer crews, helicopter crew and other frontline emergency services, through being unintentionally exposed to the coronavirus.
Further Water Safety Information can be found at www.respectthewater.com
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Mark Corcoran, Arklow RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 086 8260439 or [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 or [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or [email protected]
RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, the charity has saved over 142,200 lives.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.