Sligo Bay RNLI welcomes new volunteer helm

Vinnie's new role as helm will see him carry more responsibility as he will be in charge of the lifeboat and crew when at sea. Joining the station's team of helms, comes following a lot of dedicated hard work and committed extra hours of training.

'I have always been in and around the sea from a young age sailing, surfing, swimming,' Vinnie explains. 'I had always thought the RNLI was such an amazing charity but I didn’t know how to join or if I would even be suitable for it. When I moved back to Sligo after about 10 years working in Dublin, I got hooked on sailing longer passages and loved learning all of the new skills that went with that. Eventually, a friend on the lifeboat crew suggested I should chat the guys in the station and I was delighted to be able to volunteer on the lifeboat.'

Vinnie says to be part of a crew of people that rescue people at sea seemed like a great thing to do: 'All of the crew do this on a voluntary basis, it’s quite a selfless thing and I think that’s one of the most rewarding aspects of it for me. It is a big commitment for all of the crew, but personally I find it very fulfilling in terms of the job we do, learning, personal growth and the whole community aspect around it. Something I’ve come to appreciate more and more over the years is the brilliant community of people that I’ve gotten to know. It takes a huge amount of volunteers in various roles to make this station tick and to offer this search and rescue service including from all the lifeboat crew, shore crew, those in fundraising and in management.'

As for why he wanted to become a helm, Vinnie adds: 'There’s a few sides to it, to be a helm means you have to hit a certain level. To me that meant being able to keep progressing and hopefully contribute more to the station and those that need the RNLI. The personal growth since joining as a crew member has been brilliant, building towards this leadership role has been a continuation of that growth. It’s a real honour to be a helm in this station alongside the other helms, and crew, whose knowledge and experience I have learnt so much from over the years.'

All at Sligo Bay RNLI congratulate Vinnie on his dedication and commitment in progressing to helm and wish him the best of luck as he continues with his fellow volunteers to save lives at sea.

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RNLI Media Contact
For more information, contact Aisling Gillen, Sligo Bay RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer at [email protected]