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OVER 1,000 PEOPLE were brought to safety by Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboats in 2012 – an average of 20 people a week.
Irish lifeboat crews spent over ten thousand hours at sea on callouts, and more than half (51 per cent) of lifeboat launches were to power, sail and manual pleasure craft, while 14 per cent were to commercial craft (fishing boats and other commercial vessels).
A total of 200 of the lifeboat launches were to boats with mechanical failure, while 73 callouts were to stranded or grounded vessels.
Volunteers
RNLI Operations Manager for Ireland, Martyn Smith, said that the figures show that RNLI volunteers dedicate a huge amount of their time to saving lives at sea.
To know that they are on call every day of the year is reassuring for all of us who venture out to sea and on loughs around Ireland.
She added that while many callouts can be challenging, the volunteer lifeboat crews take the responsibility of bringing loved ones home very seriously.
As the figures show, last year they were able to do that for 1,041 people. Not every callout is to save a life but the comfort and reassurance our volunteer crews bring to those in trouble is something the RNLI is very proud of and will continue to provide through the generosity of the public. I would like to say a huge “thank you” to all those who support the RNLI, whether by giving up their time or by making a donation.
There was a small drop in the amount of Irish lifeboats from the RNLI launched last year (983 to 939) , but the number of people brought to safety rose from 906 to 1,041.
Busiest lifeboats
The figures take in all 44 lifeboat stations in Ireland, and show that Dun Laoghaire RNLI brought the highest number of people to safety, with 76 individuals rescued by them during 46 callouts. They were followed by Kilmore Quay RNLI in county Wexford, who brought 71 people to safety on 29 callouts.
The busiest RNLI lifeboat station in Ireland last year was Bangor, Co Down, which launched 53 times, rescuing 53 people. Over half of their callouts were carried out in the hours of darkness.
Other busy stations include Crosshaven RNLI in Cork, where lifeboat crews launched their inshore lifeboat 42 times and rescued 31 people. Baltimore RNLI – who, along with Kilmore Quay RNLI, operate Ireland’s two Tamar class lifeboats, the most technologically advanced lifeboat in the Irish fleet – launched their two lifeboats 41 times, rescuing 41 people.
The second Dublin all weather lifeboat station in Howth launched 40 times and rescued 48 people, while the RNLI’s newest lifeboat station at Coosan Point, Athlone on Lough Ree, which is currently on a one year trial from last June, launched 14 times, bringing 18 people to safety.
Ashore
It wasn’t just people out on sea who were brought to safety – lifeboat crews also had 122 callouts to people classed as ‘ashore’, meaning people who are ill or injured on an island, cliff or the shoreline, where access by lifeboat is the fastest or safest way to reach them.
It also includes medical evacuations from the islands off the coast of Ireland by lifeboat. This is a vital part of the service by lifeboat stations such as Arranmore Island in county Donegal and the Aran Islands off county Galway.
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Houses with the number 13 sell for less in many parts of the country. Why? Cos there are so many idiots out there immersed in silly US urban culture
Jason’s gonna getcha!
I remember working in a Hotel in Toronto and the floors went from 12 to 14. The door numbers 112 to 114. I find 13 to be lucky considering I was born on the 13th.
I always find that stupid as the as floor or room 14 or whatever is still the 13th one anyway, it’s like I know a fella who got a handy landline number off eircom because no one would take it as it started with 666
We have a 12, 12a and 14, no number 13 in my estate.
Black cats are good luck here, it’s the US that has the problem.
Western superstitions about 13 are relatively mild… Out in Asia they’ll do and pay ANYTHING to avoid the number 4.
4444444444444….. Haha
Odd but true. When I worked in the Far East my apartment block had no floors 4, 13, 14 nor 24. There were no 4 apartments either they all went by letters per floor!
Ok I’ll be the 13th comment – all rubbish superstition all in the head – hocus pocus.
The only thing that comes from touching wood is a splinter, use your mental capacity for something other than fiction
13 is unlucky because there were 12 disciples and Jesus at the last supper = 13. The last supper was on a Friday so therefore Friday the 13th is thought to be unlucky!! What a load of bull!! Have a great day people!
@Deborah Jesus was a bit tied up on the Friday the last supper was the night before !
You make your own luck
I live in number 13
Because human are idiots. I grew up in a number 13 house. my parents told me that when they went to buy it off the plans in the 1970s, the estate agent asked them did they wish to change the address to 12A. FML never shied away from number 13 as a result – it has its benefits too as you get things that are associated with 13 that others will avoid!
DublinBikes @ 13 stand are most often the last bike taken.
Well would u take a chance?
Hard to take the chance with any dublin bikes given how awful the roads are
I knew a military pilot whose callsign was 13. For him it was lucky.
Sounds like a bad decision to me, she could have 28% of the value of the home in extra cash.
Las Vegas hotels follows feng shui too.
I was born on Friday the 13th and life is grand….. But I will salute a magpie lol
Can you eat magpies lol…
My daughter had the option to buy a house number 13,she deliberately decided not to. It was a good decision.
Sound like a bad decision to me, she could have 28% of the value of the home in cash.
Could have been a very good decision if she was going to buy that house in 2006-2007.
I bought house No 13,two years ago and couldn’t be happier . The same houses on my road are now selling at €45K more!!!! I got such a bargain , a bigger garden than any of the others and I will never be overlooked as its end of terrace !
After the loss of a child , marriage break up , numerous job losses and house moves I don’t worry about No 13 . I’ve had the worst of things happen and it’s nothing to do with number 13.
It’s called life .
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And yet the property charge is still the same for them?
The very first house I bought many moons ago was number 13. Three years later houses 10, 11 and 12 had pyrite and 13 didn’t. The fear of black cats, walking under ladders, 13 etc, what a load of crap.
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