boat anglers , a cautionary tale.

Hi.
We had a callout last week involving 4 divers missing off the saltees. I will briefly describe how the rescue developed.
Arond 2230 the coastguard were informed that 4 divers were overdue operating from the kilmore quay area, 4 lifeboats were launcehed along with the rescue helicopter at around 2330.
The problem was, nobody knew where they were diving, so the search area was between hook head and carnsore point, a massive area!!
the night progressed and a few false alarms were had, as the helicopter found a rib upturned near bannow bay, but it was not the divers boat( still a mystery)
lifeboats found some diving gear near the saltees, and the search was concentrated in that area. as dawn was breaking a report came in that someone had spotted what looked like the divers offshore from the forlorn rock, and the helicopter soon spotted and recovered four cold divers, but thankfully safe and well.
Story goes they were coming back after completing there dive and passing the islands hit a big wave that severly damaged the rib ( apparently the grp seperated from the rubber , dug in at speed and flipped the boat)
Most of there gear was lost, though they did salvage a few flares, these apparently proved faulty.

I would just like to pass on a few pointers to make our job easier if something unfortuanate happens to you.
1. please tell someone where you are going , ie red bank, ling rocks etc, it gives us a starting point, if you deviate , as happens, text a mate where you are, tell someone. Leave a rough plan of where you are going with wife, girlfriend, mate etc.
2 . Call the coastguard on 23 and leave a departure message with eta , numbers on board etc, if you do not call them on return or at stated eta , they will start rescue proceedures if they cannot contact you
3. check your flares are in date, think about carrying a packet of mini flares in your floatation suit pocket, if you get seperated from the boat you have a way of attracting attention.

These guys were lucky, it could have been a lot worse, on the same day, a yacht sank off wicklow, another boat overturned near the saltees with 4 onboard, all recovered safely, so a busy day.

Hope this helps, the more we know , the quicker we can find you
regards
screeming

hi screeming reels. well done on the write up and well done on the rescue. they were very lucy men, lads like you don't get half enough credit for the job you do.did you find out what happened to the mystery rib that was turned over?. where would i get some flares ?.

hi,
not sure where the other rib was from will find out,
If you have a trawl through the chandelry sites you will find the flares, sometimes called pencil flares. you can fire them to draw attention, but if god forbid , you end up having to use them, always keep three of the six for when you see a possible rescue craft. then use them.
regards
screeming

'' Call the coastguard on 23 and leave a departure message with eta , numbers on board etc, if you do not call them on return or at stated eta , they will start rescue proceedures if they cannot contact you''

Are you suggesting that we are to call the CG each time we go out on the boat

excellent job well done on recovering those lads .id say they were sick saying the rosary all joking aside you and your colleagues deserve all the help and support you can get doing the job you do.please keep up the good work .regards derek

Great result . We have all the gear, life jackets, never off when in the boat, flares, wife knows my plans, tend to txt home a couple of times during a session, BUT most improtantly is the knowledge that should something go wrong we have guys like you looking out for us . Keep it up and well done

hi peter,
Its advice only,the service is available, up to you what you want to do, not compulsory, up to you how quickly you want to be found if god forbid you end up in trouble.
regards
screeming

I never inform the CG when going out to sea. If problems arise or are envisaged, then I can advise on 16.

However -

In the case cited by Screeming R the divers did just not have the time to call on 16 !

Last year one of my neighbours was out ( on his own ) to check pots, a big wave on a lumpy swell tipped him overboard. His wife, later that evening, rang the CG. S and R helicopter found him sitting on a rock and brought him safely home.

So, in view of these two incidents, I ( we ) really must heed SR's advice ! Is such advice readily accepted as sound by the CG?

From CG's side, it surely would be a problem at a busy time ( sunny bank holidays ) to monitor all boaters in relation to their ETAs. Confident that some would forget to report safe arrival and just turn off the VHF.

P

I would strongly advise anyone heading out for a trip to adhere to the suggestion of Capt Martin Rayner (aka screeming reels).
His vast experience, patience and knowledge of search and rescue is now the backbone of Waterford RNLI operations.
CHC managing director Mark Kelly said Capt Rayner’s level of experience was “rarely seen among search and rescue crew worldwide” and everyone was “very proud of Capt Rayner’s unique achievement in reaching more than 500 missions” from 1991 up to date.
Thank you and well done Capt Rayner

hi ,
yes pete if everyone does it they would indeed be busy, and sure, a good few do not, BUT . as you mentioned if you want to give yourself that edge in being found when in trouble, it may be worth letting the CG know, as tesco often quotes, " every little helps!!!"
regards
screeming