Dun Laoghaire RNLI brings two jet skiers to safety near The Forty Foot

Dun Laoghaire RNLI brought two jet skiers to safety yesterday evening after they got into difficulty near The Forty Foot.

The inshore lifeboat helmed by Alan Keville and with Moselle Hogan and Ollie O’Carroll onboard, were on a routine training exercise in the mouth of the harbour when at approximately 6.45pm, the lifeboat was requested by the Irish Coast Guard to respond to an incident involving a jet ski.

Weather conditions were good at the time with a Force 3 wind, fair visibility, and a calm sea.

As the lifeboat came from the east pier towards The Forty Foot, a crew member spotted the casualties in Scotsman’s Bay.

Once on scene, the crew noted the jet ski had capsized and observed two people clinging to the side.

The lifeboat crew proceeded to take both casualties from the water and bring them onto the lifeboat where having done a casualty care check, noted one was showing signs of hypothermia.

As a precautionary measure, an ambulance was then requested to meet the lifeboat on its return to the pier.

On arrival both casualties were handed into the care of a waiting ambulance crew and Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard unit.

To avoid a pollution and navigational hazard, the lifeboat crew then returned to the scene to re-right the jet ski and bring it back to shore via an alongside tow.

The call out followed two others on Sunday for Dun Laoghaire RNLI.

A group of 22 volunteers and supporters had gathered at the lifeboat station in preparation to welcome Taidhg Trocmé, a teenager who walked over 390km solo from Arranmore Island in Donegal, to Dún Laoghaire in aid of the RNLI, when the pagers sounded.

The all-weather lifeboat Anna Livia was requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard to assess the situation in which a 38ft yacht with one onboard was reported to be in difficulty after a propeller fouled in a lobster pot line in Scotsman’s Bay.

The lifeboat launched at 3.07pm.

The sailor had been trying to free their vessel for some time on their own but to no avail.

Upon assessment, Coxswain Gerald Sharkey decided to transfer two crew members aboard the vessel to assist the sailor.

With some considerable effort, a challenging line was cut, and the boat was set free.

The operation took over an hour to get the yacht back safely to Dún Laoghaire Marina.

A second call for assistance from the Coast Guard came just after 5pm following a report that five people were cut off by the tide at Sandymount Strand, but the crew were stood down as the request was cancelled before the D-class inshore lifeboat left the station.

With minutes to spare before Taidhg crossed the gates of the lifeboat station, the crew sprinted from the bottom of the East Pier in their full lifeboat kit to be there in time to greet him with the other volunteers.

The Leaving Certificate student set off from his local lifeboat station on Arranmore Island on 7 August and arrived in Dún Laoghaire having clocked up almost 400km of walking and over €1,500 in funds. Taidhg documented his travels on his Instagram account @DonegalToDublin.

He said: “Coming from an island, the lifeboats are a core part of my local community, and I wanted to help the wonderful volunteers who crew lifeboat stations all over our coast.

“Plus, raising funds while reconnecting with nature was a productive way to take my mind off the wait for my exam results, but I’ll be glad to sleep in my bed again.”

Declan Traynor, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Launch Authority said: ‘There’s never a dull moment in Dún Laoghaire.

“We were ready to respond to the rescue as well congratulate Taidhg on a remarkable feat.

“We wish him a safe homeward journey and the best of luck with the exam results.

“We thank him for taking on this mammoth challenge for the charity, his generosity will continue to power our lifesaving work at sea.”