Hectic week for the volunteer crew of Baltimore Lifeboat

The large numbers of people visiting the Islands of Roaring Water Bay in West Cork and the huge increase in the use of pleasure craft in the area has led to an unprecedented number of launches for the RNLI Baltimore lifeboat in the past week. Indeed the lifeboat was launched twice on both the 8th & 10th of August.

There were a total of six calls in 7 days. Three of the launches were to assist medical services in evacuating casualties from Sherkin and Cape Clear Islands. One service was to transport a Fire Brigade team to Heir Island to fight a Gorse fire. The two remainding services were to assist small craft in distress.

The volunteer crews have continued to respond quickly and efficiently in spite the extra demands on their time. Many of them are involved in services to the tourist industry and are in the midst of their busiest season. The RNLI provides on call, 24 hour lifeboat service to cover search and rescue up to 100 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland. The crews are made up of volunteers from all walks of life that give up their time and comfort to carry out rescues and train for them, in difficult and often dangerous conditions.

Each service requires a crew of six and a slip crew of two people to launch and recover the boat.

The lifeboat was launched on August 10 th at 12:15 to search for a 16ft clinker sailing boat with one man aboard reported taking water and missing near the Stags. The lifeboat was half way between the Kedges & the Stags when they were stood down because the vessel had managed to make its way to safety in Castlehaven. Previously on the same day at 02:40, the lifeboat had been called upon to provide a medical evacuation service from Cape Clear Island. A 62 year old man with a broken ankle was taken from the Pier on Cape Clear island. He was given First Aid by lifeboat crew and transferred to an Ambulance on arrival at Baltimore Harbour.

On the 8th August the lifeboat carried out another medical evacuation, this time from Sherkin Island. The lifeboat was launched at 23:25 to bring an ambulance crew to the Island, to provide assistance when a child on Sherkin Island suffered a suspected spinal injury. The child had been playing when she accidentally hurt her back. The Skibbereen based ambulance crew were immediately alerted and Valentia Coastguard tasked the all-weather lifeboat, to faciliate them landing on Sherkin Island and safely removing the child and her father to hospital. Earlier that day at 14:52 the lifeboat had been called to collect a fire crew from Cunnamore Pier in response to a gorse fire which was out of control and threatening a house on the Island. The lifeboat stood by while the firemen fought the fire and returned them to Cunnamore Pier.

The previous day on Bank Holiday Monday morning, 7th August at 03:55, the lifeboat carried out a medical evacuation form Sherkin Island. A man in his forties had been complaining of chest pains. Concerned Islanders alerted the emergency response services and the lifeboat was tasked with providing assistance. The man was transferred to an ambulance on Baltimore Pier. It later transpired that he had suffered two broken ribs and a deflated lung.

On the 4th of August at 20:05 the lifeboat was launched to a 35ft Bayliner motor-boat broken down near the Stags and also to a sailing vessel near Galley Head.

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