Boat strikes rocks near Skerries – 21st September 2012

Rescue of fishing boat at Skerries

Shortly after 10:00 this morning the Skerries Coast Guard team were paged by the Coast Guard’s operations centre to an incident near Skerries harbour. The Coast Guard has received reports that a small lobster fishing boat with two persons on board was in difficulty just north of the harbour. The Coast Guard’s Dublin based Sikorsky S61N helicopter was already airborne and was immediately diverted to the scene.

The Skerries Coast Guard team arrived on scene within minutes and quickly located the fishing vessel which appeared to have lost all power and was being driven against rocky shores by the strong NE winds. The Coast Guard helicopter was also quickly on scene. After several attempts, the Skerries lifeboat managed to secure a tow line to the stricken fishing vessel and take it under tow to the safety of the nearby harbour where the vessels could be inspected for any hull damage sustained. Thankfully both persons on board the rescued vessel were unharmed.

Incident # 12 of 2012

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty or even think that someone may be in difficulty, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save their life.

Skerries Coast Guard – a voluntary rescue unit of the Irish Coast Guard.

Red flare spotted off Skerries – 31st July 2012

Shortly before 03:00 this morning, the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate reports of a red flare. The crew of a fishing boat off the coast had spotted the flare, appearing just north of Skerries harbour.

The Skerries team investigated the report and while no further flares were sighted, it was concluded that the flare was fired from land. No further action was required and the team were stood down.

Incident # 8 of 2012

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty, even if you only think that someone could be in difficulty, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard. Your call could save their life.

Rescue off Skerries coast – 12th June 2011

At 19:40 this evening, the Coast Guard received a report of two adults in need of assistance off the coast of Skerries. The two adults were spotted departing on two motor dinghies the previous evening and had not returned, their vehicles still parked up at the shore, raising concerns. The Skerries Coast Guard team were immediately tasked to begin a coastal search. Fortunately, local Gardai were able to trace the identities of the two through their car registration numbers and the Coast Guard was able to make contact with the two adults and establish their exact location

The two had ventured out to St Patrick’s island, off the Skerries coast and planned to return on the Sunday, however poor weather conditions had hampered their plans. The Skerries lifeboat was requested to return them safely from the island to Skerries harbour where they met with a Coast Guard team. Thankfully both adults were unharmed.

Remember – if you think someone could be in difficulty on the coast, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save a life!

Incident # 12 of 2011

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Pollution report at Skerries – 19th April 2011

 

At 09:25 this morning, the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate a public report of pollution on the North Beach in Skerries. The caller reported a murky orange substance at the water’s edge, stretching for several metres along the shore.

Upon arrival at the scene, the Skerries Coast Guard team investigated the substance and concluded it was an algal bloom – a naturally occurring phenomenon that frequently occurs on the North Beach. Given the recent good weather, the concentration of algae in the water may have increased, leading to the orange discolouration. This is also known colloquially as “Red Tide”. This poses no serious threat to humans, other than possible mild skin irritation in some cases.

The Skerries Coast Guard team conducted a detailed analysis of the algal bloom and this information will be passed to the Marine Institute in Galway to further their ongoing research into algal blooms in Irish waters.

Water sample collected from North Beach

Incident # 6 of 2011

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