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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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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At 18:30 on Friday 1st April 2011 the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked by the Coast Guard’s maritime coordination centre to investigate reports of an overdue fishing vessel with two persons on board. The Coast Guard’s rescue helicopter, R116, was immediately scrambled from its base at Dublin airport. The initial at sea search was concentrated near the islands off Skerries and also involved several lifeboats and local vessels. The Skerries Coast Guard team conducted a shoreline search for several miles along the Skerries coast, and this continued into the early hours of the following morning.

This incident is ongoing and the Skerries Coast Guard team, together with Coast Guard teams from Howth, Clogherhead, Drogheda and Greenore are conducting regular and extensive shoreline searches along the coast from Rush, Co Dublin extending northwards to Greenore, near Carlingford Lough. Throughout this area, large numbers of the local public are also assisting with the search. To date, several other organisations have also been involved in the search effort including  the Civil Defence, RNLI, Garda dive unit, Navy dive unit, Aer Corps and numerous local vessels.

At 02:00 on the morning of Saturday 9th April, the bodies of these two fishermen were recovered by a fishing vessel SE of Clogherhead. The Coast Guard extends its sympathies to the families and friends of the men. Throughout the incident, the public have shown unrelenting support and dedication in assisting with the search effort and the Coast Guard would like to sincerely thank them for this.

Incident #5 of 2011

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At 14:21 this afternoon, the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate reports of a boat in difficulty at Skerries. Concerned members of the public had contacted the Coast Guard on 999 as the boat appeared to be in difficulty, with possible onboard mechanical failure.

Within minutes, Skerries Coast Guard personnel arrived at Red Island, near Skerries harbour and quickly located the boat, not far from the shoreline. The boat appeared to be engaged in fishing and after observing for a time, the Skerries team concluded that the boat did not require assistance.

Incident #4 of 2011

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At 20:25 this evening the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate reports of a swamped fishing vessel at Skerries harbour.  Attempts were being made by the skipper to salvage the vessel and further assistance was requested from both the Coast Guard and Skerries Fire Brigade.

The Skerries Coast Guard team arrived on scene within minutes and surveyed the scene.  The skipper was requested to remove the EPIRB from the vessel to prevent accidental deployment of the distress signal. The Skerries Coast Guard team also monitored the pollution threat from the vessel which was carrying amounts of diesel and other oil onboard.

Shortly before 23:30, the numerous attempts by the Skipper to right the vessel finally proved successful and it was secured to the harbour wall. The Skerries Coast Guard team were stood down at 23:45.

Incident # 2 of 2011

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At 20:23 this evening, the Coast Guard’s rescue coordination centre paged the volunteers of Skerries Coast Guard. The Coast Gaurd has received calls from the public that there was a large yacht adrift near Skerries harbour. The Skerries team were assembled and on scene within minutes. At this stage, the 32 foot yacht was already holed and grounded on the rocky shoreline. It appeared that the yacht had come free from its moorings nearby in the harbour area. The owner of the yacht was notified of the incident.

The Skerries team inspected the yacht on a regular basis, monitoring any risks posed to the shoreline and natural environment.

Incident # 21 of 2010

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While returning from an incident in Loughshinney, the Skerries team were tasked to investigate reports of a large yacht aground on rocks near Skerries harbour. Upon arriving at the scene, the Skerries team observed the yacht already aground on large rocks at the back of Skerries harbour. The owner was at the scene and was planning to attempt to refloat the yacht later that night. The yacht appeared to have broken free from moorings in the harbour area and was pushed towards the rocks by the strong westerly winds. No further action was required and the Skerries team returned to base.

Incident #14 of 2010

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Incident #15 of 2008

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