All in a season's work RNLI Divisional Inspector Colin Williams gives a round up of all things operational this Spring in the island of Ireland Our crews experience everything that the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean can muster, as demonstrated here.

On Sunday 12 March, the 1,500 tonne Sesam was drifting helplessly towards the Co. Down coastline in force 9 south easterly winds and rough seas. The Irish Lights vessel Cranuaille was deployed from Dublin but it was some hours away. As the casualty drifted to within 5 miles of the coastline, Donaghadee and Larne lifeboats were launched at 2.30am to assist if the drift became too great. At 9am Cranuaille arrived on scene. The lifeboats helped rig towlines and then escorted both vessels into Belfast Lough.

A similar incident occurred on 26 March when the 1,500 tonne coastal tanker Breaksea, loaded with a cargo of kerosene, suffered machinery failure and drifted towards the south east corner of Wexford in force 8 southerly winds and rough seas.

Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour lifeboats assisted through the night, holding Breaksea off from the coast until she could be towed by Irish Naval Service vessel LEAoife.

Going north again, the fishing vessel Margaret Ann was in difficulty on Wednesday 19 April east of Ardglass and her crew took to their liferaft. Newcastle lifeboat came to their aid. A fortnight later the Bountiful snagged her net and Newcastle and Portaferry lifeboats were called. After some hours, the fishing vessel was released and towed to Ardglass.

In early May, an 11m yacht sailing from the Isle of Man to Howth was 17 miles east of Clogher Head, Co. Louth, in a southerly force 7 with a moderate-rough sea. Dublin Coast Guard received information that the yacht was taking in water and possibly sinking. Clogher Head lifeboat arrived on scene to see the five crew being airlifted onto an Irish Coast Guard helicopter. The yacht had been set on a south westerly course at 7 knots towards Lambay Island and the lifeboat followed her for a while to assess her movement. She did not appear to be sinking any deeper.

Eventually Coxswain Noel Sharkey placed Crew Members Michael Briggs and Jimmy Kirwan aboard (pictured) and they turned the yacht about and headed under sail towards Clogher Head, eventually berthing the yacht at Port Oriel. This illustrates the principle of only abandoning a vessel if a problem is truly insurmountable and was a demonstration of good seamanship and risk assessment by a lifeboat crew.

These services would not be possible without RNLI Ireland having a strategic network of lifeboats and lifeboat stations, and all the necessary equipment and buildings to maintain their condition, around our coastline. Thanks to our team at Swords and the Shoreworks department at Poole we need have no worries.

THE LIFEBOATS Donaghadee: ON-1267 Saxon (Trent class) Larne: ON-1246 Or John McSparran (Trent class) Kilmore Quay: ON-1133 The Famous Grouse (Tyne class) Rosslare Harbour: ON-1276 Donald & Barbara Broadhead (Severn class) Newcastle: ON-1188 Eleanor & Bryant Girling (Mersey class) Portaferry: B-706 Blue Peter V (Atlantic 75) Clogher Head: ON-1190 Doris Bleasdate (Mersey class).