Station volunteers foresaw disaster when seven adventurous children met the elements

Midday on 26 May was cold and blustery and Clogher Head Lifeboat Operations Manager Declan Levins was at the station doing paperwork. From his window he spotted several kayakers out to sea and in danger of being dragged beyond the headland.

The group of 11–12-year-old schoolgirls and their instructor were out on a class trip from the nearby activity centre and they were clearly struggling in the swell. Declan called downstairs to Mechanic Padraig Rath.

Clogher Head’s all-weather lifeboat Doris Bleasdale and her crew were on scene within minutes. Every kayak had by then capsized, throwing the instructor and school party into the sea where they were driven offshore and separated. Meanwhile, one girl had made it back to shore and alerted the activity centre.

‘The instructor and three of the girls were clinging to a raft he’d made by lashing two kayaks together with his lifejacket. The girls were cold and anxious and, once onboard, he virtually collapsed. We wrapped them in blankets and went to rescue the next group,’ recalls Padraig.

They rescued another two girls but there was confusion about how many children were out. On shore, Declan was trying to confirm everyone had been rescued: ‘The activity centre was “nearly sure” but I had to be absolutely sure.’

He was considering air rescue when another girl was spotted. Conditions made it difficult for the crew to see her from the lifeboat but Declan directed them by radio.

Padraig says: ‘She had been treading water for about 45 minutes. Her temperature was only 36.2°C. If they’d been in the water another 10 minutes it could have been a different scenario. Below 36°C, things go downhill rapidly.’

The seven casualties were taken to waiting ambulances at Port Oriel. At hospital they were X-rayed for water in the lungs and discharged after 2 hours.

Padraig remembers how glad he was that Declan was there and that they were able to act so quickly: ‘I dread to think what could have been. With offshore winds of 6–7 knots, 10 minutes later and it would have been a full-blown search and rescue and a potential tragedy.’

In a letter to the station, parents Sean and Therese Doherty wrote: ‘No words would be sufficient to express our thanks and gratitude for rescuing our daughter. She was very frightened and so relieved when she managed to get on the boat. You made her feel safe. How can we ever thank you enough for that?’