Fenit RNLI’s new Shannon class lifeboat, the “Roy Barker VII”, arrived and as of Tuesday it has been officially declared a search and rescue asset by the Irish Coast Guard.
The lifeboat had its first outing on Thursday morning when Fenit RNLI responded to a false alarm with good intent after a member of the public spotted what they thought to be a person in difficulty in the sea west of Fenit Pier.
The volunteer crew were requested at 10.21am to launch both their new Shannon class lifeboat on what was its first call out, and the station’s inshore D class lifeboat.
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The request was made by the Irish Coast Guard following a report of a surfer in difficulty west of Fenit Pier. At the time, there were fresh sea conditions with challenging Force 4-5 south westerly winds and a 2m swell.
The Shannon launched under Coxswain John J Moriarty and with four crew members onboard while the D class was helmed by Terry Sheehy and with two crew members onboard.
Once on sea, the crew saw a windsurfer who confirmed they were not in need of any assistance and the lifeboats were subsequently stood down.
Speaking following the call out, Fergus Kelliher, Fenit RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: “While this was a false alarm with good intent this morning, we would like to take the opportunity to commend the member of the public who raised the alarm when they had a genuine concern for somebody, that is always the right thing to do if you think you see someone in difficulty in the water.
“This was a milestone morning for our new Shannon class lifeboat, the Roy Barker VII, which only at 2pm on Tuesday, was declared a search and rescue asset by the Irish Coast Guard. The first call out for the new lifeboat comes as we now complete the transition from a Trent to a Shannon class lifeboat. This has involved intensive training and assessments for our volunteers in recent months and with that, a huge amount of time and selfless dedication from all involved including our volunteers’ families and we wish to express a sincere thank you and well done to all the team.”
