Coastguard incidents hit record high
A total of 3,488 people were rescued or assisted by the coastguard during 2007, although the personnel were not helped by 23 hoax calls during the year.
The leisure and recreation sector accounted for the highest rises in rescue totals — with yacht and dinghy incidents alone rising 50%.
However, the busy coastguard service also had to cope with a significant amount of nuisance calls last year, at 23.
Figures released yesterday by the coastguard confirmed that 2007 was another busy year for search and rescue operations, with the number of incidents rising by 154 compared with 2006.
The year started with a number of fishing vessel sinkings and lives lost in January and the entire month was taken up with large-scale sea, air and shoreline searches concentrated on the south coast.
These included the sinking of the Dunmore East-based Pere Charles with the loss of five lives, the Kinsale-based Honeydew II with the loss of two lives, and the sinking of the Rachel Jay, which culminated in a dramatic winch-based rescue of two crewmen.
According to the coastguard, the substantial rises in the leisure and recreation sector are a result of the increased prevalence of water-based leisure sports in this country, with activities like surfing, jet-skiing and yachting gaining in popularity each year.
Yacht and dinghy rescue incidents were up 50% in 2007 while surfer incidents, jet-ski cases and canoe accidents dealt with by the coastguard increased by 31%, 10% and 31% respectively.
The amount of shore angling cases was up 75% while mountain rescue was up by 27%.
“This is probably a reflection of the number of people partaking in the leisure area,” said a coastguard spokesman.
“The increase of diving incidents [120%] and cave rescue (400%) is another reflection of the uptake in this area.”
Areas in which decreases were recorded were angling, down 10%; rowing, down 27%; sailboarding, down 31%; kitesurfing, down 37%; and cliff climbing which had 22% less incidents last year.
“It would appear that our Safety on the Water message is not falling on deaf ears,” added the spokesman.
The coastguard operates 54 units around the Irish coastline. The service is staffed by 950 volunteers.
* There were a total of 1,961 incidents in 2007 (up 154 from 2006).
* Persons saved/assisted — 3,488 (down 778).
* Pleasure craft — 696 (up 149).
* Merchant — 64 (up 3).
* Fishing — 278 (up 13).
* Pollution — 47 (up 13).
* RNLI reports — 736 (up 25).
* Garda reports — 58 (down 12).
* False alarms — 142 (no change).
* Hoax calls — 23 (down 4).
