THE GARDA Water Unit says that five cautions for not wearing adequate water-safety gear were issued during the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Galway.
All boat owners issued with such cautions returned to shore and got personal flotation devices (PFDs) or lifejackets, the Garda Press Office said.
It says overall there was a “high level of compliance with lifejacket-use on water” during the event earlier this month.
Under current legislation, children under 16 must wear PFDs/lifejackets when on deck on a vessel under way, regardless of its size. For adults, the devices must be worn at all times on deck on vessels under way that are under seven metres in length, and for larger vessels (including the entire Volvo fleet), the devices must be available to all on board.
The legislation is enforced by the Garda Síochána, rather than by the Irish Coast Guard or Naval Service. The Garda Water Unit was on duty at the Volvo Ocean Race stopover for the fortnight due to the large number of private craft on the water, while the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) provided additional support craft for the Galway inshore lifeboat Dóchas.
The only serious incident involved a woman who fell off Nimmo’s pier. She was picked up by the lifeboat without sustaining injury.
Irish Water Safety (IWS) said it welcomed the Garda Síochána’s efforts in enforcing the legislation at such large events. “Their efforts will have a direct impact on reducing the number of drownings and aquatic injuries each year,” IWS chief executive Lieut Cdr John Leech said in a statement.
The RNLI has warned that there are four European standards for lifejackets, and all must carry the recognised “CE” mark denoting this.
Lifejackets of 150 Newtons are adequate for cruising. However, a 275 Newton jacket is more suitable for those going far offshore.
“A lifejacket is useless unless worn,” the RNLI says. “It is also useless if it is worn incorrectly or if it is not in full working order.”
Recent spot checks by the RNLI sea-safety programme in Britain and Ireland found that almost 35 per cent of lifejackets examined would fail to operate.
Meanwhile, Galway RNLI’s inshore lifeboat retrieved a yacht with no one on board which apparently broke its moorings and went adrift early yesterday in Galway Bay off Hare Island.
The 24ft yacht was spotted by workers at Galway docks, who alerted the rescue services. Helmsman Kieran Oliver, John Byrne and Keith Faller were involved in the call-out.
