28/07/2025
On behalf of the coastal community, We feel both the "ALB" & "ILB" would be a good fit for the harbour but we feel it's necessary and vital that there is at least a "ILB".
Photo above highlighting the traffic in the Irish Sea. Also proves why the St John’s Ligthhouse is so important.
Ardglass port is home to - 50 Fishing vessels - 100 pleasure vessels - 1000's of visitors for the summer season coming via vessel and land. A very busy area of water.
Each year we have many rescues, thankfully by the Newcastle and Portaferry lifeboat and many rescues are done locally like every coastal community, by all of us with a boat, the local fishing boats & pleasure boats.
Pros to why Ardglass is a great, strategic and logical location for a lifeboat:
- The only port along the coast between Belfast and Newry that has a hospital & ambulance depo within 5 miles.
- High volume of water users all year long.
- High risk area for incidents - Complicated and a dangerous area for navigating in and out of port.
- High volume of incidents, some fatal and majority at the port entrance or inside the port. (Within 1/2 mile and 5 minutes of the harbour).
- The only accessible tidal harbour on this stretch of coastline for 50 miles from Donaghadee to Clogherhead (excluding the loughs as navigating during heavy weather have proven to be very difficult and time consuming in the past rescues leaving the loughs).
- The most easterly port in the irish sea that is tidal (which makes a good strategic location assisting vessels in the middle of the irish sea)
- Tidal port - quicker lifeboat launching and shorter time for casualty.
- Wet birth, no need to launch.
- Newcastle & Portaferry lifeboat struggle especially in heavy weather to get to Ardglass within the critical time for a casualty "first 30 mins" (Newcastle quickest time 50 mins Portaferry 40 mins).
- Many skilled seafarers for recruiting within 15 minutes.
- Most incidents involve both "ALB" & "ILB" as their are many large vessels needing towed I.e Off rocks. Then the "ILB" assists by going into the shallower depths to rescue people or pass a line (waiting for both boats can waste vital time) Time wasted on casualties and tide - many rescues have been an example of this) as one arrives determining the rescue status then calls for the other.
- Increase in water users since last RNLI review.
-Many rescues carried out by the RNLI often involve them using the heaven of Ardglass. As it makes most sense for their return with a towing vessel (Portaferry ILB/Strangford lough is too strong of a current tow against, rescue return in, and Newcastle is often too far as not many boat groundings or difficulties are on the rocky coast of lecale and it isn't tidal).
- Ardglass marina have granted permission of a free wet birth.
- RNLI enjoy using Ardglass as a training area for coming alongside and manouserving.
-RNLI enjoy using ardglass as a substitute birth when both Newcastle and Portaferry are out of action (This speaks volumes as they know it is is a very logically birth).
-RNLI use ardglass as a change over or stopping by port when on passage with new boats etc.
A quick incident example;
- A Vessel & Casualties needing rescue at the entrance to Ardglass port with immediate medical attention.
Newcastle ALB - 15 min pager, 15 min launch, to Ardglass 30 min, rescue length 30 min, Total 1hr 30 min.
Portaferry ILB - 15 min pager , 10 min Launch, 20 min to Ardglass, rescue length 15 min, Total 1hr.
Ardglass ILB - 15 min pager, 5 min (wet) launch, 5 min to casualty, rescue length 10 min, Total 35 min.
A large difference of 30 minutes and potentially quicker which is vital to saving a drowning casualty.
