Louth based RNLI lifesavers prepare to answer the call this Christmas

On average, RNLI lifeboats launch over 100 times during the Christmas period every year. Whatever weather winter throws at them, RNLI crews are ready to battle the elements to save lives at sea. These rescues, and others all year round, are only made possible by the RNLI’s generous supporters, helping to fund the essential kit, training and equipment needed to keep crews prepared and protected.

Christmas is a time for family and friends, but the RNLI’s volunteer crews are ready to leave their own celebrations this festive season and answer the call for help. Just one of the thousands of crew members preparing for a Christmas on call is Clogherhead RNLI Coxswain Gerald Sharkey.

A crew member for the last 35 years and a Coxswain for 15, Gerald will retire from his sea going role in July next year.

His brother Noel has also been a Coxswain while Gerald’s son Barry is the station mechanic, and his son Gerald Jnr, a Coxswain Mechanic at the station for many years is now a staff Coxswain Afloat Mechanic.

"My father was a mechanic there years ago and I have been fishing all my life, so I just got involved,’ Gerald explains.

"When I was young, we used to see the maroons go up and we would get down to the station to watch. I was also rescued myself many years ago while out fishing when our boat ran aground at the Drogheda Bar. The Clogherhead lifeboat stood by as we were airlifted to safety by helicopter."

Gerald has seen many changes over the years, most notably the intensity in training as the lifeboats the station operated became faster and more sophisticated. He recalls a time when the crew in Clogherhead were predominantly made up of fishermen in the community but how now there are very few among the team as people from all walks of life volunteer, train and acquire the skills required to save lives at sea.

Among the rescues Gerald has been involved in, was one where he and six fellow crew members were accorded the RNLI’s Vellum Service Certificate for their role in rescuing three people from the fishing vessel March Sod which was aground on rocks near Port Oriel on the night of 28 November 2000. His brother Noel who was the Coxswain on the shout, was awarded the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

While he can now look forward to a break from the pager, Gerald says he will miss the camaraderie that comes with being on the crew: "When you carry a pager, it is always on your mind," he says, "it is a bit like watching the speedometer in your car, it is there, and you are watching it. I will miss the craic and the social side of things; we are a bit like a football team, and it is not serious all the time."

But he will also relish the satisfaction from playing his part: "I recall a rescue out to a chap who was a windsurfer when he got into difficulty round the head, and we picked him up. When we were coming back, I remember seeing his wife and young child who would have been about the age to start school, and it was rewarding to know you were bringing him back to them.

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"It has also been good to be there for people when things go wrong. Very often when a boat gets into difficulty, it is not just one problem but two or three and it is nice to be in a position to help."

As he looks ahead to his final Christmas on call as a Coxswain, Gerald along with his fellow crew members, is ready: "There’s no feeling quite like bringing someone home safe to their families – especially at Christmas. Even at this time of year, people still get in trouble in the water, and like all RNLI crews, we at Clogherhead are prepared to leave our own celebrations to help others.

"But as volunteer lifeboat crew we couldn’t launch without kind donations from the public which fund the kit, training and equipment we need to save others and get home safely to our own families."

To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, and enable the charity to continue its lifesaving work, visit: RNLI.org/WinterAppeal