Rousing welcome for €3m lifeboat
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Large crowds turned out to welcome the arrival of the Baltimore RNLI's new €3m lifeboat, the 'Alan Massey', escorted into the fishing harbour by a flotilla of sailing boats, motorboats and RIBS yesterday.
The lifeboat, capable of 25 knots, left RNLI headquarters in Poole last Saturday, making the final leg of the journey yesterday from Crosshaven to Baltimore Harbour, Co Cork.
The lifeboat has largely been made possible through a legacy from the late Dorothy May Massey, of Watford, Hertfordshire, who requested the boat be named in memory of her brother Alan.
The Baltimore lifeboat has been involved in a number of high-profile emergencies in recent years, including the rescue of 21 people from the 'Rambler 100' during the Fastnet Race in August, and recent efforts after the Tit Bonhomme trawler sank in Glandore Bay on January 15, claiming five lives.
"Our thoughts are with their families," said Baltimore RNLI coxswain Keiron Cotter yesterday.
RNLI's Owen Medland said the lifeboat represented a significant investment in safety.
- Georgina O'Halloran
Irish Independent
