GC29E3V Red Bay Lifeboat Station (Traditional Cache) in Ulster, Ireland created by Step

This cache has been archived.

Cuilcagh: As the owner has not responded to my previous log requesting that they check this cache, I am archiving it.

Regards,

Eileen
Cuilcagh - Volunteer Reviewer Ireland
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GC29E3V ▼

A cache by Step_7 Message this owner

Hidden : 6/4/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

Red Bay in Cushendall is home to a caravan park, Cushendall Sailing and Boat Club and the Lifeboat station. There is a car park, picnic tables and other amenities at hand.

The RNLI commissioned a lifeboat at, Red Bay, Cushendall on the 26th August 1972, after a successful period of trials with a D-class inflatable.

Under the guidance of the Inspector of Irish Lifeboats, Lt Cdr. Brian Miles (now the Director of the Institution), and their first Honorary Secretary, Captain Thomas Scollay, a crew of 17 local volunteers trained to use this single engine craft for the purpose of saving life at sea. (The crew at that time, included the first female lifeboat member in the entire RNLI service, Miss Joan Murphy of Waterfoot Pier)

In those early days the boat was housed in a small, temporary shed a few hundred metres away from the present site. Funds for its construction were collected locally, but soon Moyle District Council acknowledged the importance of the lifeboat service to the Community and built them a new station boathouse and slipway facilities. The slipway has been improved several times in its history but the recent extension and major renovation have been in preparation for a new Atlantic 75 lifeboat and launcher. The major cost of these improvements were paid for by the RNLI.

A series of trials began in 1987 with the larger, heavier twin-engine C-class boat and after much careful deliberation, the Institution agreed to the wishes of the local Committee. The C-class lifeboat C519 was dedicated to serve at this station on 21st May, 1988 and has shown itself to be a well designed, hard wearing rescue boat which sadly has now come to the end of its useful operational life. Indeed the crew always had confidence in the boat though it was well known within RNLI circles that it was not the most comfortable of vessels on a rough day. The present statistics show that since their beginnings in 1972 they have launched their boats on 357 occasions, saved 100 lives and contributed to recovering boats and property with a value in excess of £1,500,000.

Red Bay station has now been upgraded with an B-class Atlantic 75 lifeboat, the latest in the range of high performance rigid inflatable boats fitted with superb navigational and life saving equipment. The RNLI has also funded the new boathouse that you see above, on the same site as the previous building. The Committee and Crew are proud of their record of achievement over the last 25 years and their contribution to lifesaving along this part of the Antrim coast. They now look forward to many years of operational excellence with the new tools that we now have at our disposal.

You will have to be wary of the Boat club as it's windows overlook the cache site but there are usually plenty of distractions out on the water so shouldn't be too hard to find and replace the cache which is now a small red tube!