The ongoing search for seven bodies off the southeast coast has brought into focus the work carried out by the Irish Coast Guard. Gordon Deeganspent time with the Shannon-based coast guard helicopter unit
"It was a big call at the time, but he was a very experienced winchman and he knew the score." At the headquarters of the Shannon Coast Guard rescue service, Capt Robert Goodbody reflects on the decision to leave a winchman behind in high seas in the Atlantic during a mission to rescue Spanish fishermen from their burning vessel.
Capt Goodbody said: "All the Spanish crewmen were in a life raft but we had to leave our winchman out there as we had run out of fuel. We couldn't stay any longer. It was in the middle of the night, the weather was particularly bad and we managed to get four of them out of the raft."
On the decision to leave his colleague behind in the life raft, the helicopter pilot said: "When it comes down to the wire, that is the type of business we are in. We physically ran out of time fuel wise to stay there to keep winching. I think he was more upset because he left his cigarettes in the back of the aircraft.
"He was a very experienced winchman and you know, he knows the score, he was fine and he knew that the life raft would be able to cope with the conditions." The winchman and the remaining fishermen were subsequently picked up by another Spanish boat. Capt Goodbody recalls that dramatic rescue days after the Waterford-based helicopter unit winched to safety two crew from the Renegade which sank off Tuskar Rock lighthouse last Tuesday.
The rescue was one of four air-sea rescue alerts involving an Irish vessel in the past week, while the search for bodies arising from the sinkings of the Pere Charles and Honeydew II continued yesterday.
Assistant director with the coast guard Norman Fullam said yesterday: "It has been a particularly difficult time for the Irish Coast Guard, with three major operations caused by the weather, but we are very proud to say that the service has stood up to the task. It has involved a huge amount of effort and a great deal of praise should go to the volunteers involved. We are extremely lucky to have these people who are willing to go out in the worst of weather. It is uplifting to witness the work that goes on."
In spite of the recent operations off the southeast coast in the past couple of weeks, such missions are becoming rarer.
Capt Goodbody said: "There are less long-range fishing vessel jobs because fishing has changed so much. With quota reductions, boats are spending less time at sea. Also, the Irish fishing fleet has reduced in number and there aren't as many boats out fishing as there used to be. Along with that, the boats are a lot more modern and a lot safer."
He said more and more of the "jobs" that the Coast Guard helicopter undertakes are related to inshore recreational pursuits.
Recently, two surfers involved in surfing the 30ft Aill na Serracht wave off the Cliffs of Moher refused assistance from the Coast Guard helicopter winchman when he descended to winch them to safety. The Coast Guard confirmed last month that it is considering imposing penalties on the surfers concerned.
The attempted rescue at the Cliffs of Moher was one of around 125 "jobs" that involved the Coast Guard service at Shannon last year.
The service at Shannon is staffed by eight pilots, eight crewmen and seven engineers. Each 24-hour shift comprises a duty captain, a co-pilot and two crewmen along with two engineers.
The base at Shannon is one of four Irish bases. The others are at Dublin, Waterford and Sligo. The work for the Department of Transport is carried out on contract by Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC) which is the biggest global helicopter operator in the world. With on average a call-out occurring every three days, there is a lot of waiting around for the call. Capt Goodbody said: "Waiting around is part of the job so no one lets it upset them. That is what we are here for - if we are being called out, someone has got it wrong or something has gone wrong."
To maintain their skill levels, each shift goes on a training mission that lasts a minimum of two hours and recently the four engaged in a night-time mission to Galway Bay from their Shannon base.
There, winchman Christy Mahedy was lowered on to a London-registered bitumen tanker, the Seniority, and winched back to the Sikorsky 61 helicopter.
Eight years with the Coast Guard, Capt Goodbody laughed when he said that you need to have your brain removed to be a winchman. "It takes a special breed of individual to deal with that job. You are dealing with very serious injuries but they get on with it."
With over 20 years' experience as a winchman and winch-operator, Christy Mahedy admitted that the job of a winchman can be precarious. "If you thought about it, you probably wouldn't do it, but when the doors open, it becomes second nature to you.
"Safety is paramount at all times. We assess the situation and just take each job as it comes, that is the most important thing."
Capt Goodbody said: "It is very hard to quantify how many lives we would save. We would prefer to see ourselves intervening before it becomes a life and death issue."