Two surfers who were caught up in a surfing accident one fateful Christmas have said they often wonder what would have happened without the lifesaving efforts of the RNLI.
On the 28th December 1998, Mark Ponsonby, his brother Shay and a friend were enjoying a winter surfing outing off the coast of Tullaghan, County Leitrim. But panic hit them when the Ponsonby’s could not get ashore.
The alert went out to volunteers with the Bundoran RNLI, and a team jumped to action, leaving their Christmas celebrations to rush out to sea.
Within seven minutes, the Atlantic 75 lifeboat was speeding out to the surfers.
Tony Cummins was at the helm along with Damien McNamara and Daimon Fergus. Daimon remembers a south easterly force 5 offshore wind and a challenging swell of 22ft at the time on that day.
Despite the treacherous conditions, the crew managed to recover the two casualties.
“ I also won’t forget the fact that the first surfer squeezed my hand so tight that he bent the thick silver ring on my right hand into my finger and it had to be cut off when we got back to the station,” Daimon said.
Looking back on the rescue, Mark thanked the heroes who saved their lives in extreme circumstances.
Mark said: “It’s been over 20 years now since my brother and myself were rescued by the RNLI in the sea at Bundoran.
“I often wonder what would have happened to us or become of us if it wasn’t for the timely interaction and rescue by the RNLI services that day. In a matter of minutes, they had answered the emergency call and had launched the boat.
“The Irish Coast Guard helicopter was also tasked to come to our aid.
“The conditions we found ourselves in were extreme and treacherous and the timing was critical for that rescue as the light was fading fast, yet the RNLI volunteers didn’t hesitate to get to us as fast as possible.
“My family will forever be grateful to the RNLI on that day and will never forget what they did for my brother and me that day.”
The rescue was acknowledged by the RNLI with a written letter of commendation from the charity’s then Chief of Operations.
In commending the crew, the RNLI’s letter to the station read: “Although this service was short in duration, all those involved are to be commended for the alacrity of the launch, the contribution of the shore party, as well as the seamanship exhibited by Tony Cummins.”
Now, as the current volunteer lifeboat crew enjoy Christmas 2019, they too will be ready and willing to respond should their pagers go off.
Bundoran RNLI: L-R Tony Cummins, Daimon Fergus and Damien McNamara
For Daimon who has been a volunteer for 25 years, Christmas is no different to any other time of year: “We’ll still be on call ready to save lives and delay our own Christmas celebrations. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of the public.
“The RNLI has experienced a shortfall in funds, but we are rescuing more people than ever before.
“We are facing the Perfect Storm and are calling on people to make a donation this Christmas to ensure we can continue saving lives at sea.”
Last year, Irish lifeboats launched 1,066 times coming to the aid of 1,441 people,19 of whom were lives saved. Locally, Bundoran RNLI launched 14 times, rescuing 22 people, five of whom were lives saved thanks to the direct actions of the lifeboat crew.
To support the RNLI’s Perfect Storm appeal this Christmas, helping to ensure the charity’s brave volunteers can continue saving lives at sea, please visit RNLI.org/ThePerfectStorm
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