For nearly 190 years an all-weather lifeboat has launched into Dublin Bay from Howth and the crews have been honoured with 20 awards for gallantry.
Today the station operates both a Trent class lifeboat and an inshore D class lifeboat.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways.
Founded in 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, it soon afterwards became the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck under the patronage of King George IV. On 5 October 1854, the institution’s name was changed to its current name (RNLI), and in 1860 was granted a royal charter.
The RNLI is a charity in the UK and in Ireland and has enjoyed royal patronage since its foundation, the most recent being Queen Elizabeth II until her death on 8 September 2022.
The RNLI is principally funded by legacies (65%) and donations (28%), with the remainder from merchandising and investment. Most of the members of its lifeboat crews are unpaid volunteers.
The RNLI is based in Poole, Dorset. It has 238 lifeboat stations and operates 444 lifeboats. RNLI lifeguards operate on more than 200 beaches: the lifeguards are paid by local authorities, but the RNLI provides equipment and training.
The institution also operates flood rescue teams nationally and internationally, the latter prepared to travel to emergencies overseas at short notice.
Considerable effort is put into training and education by the institution, particularly for young people; in 2013, more than 6,000 children a week were spoken to by education volunteers about sea and beach safety, and over 800 children a week received training.
Crews rescued on average 22 people a day in 2015. The institution has saved some 140,000 lives since its foundation, at a cost of more than 600 lives lost in service.
I used an original Sigma DP2 which was close to impossible to use.
The Sigma DP2 was described as a high-end compact digital camera by the Sigma Corporation. It featured a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 sensor (2652 × 1768 × 3 layers), the same sensor used in its predecessor, the Sigma DP1 [which I also had but it no longer works] and in the Sigma SD14 DSLR, a fixed 24.2mm f/2.8 lens (41mm equivalent), a 2.5” LCD and a pop-up flash.
With its predecessor, the DP1, was one of the few “compact” cameras that featured a sensor with a size equivalent to APS-C. Sigma claimed this (comparatively large) sensor size would result in DSLR quality images from a small, pocketable camera. The camera did not include auto or scene modes as it is not aimed at the average consumer. The DP series cameras were therefore targeted at professional photographers or enthusiasts seeking a compact, yet capable camera.
The DP2 was announced in September 2008, and began shipping in 2009. Mine must have arrived early in 2009 or late 2008.
Differences to the DP1 included a lens that is one stop faster, f/2.8 vs. f/4.0, 24.2 vs. 16.6mm(35mm equivalent of 41mm vs 28mm) and a faster processing chip, the True II image processor, which is shared with the Sigma SD15 DSLR.
Though claimed difficult to use, it shares many features and limitations found in rangefinder cameras such as the Leica M6, and with its mechanical-feedback manual focus, snaps images with zero shutter lag.
In February 2010, Sigma released an updated version of the camera, the Sigma DP2s. The DP2s offered a new AF algorithm, a “power save” mode and a modified rear design with new labelling of the buttons. The imaging sensor itself remained the same.
In 2012, Sigma released the ‘Merrill’ range of the DP series, with a much improved sensor.
I currently still use a DP Merrill and a DP Quattro but while I like the results [when they perform as expected] I would not really recommend any of them especially as results are unpredictable and because battery life is dismal.
It should be noted that the Merrill Series of cameras produce RAW images that cannot be processed by software such as Adobe Lightroom.
Personally I like the Merrill but they battery life varies from 40 to 50 images.
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