THE JOURNAL OF THE RNLI

Volume XLVII Number 471 Spring 1980 25p

LIMITED EDITION SIGNED PRINTSCOMMEMORATING A GREAT BRITISH TRADITION

H.M.S. ARK ROYAL AND MORNING CLOUD

V ery few limited edition printshave received as much praise

and aroused such interest as thesesplendid examples of man'sendurance against the sea. Not onlyis each of the prints shown signedand numbered by the ar t is t , but inorder to create collectors' items oflasting importance and historicalsignificance, we arranged in eachcase for the ships 'master' toindividually counter-sign eachprint. The last captain to commandthe 'Ark Royal', Rear AdmiralE. R. Anson, and theRt. Hon. Edward Heath, MBE,MP, the first Br i t i sh Prime Ministerever to captain a British team inan International Sporting Event.

- r l l l . . „. .w-, . , 0 , , ., , , . - , , w-» X T Image site: 25.3 in \ l~m-E ADMIRALS CUP 1971 by Robert Taylor o,,™// ,I:, is.sin > x.7Sin.(Prims £50. i n t ramed) ^ limited edition of 850 prints, signed by the artist and individually

counter-signed by the Rl. Hon. EDWARD HEATH, MBE, MP.

The Admirals Cup, first presented in 1957, has become in the course of just overtwenty years, the foremost sailing contest in the world. Consisting of the ChannelRace during the first weekend of Cowes Week, originally two but now three racesround the Solent and concluding w i t h the Fastnet Race, it provides the most testingcompetition anywhere for ocean racing yachts and their crews. This painting depictsthe second Morning Cloud, one of the three boats in the British Admirals Cup teamw h i c h I captained in 1971, racing during the series.The team was successful in recapturing the Cupfrom the Americans after some exciting racing ^— s h_A_-s_involving the teams of sixteen other countries.

HMSARK ROYAL•STKAMIM, I N K ) WIMV (top l e f t ) is an outstandingpainting by Roben Taylor of ihe best known and linedship to serxe w i t h the Renal N a x y since the Hood. Thispowcr tu l picture show- HMS Ark Royal in a force t i \ c .l aunching her Buccaneers ot S09 Squadron.

I he second p r i n t 'PHANTOM I.Al NCH' is a s tunningp a i n t i n g o! a Phantom on the waist catapult just a fewseconds before take-off — an appropriate subject as the\ e i y List h\ed w i n g aircraft to be launched by ca tapu l tI mm I he deck ot HMS Ark Royal was Phantom 012 olSs>2 Squadron. Both prims haxe been published aslimited editions of 850 copies, each one signed andnumbered by the artisi and counter-signed b> ReatAdmiral I K -\nson, the last captain to commandHMS Ark Roya l at sea.

The image area of each pr int measures 18m \ I 2 i nw h i l s t overall si/eot each pr int is 2? in \ 18in.Price £2".50. t nframed.

INK \ R l l s l Kohen l a y l o r ' s ski l l asa marine a r t i s t isinternationally recognised, and lor ob\ ions apparentreasons to those w i t h a discerning eye for supreme sk i l land qui te exceptional talent

In the words ol 1 dxxard Heath "These prints areexeellenl reproductions ot Koherl laylor's splendidoriginals, in w h i c h he has ski l ful ly captured in rxeryrespect Ihe true feel of Ihe sea"

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U l KPIIOM- OKDKKS Credit C a r d holdersnun telephone (05INI 21 3"8~ 2 I S I 2 I and placetheir order w i t h o u t completing the coupon

I To:THl Qt.'ORN 1 INI ART CO 46C H I R C HC.ATl .I OL t .HHOROl C,H. l.tlCS. I t i l IUEPlease send me the following pnn t ( s ) :

"The - \ d m i r a l s C u p I9"l" . . . . unlramed p r i n t ( s ) a tt50.00each . . . . framed p n n i l s l a l 182. 50 each

"Steaming In to Wind" . . . . unframed p n n l t s i a tt 2 ~ <o each . . . framed prmt(s) at £47.50each

"Phantom I aunch" . . . . unframed p r i n t l s i a tt 2 ~ . 5 ( l t ra ined p r i n t i s i a t I4~.50each

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THELIFEBOAT

Spring 1980

Contents *«**<* **Q»«« 3Prototypes of a new Fast Slipway Lifeboat 4

\7r\l|lfT"|p Y^T \/TT Princess Margaret names Silver Jubilee (Civil Service No. 38), Margate . 5

Nlimber 471 Lifeboat Services 6

Lifeboat stations of the Isle of Man, by Joan Davies 13

Chairman: Prototype of the experimental RNLI Medina 35 Lifeboat 18THE DUKE OF ATHOLL

Patrick Howarth: RNLI Public Relations Officer for more than a quarter ofDirector and Secretary: a century 20REAR ADMIRAL W. J. GRAHAM, CB MNI

London International Boat Show 1980 22

Lifeboat Appeals 24

Lifeboat People 24

Some Ways of Raising Money 25

Editor: Letters 28JOAN DAVIES

Shoreline 29

Headquarters: . . . Awards to Coxswains, Crews and Shore Helpers 30Royal National Life-boat Institution,West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH151HZ (Telephone Poole 71133). Offshore Lifeboat Services, September, October and November 1979 . . . 33Telex: 41328, , „,.„ Inshore Lifeboat Services, September, October and November 1979 . . . . 34London Office:Royal National Life-boat Institution,202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7JW Index to Advertisers 36(Telephone 01-928 4236).

COVER PICTURE

Dusk recovery: Minehead Atlantic 21 ILB,returning from exercise, is caught by thearrester net rigged on her trolley. She ismanned by Helmsman Chris Kundle, CrewMember Peter Smythe (to starboard) andCrew Member Peter McGregor, who is alsoa helmsman (to port). The Atlantic 21'sdrive-off trolley forms a mobile dock bymeans of which she can be launched froman exposed beach in any sea condition tothe limit of her operational ability and re-covered safely; the arrester net halts thereturning boat in the correct position as sheis driven into her trolley.The photograph was taken by Crew Member

Dr Bryan Stoner.

Editorial: All material submitted forconsideration with a view to publica-tion in the journal should be addressedto the editor, THE LIFEBOAT, RoyalNational Life-boat Institution, WestQuay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ(Telephone Poole 71133). Photographsintended for return should be accom-panied by a stamped and addressedenvelope.

Next issue: the summer issue of THELIFEBOAT will appear in July and newsitems should be sent by the end ofApril. News items for the autumn issueshould be sent in by the end of July.

Advertisements: All advertisingenquiries should be addressed toDyson Advertising Services, PO Box 9,Godalming, Surrey (TelephoneGodalming (04868) 23675).

Subscription: A year's subcription offour issues costs £1.40, including post-age, but those who are entitled toreceive THE LIFEBOAT free of chargewill continue to do so. Overseas sub-scriptions depend on the cost ofpostage to the country concerned.Write to RNLI, West Quay Road,Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ.

Printers: The Friary Press, Grove Trad-ing Estate, Dorchester, Dorset.

1

The Captaintakes his hat off

totheRNLL

NOTES OFTHE QUARTER

THE RNLI INQUIRY into the capsizes ofBarra Island and Islay lifeboats off thewest coast of Scotland last November,reported on page 6, has concluded thatboth lifeboats were overwhelmed byheavy breaking seas in violent stormconditions and that the lifeboats wereboth righted successfully by theirrespective righting methods.

The Barra Island 52ft Barnettlifeboat is fitted with an air bag whichautomatically inflates on capsize whilethe Islay 50ft Thames lifeboat, with herwatertight superstructure, is inherentlyself-righting. It was the first time that alifeboat of either of these classes hadbeen capsized on service and theinquiry found that there was no failureof the lifeboats or their equipmentwhich contributed to the capsizes.

Barra Island lifeboat was built in1957 and later fitted with a righting airbag as part of the Committee ofManagement's policy that all offshorelifeboats, up to 54 feet in length, shouldhave a righting capability. The Islaylifeboat is the first modern fast afloatlifeboat to be capsized on service. It isnoteworthy that these two lifeboatsbuilt to very different designs, whoserighting methods had previously onlybeen tested by controlled trials, bothperformed exactly as was expected ofthem and that there were only minorinjuries to the crews.

An analysis of the weather in thearea of the capsizes on that Novembernight showed that the winds were gust-ing to violent storm and hurricane,force 11 to 12; the significant height ofthe waves was around 30 feet, with a 10per cent chance of encountering a seaof 60 feet. These seas were describedby the investigator as 'diabolical' andthe coxswain of Islay lifeboat statedthat the weather was as bad as he hadexperienced in 17 years in the lifeboatservice. In such conditions capsize willalways threaten relatively small boats.By providing a self-righting capabilityand safety gear such as lifejackets,bump caps and personal safetylanyards, the RNLI is striving tominimise the risks to lifeboat crews.

Following the capsizes of the twoScottish lifeboats, messages werereceived from Her Majesty The Queenand from the Prime Minister. Sir PhilipMoore, private secretary to the Queen,wrote to Rear Admiral WilfredGraham, director of the RNLI:

'The Queen was very impressedrecently to hear thai both the Islay andBarra lifeboats had turned turtle andself-righted themselves in a gale off thewest of Scotland. Lord Margadale, whois president of the Islay lifeboat, wrote toHer Majesty about this and reported thatit was a remarkable performance.

'I should be grateful therefore if youwould convey The Queen's congratula-tions to the crews of both lifeboats ontheir remarkable efforts. Once again theRoyal National Life-boat Institution hasgiven that outstanding service which hasbeen so typical of all its history.'

Mrs Margaret Thatcher, who visitedIslay last year, wrote to AlastairMacrae, chairman of Islay stationbranch Committee:

'/ was very concerned to learn over theweekend of the terrible experience of theIslay lifeboat crew in the recent stormsoff the west coast.

'However, I was a/so glad to hear thatall the crew were safe. It is on occasionssuch as this, and more particularly sincemy visit to your station in the summer,that the dangers these brave men face soselflessly are understood.

'Please convey to the crew and theirfamilies my best wishes and thanks forall thev do.'

When HM The Queen visited TheMarine Society on December 5,1979, to open its new offices, theRNLI was represented by Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston, adeputy chairman of the Institu-tion, (c.) and John Atterton,deputy director, RNLI (I.). Theywere presented to the Queen byBaroness Phillips, Lord Lieuten-ant of Greater London, who wasaccompanied by Dr R. S. Hope,director of The Marine Society.The RNLI's London office movedto The Marine Society's premisesat 202 Lambeth Road, SE1, inJanuary.

US Coast Guard tragedyThe RNLI learned with deep regret

that six United States coast guards diedand 17 were missing following the colli-sion between the Coast Guard cutterBlackthorn and a tanker in January. Amessage of sympathy from the Institu-tion was sent to US Coast Guard head-quarters in Washington.

Captain William West, Commander,US Coast Guard Activities, Europe,replied in a letter to John Atterton,deputy director of the RNLI:

'When tragedy struck and we lostcoast guardsmen in a fine old ship, CGCBlackthorn, who was the first to call withsympathy? Why you and the RoyalNational Life-boat Institution, ofcourse. With friends and colleagues likethis we can weather a disaster even ofthis magnitude. Thank you and yourassociates in the RNLI for rushing to ouraid when times are difficult. Thoughtful-ness such as this strengthens the bondsof friendship between our organisationsand this makes me happy even in a tragicmoment.'

Into the 1980sThe start of the 1980s provides a

good opportunity to review the past tenyears. The RNLI started the 1970s withthe tragic capsize of the Fraserburghlifeboat, less than a year after theLonghope lifeboat had capsized. Atotal of 13 men were lost in the twocapsizes, both of which involved nonself-righting lifeboats. Following thesetwo tragedies the Committee of Man-agement introduced a policy to makevirtually the whole offshore fleet self-righting by the 1980s. This programmeis now nearing completion and it is tothe credit of the technical officers ofthe Institution that the problems of giv-ing some of the older lifeboats a self-righting capability has been solved.The policy has certainly been vindi-cated. It is a cause for both heartfeltthankfulness and pride that, since 1970,only three of our lifeboats have beencapsized, that all three righted them-selves and that only one of ourcourageous lifeboatmen lost his life onservice—although indeed even one istoo many.

Four new lifeboat designs enteredthe fleet in the 1970s: the Arun,Thames and Rother offshore lifeboatsand the Atlantic 21 ILB. Each hasshown that she can do what was askedof her—and often more. With the pro-totypes of the new RNLI Medina 35and Lochin 33 intermediate lifeboatsjust starting their operational evalua-tion trials and the prototypes of a newfast slipway lifeboat soon to go on thestocks (see page 4) the Institution canlook forward with confidence to con-tinued technical progress.

Because of the national and interna-tional inflation of the 1970s the cost ofrunning the lifeboat service rosedramatically from just over £2 millionin 1970 to approaching £10 million in1979, but. undeterred, our financial

continued on page 4

Prototypes of a new

Fast Slipway Lifeboat

WITH THE TIME APPROACHING whenthe RNLI's 46ft 9in and 47ft Watsonclass housed lifeboats will reach theend of their station lives, preparationshave been going ahead over the pastfew years for their replacement by anew fast slipway boat. The requirementapproved by the Committee ofManagement for this new boat wasthat, while retaining those characteris-tics which make possible housingashore and rescue work in shoal wat-ers—shallow draught, a long straightkeel and protected propellers—sheshould have the added advantage ofhigher speeds than the boats she wouldsupersede. In effect, a way had to befound of reconciling in one boat whathad previously been regarded as twoconflicting design features. Up till nowit has only been the afloat lifeboatswhich have been able to reach speedsin the regions of 15 to 18 knots; thetraditional slipway boats have beenlimited by their very nature to 8 to9 knots.

Further requirements for the newboat were that she should have a self-righting capability and that her dimen-sions and weight should be such thatshe would fit into existing boathousesand could be launched from existingslipways.

Here was a challenging project cal-ling for an entirely new line of thoughtin small boat design, and in 1977 asteering group was formed under thechairmanship of Mr P. Denham Christ-ie, a vice-president of the RNLI, toundertake the necessary development

work. A start was made possiblebecause, in fact, some of the necessaryfundamental research was alreadybeing done by the National MaritimeInstitute as part of its basic researchprogramme and the Institute verykindly undertook to provide the RNLIwith a lines plan for a fast slipwaylifeboat with propeller tunnels.

The next stage was an exhaustiveprogramme of model testing. Firstthere were tank tests at the NationalMaritime Institute to establish resis-tance, flow and powering data; then,with the co-operation of the BritishHovercraft Company, trials of a radio-controlled model were run at sea toobtain information about the proposedhull 's manoeuvering, sea keeping andcourse keeping capabilities.

Progressive tests and developmentproduced results which were suffi-ciently encouraging to allow detaildrawing for the design by the Institu-tion's staff to begin last year, and thework has now reached the point wherebuilding full size can start. Interestedyards have been invited to submit ten-ders so that a decision on building thenew fast slipway lifeboat can be madeby the Committee of Management.

From the work so far done it wouldappear that this new design will makepossible an increase of speed in a slip-way lifeboat from the traditional9 knots maximum to something over15 knots. So, a breakthrough has beenmade of great importance, not only tothe RNLI's future fleet but also tolifeboat services in other parts of the

world and possibly to commercialboats.

Because of this more general applica-tion and because of the new groundbroken by this work and its safetyaspects, the Government's Ship andMarine Technology RequirementsBoard (SMTRB) has taken greatinterest in the project and has expres-sed its willingness to give practicalhelp. A design programme of thisnature, entailing the building of pro-totypes for the intensive trails to whichany new class of lifeboat must besubjected before boats can be sent tostation, places a very heavy financialburden on the RNLI over and above itsnormal commitments. So, as there ismutual interest, it was decided that thework should be regarded as a joint pro-ject between the RNLI and theSMTRB from which both wouldbenefit.

RNLI Trading Ltd and the SMTRBhave therefore entered into an Agree-ment under which the SMTRB willcontribute to the cost of the design anddevelopment of the fast slipwaylifeboat. Two prototypes will be builtwhich will be the property of theRNLI, but the industrial propertyrights for the design will belong to theSMTRB, to whom royalties will be paidfor any boats built other than lifeboatsfor the RNLI or overseas lifeboatsocieties; one important provision ofthe Agreement is that overseas lifeboatsocieties will only be absolved frompaying a royalty if the lifeboat is built ina British yard.

Much good will has been shown tothe Institution by the Ship and MarineTechnology Requirements Board in thedrawing up of this Agreement which, aswe approach the twenty-first century,will help the lifeboat service to keeppace with the future and which it ishoped will bring revenue to theGovernment and welcome overseasorders to British boatbuilders.

Notes of the Quarterfrom page 3

branch and guild members have metthe challenge with their usualenthusiasm, sheer hard work—andsuccess.

Perhaps the most important statisticof all is the number of lives rescued inthe past ten years: almost 12,500. Thatis the true measure of the remarkableachievements of our lifeboat crews, forwhom no praise is too high, and of ourfund raisers who have unfailing pro-vided them with the 'tools to do thejob'. The traditions of the service havenever been more finely upheld and theRNLI's standing in the eyes of the gen-eral public has never been more firmlyestablished. With that knowledge,lifeboat people can enter the 1980s andmeet the challenges ahead withconfidence.

Decca RadarThe radar for the RNLI Medina 35

prototype was the hundredth suppliedby Decca Radar Ltd to be fitted to alifeboat, and, to mark this milestone,Decca gave the radar as a contributionto the Mountbatten of Burma appeal.

This generous gesture was followedby yet another. After Barra Island andIslay lifeboats had been capsized lastNovember, engineers of Decca's ser-vice division made immediatearrangements to repair the damagedradars. Out of respect for the lifeboats''gallant crews', however, the companywaived all labour charges for the work.

Cot MFour new members have been

elected to the Committee of Manage-ment: Peter Viggers, MP for Gosport(Hampshire); Graham Newman,former chairman of the BalticExchange; John Archer, former chair-

man of the Government Search andRescue Committee; and Captain ColinKeay, chairman of Dundee branch.

Mr Viggers, who was trained as anRAF pilot, is an underwriting memberof Lloyds and, like Mr Newman, is ayachtsman.

Mr Newman was elected to the Bal-tic Exchange in 1947, was director in1967, vice chairman from 1975 to 1977and chairman from 1977 to 1979.

Mr Archer was Under Secretary ofthe Marine Division of the Departmentof Trade from 1972 to 1979 and chairedthe Government Search and RescueCommittee, of which the RNLI is amember.

Captain Keay served in the RNVRduring the last war and was mentionedin despatches. He is chairman of theDundee Sea Cadets and area chairmanof the Northern Area Sea Cadets. He isformer managing director of T. KeayLtd, an engineering firm.

Princess Margaret names

Silver Jubilee(Civil Service No. 38)

MARGATE: NOVEMBER 21, 1979

ON WEDNESDAY November 21, 1979,22 months after January storms drama-tically isolated Margate's lifeboathouseby destroying the town's pier on whichit stood, the 37ft 6in Rother lifeboatSilver Jubilee (Civil Service No. 38)was named by HRH The Princess Mar-garet outside the new boathouse on the

sea-front. Princess Margaret had hon-oured the Institution by undertakingthis her first RNLI engagement at veryshort notice because a minor indisposi-tion had prevented HRH Princess Alex-andra from coming to Margate

On the day of the ceremony theweather once again was in contrary

(Above) Margate's new 37ft6in Rother lifeboat SilverJubilee (Civil Service No.38) on the day of hernaming.

The crew of Margatelifeboat are presented toPrincess Margaret by AlanWear (r.), station honorarysecretary, before the serviceof dedication: (I. to r.) CrewMember Kenneth Sandwell,Motor Mechanic AlfredLacey, Second CoxswainDavid Lacey and CoxswainAlfred Manning.

At tea, Princess Margaretcuts the ceremonial cakemade and decorated byCrew Member Bert Adding-ton (r.). With them is AlanWear, station honorarysecretary.

photographs by courtesy of'Isle of Thanet Gazette'

mood, a chill blanket of fog delayingthe arrival of the Princess; however,thanks to foot-tapping music from theKent County Constabulary police bandthe large crowd of spectators remainedwarm and expectantly happy.

They watched as the lifeboat cox-swain and crew were presented toPrincess Margaret on her way towardsthe rostrum where the naming cere-mony and service of dedication was tobe conducted. After the greeting byFrederick Howland, chairman of Mar-gate branch, Mr D. E. Roberts, Manag-ing Director, Posts, addressed theassembly on behalf of the Civil Serviceand Post Office Lifeboat Fund, whichhad provided the money for the newRother lifeboat. He then handed herover to the RNLI with encouragingpromises of continuing support fromthe Civil Service and Post Office,whose members are numbered amongthe lifeboat service's most loyalfriends.

His Grace The Duke of Atholl,chairman of the Institution, in accept-ing the lifeboat thanked Mr Roberts forthe 'magnificent gift' and then formallydelivered her to Margate lifeboat sta-tion. The honorary secretary, AlanWear, in his speech of acceptance,spoke of his pride in receiving the boaton behalf of Margate and mentionedthat already she had been launched onservice ten times rescuing 18 peopleand one dog.

The service of dedication was led bythe Reverend Norman Baldock, vicarof St John's Church, with the assis-tance of Father Corcoran, the priest atMargate Roman Catholic Church andMajor R. W. Bait of the SalvationArmy.

Princess Margaret was then invitedto name the boat; she began by convey-ing Princess Alexandra's disappoint-ment that she had been prevented fromnaming the lifeboat herself and saidthat her cousin sent her good wishes tothe crew, together with their wives andfamilies. She reminded the crowd thatit had been Princess Marina who hadnamed the previous Margate lifeboat,North Foreland (Civil Service No. I I ) ,28 years earlier.

Her Royal Highness then named theboat Silver Jubilee (Civil Service No.38) with the traditional explosion ofchampagne. The crew led three cheersto the Princess and the boat from thatmoment on became unquestionably apart of Margate.

After being shown round SilverJubilee by Mr Wear and CommanderCairns, chief of operations RNLI,Princess Margaret was entertained to atea for which Bert Addington, a Mar-gate master baker and also a lifeboatcrew member, had made a superblydecorated cake. The Princess's finalduty was to unveil a plaque to com-memorate her visit before her car boreher away into the rapidly thickeningfog. E.W.-W.

Scotland South Division

Two lifeboats capsizeand rightA DANISH CARGO VESSEL, Lone Diinia,in distress six miles north west ofSkerryvore Lighthouse was reportedby HM Coastguard to the honorary sec-retary of Barra Island lifeboat station at2355 on Saturday November 17, 1979,and to the honorary secretary of Islaylifeboat station at 0015 on SundayNovember 18. Lone Dania's cargo ofmarble chips had shifted causing aheavy list. Islay's 50ft Thames lifeboatHelmut Schroder of Dunlossit, underthe command of Coxswain AlastairCampbell, slipped her moorings at 0035and Barra's 52ft Barnett lifeboat R. A.Colby Cubbin No. 3, under the commandof Coxswain/Mechanic John Macneil,slipped her moorings at 0058. Theweather at Castlebay, Barra, was sosevere that two separate trips had to bemade in the boarding boat to embarkthe crew of eight.

The wind was predominantly fromthe south west, veering to north westduring the frequent heavy rain squallswhich reduced visibility to no morethan 15 to 20 yards. The wind strengthvaried from strong gale, force 9, toviolent storm and hurricane, force 11 to12, in the squalls; gusts of up to 59knots were recorded at themeteorological office at Tiree Airportand of up to 65 knots at Benbecula Air-port. The swell was very high and thesea very rough and confused. Cox-swain Macneil of Barra has said thatthe weather was as bad as he hadexperienced in 17 years in the lifeboatservice and previously as a merchantseaman and deck officer sailing thosesame waters off the west coast ofScotland.

Once clear of her berth, Islay lifeboatmade full speed on a northerly courseto clear the Sound of Islay. The tidewas two hours flood and running norththrough the sound at 4 knots. Onapproaching Rubha A'Mhail Light-house Coxswain Campbell left theupper conning position, checked thatall equipment and hatches were secureand took the helm in the wheelhouse.The full force of the very rough seas,storm force winds and heavy rainsqualls was met as soon as the lifeboatcleared the lee of Islay. At 0058 course

was changed to west by north to passthree miles south west of Oronsaybefore heading north for Skerryvore.On approaching the shallower waterbetween Oronsay and Islay speed wasreduced to 10 knots because of severepounding in the heavy south-westerlyswell and very rough, confused seas.The tide was now setting east northeast at 2 knots.

At 0130 Islay lifeboat drove througha particularly large sea, falling about 25feet into the following trough. CrewMember Iain Spears, who was standingand bracing himself in the after portcorner of the wheelhouse, landed heav-ily on his right foot, twisting his ankle;it was found when he came ashore thatthe ankle was in fact broken. Shortlyafter this incident the seas easedslightly and, once Oronsay was abaftthe starboard beam, Coxswain Camp-bell was able to increase speed to 12knots.

Islay lifeboat was three miles southwest of Oronsay when, at 0143, Cox-swain Campbell momentarily saw avery steep breaking sea, about 30 feethigh, on the starboard bow. The seawas at right angles to the general run ofthe seas (it was thought that it couldhave rebounded from the reef lying 1 '/2miles south west of Oronsay) and it laidthe lifeboat over 45 degrees to port.The lifeboat momentarily hung in thisposition and then slid down the face ofthe approaching wave into a deeptrough. The wave then broke aboard onthe starboard side capsizing the lifeboatto port. The lifeboat 'settled' upsidedown for about five seconds beforerighting port side first. Afterwards,crew members commented on thegentleness of the capsize and rightingmotions and apart from AssistantMechanic Norman Campbell, who suf-fered some bruising, there were noinjuries. Once righted, the lifeboatcleared herself of water and the engineswere found in gear but idling; thesolenoid capsize 'switches' had oper-ated correctly.

Coxswain Campbell immediatelychecked that all crew members weresafe and Motor Mechanic ArchibaldCampbell returned both throttles to idl-ing before operating the capsize cancelswitch to restore wheelhouse control.Coxswain Campbell then alteredcourse to starboard to bring the windand sea astern while the lifeboat wasgiven an internal inspection for dam-age; he decided against sending anyone on deck in the prevailing condi-tions to make an external inspection.Only superficial internal damage wasrevealed.

It was at this time that the port throt-tle was found to be unresponsive and,although Motor Mechanic ArchieCampbell and Assistant MechanicNorman Campbell immediately wentbelow to investigate, the violent motionand conditions in the engine room madeit impossible for them to rectify thefault. It was also found that the radar and

windscreen wipers were unserviceable,making visual navigation almostimpossible. Having one engine out ofaction, no radar and very little vision,and knowing that Barra Island lifeboatwas on her way to the casualty. Cox-swain Campbell decided to return tostation to effect repairs before continu-ing with the service. An easterly coursewas set, to give Post Rocks a wideberth, and a moderate speedmaintained.

At 0212 Coxswain Campbellreported that the steering had jammedwith 20 degrees of port helm on. MotorMechanic Archie Campbell and Assis-tant Mechanic Norman Campbell wentaft through the engine room emergencyhatch and found that the locking bar forthe oil drum stowage in the tiller flathad worked loose and jammed thesteering in way of the port ruddercrosshead. The bar was resecured andthe coxswain informed by intercomfrom the after cabin. Course was thenresumed to clear Rubha A'Mhail beforeturning south into Islay Sound at 0255.Although the seas eased considerablyonce the lifeboat was under the lee ofIslay, frequent heavy rain squalls,sometimes reducing visibility to a fewyards, made the passage up the soundslow and difficult.

Islay lifeboat reberthed alongside thenew ferry pier at Port Askaig at 0355and, while Assistant Mechanic NormanCampbell and Crew Member IainSpears received medical attention.Coxswain Campbell and the other crewmembers began preparing the lifeboatfor service again. It was then that thefull damage sustained during the cap-size was found, and it was also dis-covered that the liferaft was missing.

Meanwhile Barra lifeboat, which hadset out at 0058, cleared Castlebay andthen set course for Lone Dania, 37miles away. Although the bearing wassouth by east. Coxswain Macneilsteered south by west to make good hiscourse, so that the wind was on thestarboard beam while the sea and swelltended to be more on the starboardquarter. He expected to reach thecasualty sometime after 0500. Duringthe frequent heavy squalls thelifeboat's speed was reduced but atother times her full speed of about 9knots was maintained.

At about 0346 Barra lifeboat was 1 1miles south east of Barra Head Light-house, almost on the 100 fathom linewhich marks the eastern edge of one ofthe deep 'trenches' which exist in thisarea; it is an area where unusua l lyheavy seas can be experienced. Therewas, however, a comparative lu l l be-tween squalls at this time and thelifeboat was at full speed.

Coxswain Macneil had just loweredthe port wheelhouse door window tohave a look around and see if Skerry-vore Light was visible over the portbow, when, while his head was still outof the window, the lifeboat seemedsuddenly to pitch down by the bow and

Barra Island lifeboat, the 52ft Burnett R. A.Colby Cubbin No. 3, her emergency air baginlfated, after she had been capsized andhad righted.

photograph by courtesy of HMS Gannet

The Sea of the Hebrides: Produced from aportion of BA Chart 2 with the sanction ofthe Controller HM Stationery Office and theHydrographer of the Navy.

start rolling to port all in the sameinstant, the whole port bow back to theanchor stowage dipping under the sea.Glancing back over the starboard quar-ter he saw a breaking sea of between 30to 40 feet towering over the boat. Itseemed to present a vertical face ofwater. Before he could shout a warningthe lifeboat slewed violently to star-board, broached and rolled over toport.

There was an immediate inrush ofwater into the wheelhouse and cabin.The Barnett's emergency air-baginflated, and the effect of the bag infla-ting together with the power engen-dered by the breaking sea rolled theboat straight through 360 degrees with-out pause, so that she righted almostinstantly. Water almost filled thewheelhouse and after cabin, but itescaped relatively quickly.

Once the lifeboat had righted Cox-swain Macneil's first recollection wasof seeing the entire port side hingedwindow with its clear-view screenbroken and forced outwards. Then,almost immediately, the port enginestalled followed closely by the star-

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board engine. The propellers had beenfouled by the drogue with its ropes andsecuring line which had all been sweptoverboard, the synthetic drogue ropebecoming compacted round the shafts.

Coxswain Macneil first made surethat all his crew were safe; slight headinjuries had been suffered by four crewmembers, who were given first aid. The

mizzen mast was damaged and the MFaerials had been carried away, but asix-inch stub of the VHP aerialremained and the coxswain had no dif-ficulty in reporting to the Coastguard.He then organised his crew intowatches of two men who were detailedto try to free the ropes around thepropellers. Although the boat remained

lying comparatively comfortably headto wind and weather, with the air-bagacting rather like a steadying sail, theconstant movement made working inthe after cockpit extremely difficult andthey were unable to clear thepropellers.

The coaster Sapphire, which wasmaking for Lone Dania, was divertedto help Barra lifeboat and HMS Herald,a survey vessel, and an RN helicopterfrom Prestwick were asked to stand by.

At about 0730 Barra lifeboat fired ared flare to help Sapphire to find herand, with the aid of a cross-bearingfrom an Esso tanker in the area, thelifeboat's position was established as16 miles bearing 117° from Barra HeadLighthouse. Sapphire arrived alongsideat 0840 and after considerable difficultya tow was connected. HMS Heraldcame up with Sapphire and her tow at1030 and stood by until their arrival atBarra. At 1107 Coxswain Macneildecided that four of his crew should besent ashore in the Sea King helicopter.They were landed safely at Castlebayand examined by Barra honorary medi-cal adviser before being sent home.The helicopter then returned to Prest-wick after refuelling at Tiree.

The tow parted at about 1200 but wassuccessfully reconnected about three-quarters of an hour later. At 1430 theCastlebay fishing boat Notre Dame metup with the tow off Barra. Because ofthe severe weather a landfall was madeto the north and east of Castlebay and itwas decided that the lifeboat should godirect to a convenient fish factory pierat North Bay, about nine miles north ofCastlebay. Notre Dame took over thetow just outside the entrance to NorthBay and, while Sapphire and HMSHerald returned to their respectivepassages, brought the lifeboat safely toa berth alongside the pier at 1540.

The remaining four members of thecrew were taken by car to Castlebaywhere they were also checked by theHMA before returning home.

The casualty, Lone Dania, whichhad refused help from a helicopter,returned to Barra under escort ofanother Danish coaster just after 1100.A generous donation to the RNLI waslater received from her underwritersand owners.

Immediately following the return tostation of Islay and Barra lifeboats thedivisional inspector for lifeboats forSouth Scotland and his coast officialswent to Islay, while the staff officeroperations from HQ Poole, togetherwith the district engineer and districtsurveyor of lifeboats for North Scot-land and the electronics engineer(maintenance), went to Barra. With theable help of the lifeboatmen them-selves, other branch members and localpeople, both lifeboats were repaired atstation. Islay's 50ft Thames classlifeboat was back on restricted servicedby 1906 on Sunday November 18 andwas placed on full service at 2100 onFriday November 23. Barra's 52ft Bar-

nett lifeboat was placed on restrictedservice at 1800 on WednesdayNovember 21 and on full service at1530 on Thursday November 22.

Both crews have expressed praisefor the performance of their lifeboats.

Ireland, South Western andWestern Divisions

Fastnet stormTHIRTEEN LIFEBOATS took part in thecombined SAR operation to yachts ofthe Fastnet Race fleet between August13 and 16, 1979, a report of whichappeared in the winter issue of thejournal. The fleet of 303 yachts wasstrung out across the south Irish Seawhen a depression, deepening un-expectedly rapidly, swept into thesouth western approaches bringingwith it storm force winds gusting up tohurricane force and treacherously highand confused seas. Fifteen yachtsmenlost their lives during the storm.

Between them, the 13 lifeboats wereon service for nearly 187 hours, rescu-ing 60 people and towing in or escorting20 yachts.

For these services a special framedcertificate signed by the Duke ofAtholl, chairman of the Institution, hasbeen awarded to each of the followingstations: Angle, Ballycotton, Balti-more, Clovelly, Courtmacsherry Har-bour, Dunmore East, Falmouth, TheLizard-Cadgwith, Padstow, Penlee, StIves, St Mary's and Sennen Cove.

North Western Division

Catamaran caught outA BOAT SIGHTED in exceptionally heavyseas on the south west part of WestHoyle Bank and needing help wasreported to the honorary secretary ofHoylake lifeboat station at 0845 onThursday September 20, 1979, by Cox-swain T. H. 'Harry' Jones. Maroonswere fired, a message passed to Liver-pool Coastguard and at 0900 the 37ftOakley relief lifeboat The Will andFanny Kirby, on temporary duty atHoylake, left the boathouse on her car-riage. She was towed across the EastHoyle Bank to a position just north ofHilbre Island and was launched at0926.

The wind was westerly strong galeforce 9, gusting to storm force 10. Thesea was very rough and broken, withwaves estimated to be 10 feet high. Itwas two hours before high water andthe flood stream was setting southerlyinto the River Dee at about 2 knots.The sky was cloudy and visibility good.

The rough seas made launchingextremely difficult. Solid water wasbreaking over the boat and tractor andat times the boat and carriage werebeing lifted from the sea bed. Justbefore launching all that could be seenof the tractor from the boat were theair vents, exhaust pipes and the driverand his assistant. The driving cab hadcompletely filled with water.

Once into the comparatively deep

Hoylake: Produced from a portion of BA Chart 1978 with the sanction of the Controller HMStationery Office and the Hydrographer of the Navy.

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water of Hilbre Swash the lifeboat wasable to make full speed leaving HE 5Buoy to starboard and keeping close tothe eastern edge of West Hoyle Bankfor protection. Welshman Buoy wasleft to port as Coxswain Jones took thelifeboat across the south-east corner ofthe bank, entering Welshman's Gut atabout 0940. At 0958, when just overhalf way between SE Hoyle Buoy andDee Buoy, the masts of the casualtywere sighted about one mile on thestarboard bow; she was on West HoyleBank half a mile north of Dee Buoy. Atthe same time a very weak maydaysignal was picked up on 2182 kHz butthe callsign could not be identified.

As the lifeboat approached, thecasualty was seen to be a white hulled,ketch rigged catamaran about 40 feet inlength. She was anchored, bows west,but rolling, pitching and veering vio-lently and taking solid water over herbows. The sails were furled and lashedand there was no sign of damage. Noone could be seen on deck.

The wind was still westerly force 9,gusting force 10, and the seas aroundthe casualty, Truganini, were esti-mated to be 15 feet high; because thewater was shallow the waves were con-fused and broken. Further to the east,huge waves could be seen breakingover the higher part of West HoyleBank. The tidal stream was now settingto the south east at about two knots.

By 1005 the lifeboat was within60 feet of Truganini's port quarter andattempts were made to attract attentionwith loud hailer and horn. There wasno response, however, so CoxswainJones manoeuvred his boat slowlyahead until she was abreast of thecatamaran's port beam, then turned ina circle to port until he was lying off herport quarter once more. There was stillno sign of life and it was decided to tryto put Second Coxswain John McDer-mott aboard to search. As the lifeboatwas closing the casualty a manappeared on deck from the starboardcabin and shouted across, asking thathis two women crew members be takenaboard the lifeboat and that thecatamaran be taken in tow; he also saidthat he would be unable to recover hisanchors.

Coxswain Jones told the skipper thatit might prove too rough for towing andthat he was going to try to take off thewhole crew. Second CoxswainMcDermott and Crew Member DavidDodd were detailed off to board thecasualty and help with the transfer. Theviolent movement of the anchoredcatamaran made going alongside bothdifficult and dangerous, so the lifeboatlay off the port side and the secondcoxswain succeeded in getting aboardas the two vessels came together. Theboats quickly separated and thelifeboat came astern to clear thedanger. The manoeuvre was repeatedand David Dodd managed to getaboard. The time was 1017.

Once aboard the catamaran Second

Coxswain McDermott found that thecrew were too exhausted to be trans-ferred safely in the very rough seas,and so, realising that, if her anchorcables parted, the boat would be blownat great speed into the huge seas on thehigh part of the bank and wrecked,Coxswain Jones agreed to take her intow.

While the lifeboat was manoeuvredinto position on the port side of Truga-nini, Second Coxswain McDermott andCrew Member Dodd buoyed theanchor ropes and made ready for slip-ping, both men hanging on as best theycould as solid water crashed over theforedecks where they were working.The tow line was passed by heavingline and the lifeboat moved up wind onthe port bow. The anchor ropes wereslipped and the tow line secured at thesame time with both men lying flat onthe decks, the seas breaking over them.

On starting the tow, Coxswain Jonesfound that the lifeboat did not haveenough power to drive up wind so heallowed the bow to pay off to port andheaded across the sea towards WelshChannel and Mostyn Harbour. It wasnow 1030.

On entering Welsh Channel coursewas directed towards Mostyn Deep,bringing the weather round on to thestarboard quarter. Great difficulty wasexperienced in maintaining the towbecause the catamaran was continu-ously surfing down wind and overta-king the lifeboat to starboard. A plasticdustbin, carried aboard the sailing boatas a rope stowage, was streamed asternas a drogue and a heavy shackle wasplaced on the tow line to weigh it downand form a spring. The temporarydrogue reduced speed enough to allowthe lifeboat to get down wind and tostarboard and, before it carried away,the 'drogue' had lasted just longenough for the protective lee of thePoint of Air to be reached.

Keeping along the edge of MostynBank to get as much shelter as pos-sible, SE Air, NE Mostyn and MostynBuoys were all left to port. MostynHarbour was reached at 1055 and thecatamaran secured alongside the westwall at 1100.

Having satisfied himself that Truga-nini s crew needed no further help,Coxswain Jones sailed from Mostyn at1115 for Hoylake via Salisbury Deep,Hilbre Swash, East Hoyle Spit andSpencers Spit. The 12 miles to Hoylaketook !3/4 hours through the very rough,storm-driven seas. The lifeboat wasbeached at 1300 and recarriaged; shewas ready for service at 1330.

For this service the bronze medalwas awarded to Coxswain Thomas H.'Harry' Jones and the thanks of theInstitution inscribed on vellum to Sec-ond Coxswain John McDermott andCrew Member David A. Dodd. Medalservice certificates were awarded toActing Motor Mechanic Peter J. Jones,Acting Assistant Mechanic Alan R.Tolley and Crew Members Geoffrey

Ormrod and Gordon J. Bird. Framedletters of thanks signed by the Duke ofAtholl, the chairman of the Institution,were sent to Acting Tractor DriverJeffrey W. Kernigham and ActingAssistant Tractor Driver Helper JesseS. Bird.

South Western Division

Five savedRED FLARES fired by a yacht off BeerHead were reported by HM Coastguardto the honorary secretary of LymeRegis ILB station at 1942 on MondayAugust 13, 1979. Five minutes later,Lyme Regis Atlantic 21 ILB waslaunched manned by Helmsman JohnHodder with Crew Members PaulWason, Graham Turner and ColinJones; the additional crew member wastaken to give extra weight in the heavyweather.

A strong breeze to near gale, force 6to 7, was blowing from the south westand the tide was in the third hour offlood, setting west south west at about0.7 knots. With the wind against tidethe seas were short and steep, about 8to 1 1 feet in height. It was raining heav-ily and visibility was about half a mile.As the ILB set course west south westfor the yacht, Crew Members Wasonand Jones went as far forward as pos-sible to keep the bows down, but after alittle while bruising forced them toretreat further aft. Speed then had to bereduced to less than 12 knots.

The yacht. White Kitten, was sightedabout half a mile ahead at 2015; hermainsail was set and she was lying atanchor, head to wind. Two men, twowomen and a five-year-old boy were onboard. After leaving Torquay 51 hourspreviously they had crossed the Chan-nel twice in thick fog and, not havingslept, they were all exhausted. Theydid not realise that their anchor wasdragging and that they would soon beaground on a lee shore.

Helmsman Hodder decided that thetwo women and the boy, who werevery cold and wet, must be taken offimmediately; they were taken on boardthe ILB and wrapped in polythenesheeting. The men were reluctant toleave their yacht so Crew MemberJones, who is a sailing instructor,joined them on board White Kitten tosail her to Lyme Regis. He reefed themainsail, started the engine, cut theanchor chain, hoisted the jib and set theyawl on a south-easterly course to gainan offing before running for Lyme, thusclearing the broken water which wasextending nearly a mile from shore.

Having satisfied himself that all wasunder control on board the yacht,Helmsman Hodder set out for Lyme.

By now the weather was deteriora-ting rapidly, with the wind increasing togale force 8 gusting to storm force 10.Despite the difficult passage, however,the Atlantic 21 managed to make good

about 17 knots with the sea on her star-board quarter and the two women andthe boy were landed safely at Lyme.They were given hot tea and dryclothes and cared for by Mrs Brian Mil-ler, a qualified nurse and the wife of acrew member.

At 2050, as soon as the survivorswere safely disembarked. HelmsmanHodder put to sea again to find theyawl and escort her to harbour. It wasnow dark, so the ILB carried an Aldislamp as well as powerful hand lampsand torches.

Crew Member Jones had lost sight ofland almost immediately after settingcourse south east. The waves werebecoming very high and he was thrownoff the tiller several times. When hereckoned he had made good about twomiles, the reefed mainsail was loweredand course altered to east north east onjib and engine only.

Meanwhile, the ILB was meetinghead seas of 15 to 20 feet with breakingtops. In the darkness these very largewaves could often not be seen untilthey were too close for avoiding actionto be taken and the crew found them-selves falling off the crests. Speed oftenhad to be reduced to the minimum forsteerage way, so that only about 4'/2knots could be made good on thesouth-westerly course HelmsmanHodder calculated would intercept theyacht.

In fact White Kitten was makinggood a slightly more easterly coursethan had been thought and when theILB sighted her masthead light at about2145 she was about half a mile to thesouth. Having taken more than an hourto gain the two miles to seaward, theyawl was now making up to 7 knotsbefore the wind on jib only and a falter-ing engine. She was shipping a greatdeal of water.

When Crew Member Jones sightedthe ILB's lights he shone his Aldislamp to guide her in. Helmsman Hod-der, who had himself been out of sightof land for 50 minutes, estimated thatthey were now almost four miles southwest of Lyme and heading too far to theeast. As soon as he could bring the ILBwithin hailing distance he therefore toldColin Jones to steer north east. He thentried to keep station abeam of the casu-alty to be ready to help immediately ifshe were overwhelmed.

The ILB herself was as vulnerable asthe yacht to the high and breaking fol-lowing seas and passing course in-structions was extremely difficult , soHelmsman Hodder stationed himselfahead of the yawl to lead her in unti lthe shore lights became visible.

Back at Lyme Regis, Crew MemberBrian Miller and two auxiliary coast-guards had gone along outside theharbour wall to places from where,although very exposed and repeatedlycovered by spray, they could shinehand lamps to guide in the two boats.Brian Miller fired two parachute flareswhich were seen with great gratitude

Lowestoft: At 0625 on Tuesday August 14, 1979, the morning of the Fastnet Storm,Lowestoft's 47ft Watson lifeboat Frederick Edward Crick launched on service to escort theDutch yacht Lutjewald, in difficulties in rough seas and a south-westerly strong breeze, force6, gusting to gale force 8. Finding the yacht's engine had broken down, the lifeboat took her intow to Lowestoft. photograph by courtesy of Michael Richford

by the ILB and the yawl when theywere about three-quarters of a mile offthe harbour entrance.

As soon as the lights of Lyme couldbe seen by White Kitten, HelmsmanHodder took station on her bow andused the ILB searchlights to illuminatethe numerous lobster pots which had tobe avoided on the way in. Just as shewas being brought alongside the yawlfailed to respond to her helm as the twobolts securing her pintles sheared; shewas berthed safely, however, with thehelp of the ILB. The two men werelanded, given first aid treatment andreunited with the women and the boy.

Following the rescue White Kitten'speople gave donations and wrote topraise the bravery and skill of the ILBcrew.

For this service a bar to his bronzemedal was awarded to Helmsman JohnL. Hodder and the bronze medal toCrew Member Colin I. Jones. Medalservice certificates were presented toCrew Members Paul Wason andGraham C. A. Turner.

North Eastern Division

Home made raftTWO YOUTHS, aged 15 and 17 launcheda home made raft from the slipway atRobin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire,at about 1510 on Sunday June 10. 1979.It was nearly high water and a moder-ate breeze was blowing from the southeast. Breaking seas, sweeping acrosswith considerable force, washed theraft off the slipway and very quicklyround towards Gunney Hole, and theraft, made of drums and a cargo pallet,started to break up.

The younger of the two boys.Stephen, jumped into the sea and triedto swim to safety but was soon in dif-

ficulties and unable to keep his headclear of the water. He shouted for helpto people on the sea wall, but the wall issheer and some 50ft high with no steps,ladders or breaks. It curves outwardsat the bottom causing waves to turnback on themselves and the sea close tothe wall is confused. A line with a bi-cycle wheel attached was lowereddown the wall, but Stephen was unableto reach it.

At this point the attention of SimonHall, a 16-year-old boy, was called tothe incident. He ran down the slipwayand started launching a flat-bottomed8ft pram dinghy through the breakingseas. A man tried to get into the t inydinghy with him. but Simon told him toget out as the boat was too small tocarry them both safely.

Simon rowed the intervening 80yards and then, handling the dinghywith great skill, put her head to sea andback-watered down to the boy in thewater; had he gone in bows first hewould without doubt have broached toand might well have been smashed intothe wall. Stephen was able to grab thehandholds at the stern of the dinghyand then Simon pulled hard through thebackwash and incoming waves towardssome small fishing boats at moorings.Once in less confused water Simon pul-led the exhausted and shiveringStephen into the dinghy. He then pul-led alongside a fishing boat and bothboys climbed into it. Simon took off hissweater and gave it to Stephen and theyboth put on oilskins they found onboard.

Whitby ILB was informed of theincident at 1610 and launched at 1630.While waiting for the ILB to make herpassage, Stephen kept nodding off, butSimon insisted on talking to him tokeep him awake. The ILB came along-side the moored coble at 1650. took off

10

the two boys and landed them shore inthe lee at Gunney Hole where coast-guards helped them up the cliff. Thesecond boy on the raft had managed toswim ashore safely.

For this service the bronze medalwas awarded to Simon Peter Hall, towhom an inscribed wrist watch willalso be presented.

Eastern Division

Ten small boatsWEST MERSEA deputy launching author-ity was informed by HM Coastguard at1652 on Saturday May 26, 1979, that anupturned sailing dinghy had beensighted l'/2 miles east of ShingleheadPoint. Maroons were fired and at 1700West Mersea Atlantic 21 ILB launchedon service manned by HelmsmanJames Clarke and Crew MembersJonathan French and Graham Knott.

It was a fine, clear evening but astrong gale, force 9, was blowing fromthe south. It was two hours before lowwater springs. The sea was only slightat the launching position and the ILBset out at full speed for the casualty,l'/2 miles from the station. As soon asthe shelter of Cobmarsh Island wascleared, however, she met the full forceof the winds and steep, breaking seas ofeight to ten feet. Continuous blownspray reduced visibility.

The ILB and Bradwell CoastguardGP boat reached the capsized dinghy atthe same time, 1710. No survivorscould be seen in the water and CrewMember French went overside andunder the upturned hull to see if anyonewere trapped inside. No one wasfound, the dinghy was righted and then,with great difficulty, Crew MemberFrench was brought back on board.

A search was started for the missingdinghy sailors, the ILB heading downtide and the Coastguard boat headingdown wind. Meanwhile an RAFhelicopter had been scrambled fromMansion.

At 1718 it was confirmed that the twomissing men had swum ashore andwere safe, and the ILB escorted theCoastguard boat to the lee of Bradwell,arriving at 1728.

West Mersea ILB, joined by thehelicopter, then continued searchingfor, checking and escorting the manysmall boats in the area caught out bythe bad weather. At 1740 Stone SailingClub rescue boat was in trouble withone of her crew in the water off ThirsletSpit; the ILB stood by while the manwas lifted by helicopter and flown toSouthend Hospital.

The task of shepherding was con-tinued and at 1807 Crew Member Knottwas landed near Mill Creek to check acasualty on the mud flats. After warn-ing the boat's single-handed crew notto try to launch again, he was liftedback on to the ILB by the helicopter.

At 1835 the helicopter returned tobase and at 1850, after the crew had

assured themselves that no small boatswere in any possible danger, the ILBreturned to station, arriving at 1910.She was refuelled and once again readyfor service at 1925. In the two hoursand ten minutes she had been on ser-vice in severe gale force winds gustingto 50 knots and steep seas of up to 12feet, she had given help to about tenboats.

For this service the thanks of theInstitution inscribed on vellum wereaccorded to Helmsman James A.Clarke and Crew Member Jonathan P.French. A vellum service certificatewas presented to Crew MemberGraham M. Knott.

South Eastern Division

Capsized coasterIN THE EARLY MORNING of TuesdayNovember 6, 1979, Niton Radio, Isle ofWight received a mayday call from thecoaster Pool Fisher: 'We are goingover, position south west of StCatherine's Point'. Nothing more washeard. The mayday was broadcastimmediately, at 0549, and a majorsearch was set in operation in whichnaval ships from Great Britain and theNetherlands, merchant ships, RNWessex and Sea King helicopters andRNLI lifeboats all took part. The windwas north westerly, near gale force 7 tostrong gale force 9 and the seas veryrough. Visibility was fair.

Solent Coastguard telephoned thehonorary secretary of Yarmouthlifeboat station at 1553 and Yarmouth's52ft Arun Joy and John Wade slippedher mooring 15 minutes later under thecommand of Second Coxswain DavidJ. Lemonius, the coxswain being onleave. The Needles were passed at 0635and the search area, four miles southwest of St Catherine's, reached at 0718;the lifeboat was asked to continue to 15miles south west of the point.

Meanwhile, Solent Coastguard hadtelephoned the honorary secretary ofBembridge lifeboat station at 0620 andthe 48ft 6in Solent HfeboatJacA: Shaylerand the Lees launched at 0635 underthe commander of Coxswain PeterSmith and was also on her way.

HMS Cardiff was designated on scenecommander at 0720 and startedassembling the various craft for a co-ordinated search of the area. Thesearch was made more difficult by thegreat amount of wreckage in the areafrom the Aeolian Sky, which hadfoundered three days previously. Itwas learnt that Pool Fisher had been onpassage from Hamburg to Merseysidewith a cargo of potash; there were 15people on board.

At 0730 Crew Member Keith Hop-kins, who was navigating on boardYarmouth lifeboat, was thrown acrossthe wheelhouse and knocked uncon-scious for a little while. From that timeActing Coxswain Lemonius took over

navigation and radio communicationswith Acting Second Coxswain RichardDownes at the helm. The injuredlifeboatman was later taken off byhelicopter and flown to hospital.

Yarmouth lifeboat reported sightinga slick of what looked like diesel oil at0908 and HMS Cardiff shifted the searchto seven miles south of St Catherine's.At 0932 the Netherlands warship HNMSAmsterdam and MV Navajo sighted abody and an upturned ship's lifeboat inthe water. Cardiff had just reportedpicking up two bodies, at 0955, when ahelicopter spotted two survivors 12miles south east by east of StCatherine's; they were lifted to safetyand flown straight to hospital.

Although the search was continuedall day, only being called off whendarkness fell, no more survivors werefound. The two lifeboats returned totheir stations, arriving at about 1845,after being at sea for more than 12hours.

For this service letters signed byJohn Atterton, deputy director,expressing the Institution's thanks toCoxswain Peter Smith, BEM, and Act-ing Coxswain David Lemonius weresent to Arthur P. Weaver, BEM, honor-ary secretary of Bembridge lifeboatstation, and L. W. Noton, honorarysecretary of Yarmouth lifeboat station.

South Western Division

Ex pilot cutterHARTLAND COASTGUARD received amessage from the British coaster Can-dourity at 0255 on Monday September3, 1979, reporting the sighting of a redflare and a flashing light from a yachtsome 13 miles north by east of TrevoseHead. The wind was westerly, neargale force 7, and the sea rough with amoderate swell. The night was overcastwith heavy showers.

Padstow lifeboat was alerted and at0319 came a message that Candourityhad now reached the yacht, Peggy, anex Bristol Channel pilot cutter. Wreck-age of the yacht's bowsprit, topmast,rigging and sails were over her star-board side; two inflatable dinghieswere over her port side and the peopleon board were waving. Candourity wasunable to go alongside but she wasstanding by.

Padstow lifeboat, the 48ft 6in OakleyJames and Catherine Macfarlane,launched at 0355 under the command ofCoxswain Trevor England and headedfor the casualty. By 0448 she could seeCandourity ahead and by 0535 she wasalongside Peggy. There, were nine peo-ple on board. With considerable diffi-culty in the rough seas and swell aninjured women and four children weretransferred to the lifeboat; three menand a woman remained on board theyacht.

It appeared that Peggy had collidedwith a radar buoy. She was taking

11

water and her pumps were out of actionso, during what proved to be a veryslow tow, the four people on boardformed a bucket chain to bail.Arrangements were made for medicalassistance to be available on arrival atPadstow and for a pump to be broughtout to meet the two boats at StepperPoint.

Anchorage under Stepper Point wasreached at 0751. The pump was putaboard and, after the survivors werelanded into the care of those ashore,the yacht was put in tow again at 1203and moored safely at the station by1305. The lifeboat was rehoused andready for service at 1600. A large dona-tion to the Institution's funds wasreceived from Peggy's crew.

For this service a letter signed byCdr Bruce Cairns, chief of operations,expressing the Institution's apprecia-tion to Coxswain Trevor England andhis crew, was sent to Lt-Cdr J. W.Hamilton. Padstow station honorarysecretary.

South Western Division

Trapped by tideA LIFEGUARD telephoned the deputylaunching authority of Newquay,Cornwall, ILB station at 1555 on Wed-nesday August 8, 1979, to tell him thattwo girls were trapped by the tide atLamorna Cove. The ILB, manned byHelmsman Norman Bailey and CrewMembers Martin Burt and RobertStokes, was launched within fiveminutes. A moderate north-westerlywind was blowing on shore so thatwaves of four to five feet were breakingalong the shoreline. It was 2'/2 hoursbefore high water.

Arriving off the cove, the crew couldsee the two girls on rocks at its head.Although the girls could climb clear ofthe waves, it was apparent that theywould be trapped for at least six hours,by which time darkness would have fal-len, so Helmsman Bailey decided to gostraight into the cove and take themoff.

Newquay ILB is frequently called toLamorna Cove, so the crew know itwell and did not expect any great diffi-culty, even though there is no beachbut only the boulder strewn cove. Oncedisembarked, however, it proved veryhard to turn the boat head to sea forrelaunching while standing among theboulders with the seas, more difficultthan had been thought, breaking overboat and crew.

As soon as the two girls wereembarked the engine was restarted, butwhen gear was engaged it was dis-covered that the drive pin had sheared.The crew rowed the boat away fromthe shore while the helmsman tried tofit a new shear pin, but, when clear ofthe cove, the starboard oar, being pul-led by a particularly strong man. brokeand immediately carried away. TheILB was swept along the shoreline by a

flood tide of 4 to 5 knots. The anchorwas let go but failed to hold. The crewradioed for helicopter help but couldget no response from the radio becausethey were so close under the 100ftcliffs. They shouted to an auxiliarycoastguard on the cliff top, but in fact aRoyal Naval helicopter which had beenin the area was already on her way tohelp.

As the boat was carried into a gully.Crew Member Stokes jumped out on toa rock taking one girl with him. CrewMember Burt threw him a painter, butas soon as Robert Stokes had made itfast to a rock a heavy sea brokethrough the boat, tearing out thepainter and that portion of the bow fab-ric to which it was secured.

The ILB was carried up to the top ofthe boulder strewn gully. CrewMember Burt and Helmsman Baileyboth got out to steady the boat, butthey were washed from one side of thegully to the other before they managedto get the remaining girl on to a reef ofrocks and eventually out to a positionfrom which she could be lifted off byhelicopter.

The helicopter arrived withinminutes and lifted both girls to thesafety of the cliff top. Crew MemberStokes tried to work his way along theledge to reach the ILB. now being bat-tered against rocks, but it was impos-sible, so the ILB had to be abandonedand the three men lifted to the cliff topby helicopter.

The crew later joined a salvage partyof 19 volunteers organised by the hon-orary secretary. Leaving the boathouseat 2230 with the trailer and lights theyeventually managed to recover theboat, her engine and radio and returnedwith them to the boathouse. Areplacement boat was sent to the sta-tion while repairs were made.

It was subsequently found that CrewMember Burt had broken his wrist onthis service and Helmsman Bailey hadcuts and abrasions on both feet.

For this service letters of apprecia-tion signed by Rear Admiral W. J.Graham, director of the Institution,were sent to Helmsman Norman Baileyand Crew Members Martin Burt andRobert Stokes.

Western Division

Injured boyA MESSAGE from a doctor was receivedby Criccieth ILB station at 1135 onTuesday July 31, 1979. asking that a12-year-old boy, injured when he fellfrom the rocks at Black Rock, shouldbe taken off by inshore lifeboat.

A fresh to strong breeze was blowingfrom the south west; it was high waterand the sea was rough.

Criccieth D class ILB launched at1146 and beached at Black Rockthrough heavy surf at 1151 . The boywas found to have a suspected brokenleg. He was placed in a stretcher but itwas decided that it would be dangerous

to try to launch the ILB with the casu-alty on board through the heavy surfrunning on to the beach. The crew,therefore carried him up the rocks andto an ambulance about three-quartersof a mile away.

As the weather continued todeteriorate the ILB was recovered bytractor and trailer along the shinglebeach. She was back at station andrehoused at 1610.

For this service a letter signed byCdr Bruce Cairns expressing theInstitution's appreciation to HelmsmanJames Owen and Crew Members Grif-fith D. Owen and George Povey wassent to Glyn Humphreys, Cricciethhonorary secretary.

South Eastern Division

Skipper taken illTHE YACHT Minuet, crossing the Chan-nel from France with a crew of four onboard on Thursday August 23, 1979,was making heavy weather and sentout a distress call; she was about eightmiles east by north of Dover. HMCoastguard informed the deputylaunching authority of Dover lifeboatstation of the situation at 1247 andwithin eight minutes the 44ft Waveneylifeboat Faithful Forester was on herway.

It was an overcast day and theweather was deteriorating. A strongbreeze, force 6, gusting to gale force 8was blowing from the south west andthe sea was becoming very rough. Itwas one hour before high water.

Minuet was found about two mileseast of her original position. Her skip-per, who was himself unwell and whosecrew were suffering from sea sickness,was having great difficulty in handlingthe yacht, so, at 1335, two members ofthe lifeboat crew were put aboard. Theyacht was taken in tow and. in view ofthe deteriorating weather. CoxswainHawkins decided to cross the GoodwinSands and approach Dover under theshelter of the cliffs.

After about an hour Minuet's skipperbecame so seriously ill that, as therewas helicopter assistance at hand, itwas decided he should be lifted off andtaken straight to hospital. In thoserough seas, however, it was decided heshould first be transferred to thelifeboat so that the lift would be lesshazardous. The transfer and lift wereaccomplished safely and the tow wasthen resumed to Dover.

Before harbour was reached, justafter 1600. the south-westerly wind hadrisen to gale force 8 gusting to stronggale force 9. Once at Dover, the threeremaining crew were landed and theyacht moored. Faithful Forester wasrefuelled and back on her own moor-ings at 1631.

For this service letters of apprecia-tion signed by Rear Admiral W. J.Graham, director of the Institution.

continued on page 33

12

Lifeboat stations of

The Isle of Man

DOUGLAS, PEEL, RAMSEY, PORT ERIN and PORT ST MARY

VERY CLOSE TO THE SEA are people ofthe Isle of Man. Set in the Irish Seaalmost equidistant between Englandand Ireland, with Scotland to the northand Wales to the south, not only is theisland itself dependent on sea trade butis lies close to busy lanes of passingcoasters, ferries and foreign-goingships. Man's bays offer shelter fromstorm in the midst of a proverbiallyrough sea, but if the wind should goround, what was at first a safe havencan all too quickly become a dangerouslee shore. Manx people are, therefore,no strangers to disaster at sea and,through the years, have shown enor-mous courage and determination in the

ISLE OF MAN

N

P?R^OCASTLE16WN

oCdfofMan

by Joan Daviesrescue of shipwrecked sailors. SinceRNLI records began more than 1,300people have been saved from the seasaround Man by lifeboat, and it isknown that there were many earlierrescues.

Many of the Isle of Man's sons arefishermen; many go into the merchantservice. None of her people live morethan a handful of miles from the sea andeven those who are essentially lands-men are often concerned in shipping. Itis interesting, for instance, to read thenames of the original subscribers of theRamsey Steamship Company which,since 1913, has run a small fleet ofcoastal freighters plying to and fromthe island: as well as two corn mer-chants and a coal merchant, there wasa retired farmer, a grocer, and advocateand a bank agent. In just the same way,nowadays, a cross section of the com-munity is to be found in the crews ofthe island's five lifeboat stations. TakePort St Mary: as well as fishermen, thecrew includes a hotelier, twoengineers, a schoolteacher, a butcher,a shipwright, a joiner, a student and anestate agent—and nearly all of them areactive members of the local yacht club.Or Peel: fishermen, engineers, a photo-

(Below) The Irish Sea: Produced from a por-tion ofBA Chart No. 2 with the sanction ofthe Controller HM Stationery Office and theHydrographer of the Navy.

grapher, a coach driver, a hairdresser,a supermarket manager, a factory man-ager, a company director and a land-scape gardener. And so it goes on ...

Everyone cannot go to sea, but thewhole community backs the crews withits financial support. Speak to anyoneat a lifeboat station and they will tellyou of the wonderful work done by theladies' guilds and the branch fundraisers; in the last year alone theyraised £24,751 for the lifeboat service.

Indeed, the salt water runs deep intothe island's life; but then much of itsheritage came from over the sea,brought by the Celt and Norseman.The Celts had already been living onthe island for many hundreds of yearswhen, in the shadowy days of the ninthcentury, marauding Viking longboatsappeared over the horizon. Warriorswere followed by settlers, Norsemenwho stayed and intermarried and madetheir homes on the island, so that Manxculture has both Celtic and Nordicroots. The Vikings were to rule the Isleof Man for 300 years and it was theywho set up the Tynwald, the open-airassembly of freemen which has sur-vived as Man's parliament for athousand years. A proud millenniumhas been reached which was worthilycelebrated throughout last year, 1979.

A beginningIf the Isle of Man can justly be proud

of its claim to be the second oldestdemocracy in the world, it can withequal justice take pride in its contribu-tion to the growth of a voluntarylifeboat service embracing the entirecoastlines of Great Britain and Ireland.In the latter part of the eighteenth cen-tury and the early nineteenth centuryan enormous expansion of sea tradewent hand in hand with Britain's rapidindustrial growth. And the Isle of Manwas in the thick of it. Those were thedays when the Irish Sea would havebeen alive, as never before or since,with boats; mostly small, and very vul-nerable, sailing carriers.

It was, therefore, no chance, but anindication of real need, that as early as1802 a pulling lifeboat was brought toDouglas. She was one of the first boatsspecifically designed for lifesaving byHenry Greathead of South Shields andshe was given to the port by the fourthDuke of Atholl, the Island's Governor,whose forebears, in the previous cen-tury, had been the Lords of Man.

The people of Man were doing their

13

best, as were people in other parts ofthe British Isles, to tackle the problemof dreadful loss of life from ships drivenashore or foundering among the off-lying hazards of inshore waters, usingwhatever means were available tothem. But it was to be another 20 yearsbefore a real start was to be made todraw together into a co-ordinated ser-vice the diverse lifesaving efforts oflocal people. And the initiative wasthen to come from Douglas.

Caught out in south-westerly gales,sailing ships could take shelter in Doug-las Bay; but if the gale backed tosouth-east or east the anchored boatswere open to the full force of the windwith the shore under their lee, and, asthe Admiralty Pilot records, 'the hold-ing ground is indifferent', A furtherhazard was presented by St Mary's (orConister) Rock, a plateau to starboardof the harbour entrance uncovered atlow water but covered by as much as3ft at high water springs. In the earlypart of the nineteenth century, StMary's Rock was unlit and unmarked.One way and another, the toll washeavy.

From 1808, Sir William Hillary, whowas to become the founder of theRNLI, had lived in Forl Anne, over-looking the bay, with all the havoc thatcould be caused by storm spread outunder his eyes. Time and time again hewas personally involved in lifesavingattempts and a climax came in 1822, awinter of particularly severe gales,when he helped in the rescue of morethan 200 sailors in Douglas Bay. It wasafter that winter that he wrote his'Appeal to the British Nation, on theHumanity and Policy of forming aNational Institution for the Preserva-tion of Lives and Property from Ship-wreck". As a result of his efforts, ameeting was held on March 4, 1824, inthe City of London Tavern, at which it

was resolved to form the body nowknown as the Royal National Life-boatInstitution. Another of Sir William'sgreat services to shipping was theinstigation, in 1832, of the building of aTower of Refuge on St Mary's Rock,thus crowning this treacherous hazardwith a clearly visible and unmistakablemark.

Although more is known aboutDouglas than the other Isle of Manports in these early years, it is clearthat all shared similar problems andthat there would have been manyrescue attempts that have gone unre-corded: Ramsey Bay, sheltered fromthe west but open to the east; Castle-town Bay, open to the south and withconfused, though weak, tidal streams;Port Erin Bay, open to the west; PeelBay, open to the north west.

Quickly on the heels of the founda-tion of the Institution in 1824 came theestablishment of four Manx lifeboats:at Douglas in 1825, at Castletown in1827, at Peel in 1828 and at Ramsey in1829. The late Major K. G. Groves,who was chairman of Ramsey branchfor many years, recorded in his 'Storyof the Ramsey Lifeboat Station' thatbetween 1821 and 1846, 144 ships werewrecked on the island and 172 liveslost. But many lives were saved too. Itis known that during the years 1824 to1851, 91 lives were rescued by Douglaslifeboat alone. And during those yearsof great daring and achievement SirWilliam Hillary himself was awardedthree gold medals for gallantry.

Early servicesWhat was asked of Manx lifeboat-

men in the days of pulling and sailingboats can perhaps be best beappreciated by a look at some of theservices performed. At Ramsey, forinstance. On the morning of November1, 1887, Ramsey lifeboat, Two-Sisters,

Douglas lifeboat, the 46ft 9in Watson R. A. Colby Cubbin No. 1, launches on exercise.photograph by courtesy of the 'Isle of Man Examiner'

I

put out in one of the worst storms everexperienced on that coast, with a windof almost hurricane force blowing fromthe south south east and mountainousseas, to take off the crews of aschooner and a brigantine draggingtheir anchors in the bay . . .

'In returning ashore some of the ropesattached to the drogue broke, in conse-quence of the great strain upon them,and the lifeboat broached to and wasfilled by an enormous wave; the crew,however, kept cool; the boat, which wasunder oars and running with the gale,soon recovered herself, and was landedby another great wave high up on thesteep beach, north of Beachmount,about four miles from the place whereshe had been launched.'

Three years later: November?, 1890.Two Sisters launched into a violent galefrom the north with a rough cross seaand heavy rain squalls to take off 15men from the steam dredger WalterBibby, at anchor and rolling heavily inthe bay. The men were landed safelyabout a mile and a half south of Ram-sey, it being impossible to beat back tothe station. For this service and for therescue of three men from the schoonerMargaret the silver medal was awardedto Coxswain Robert Garrett and to thestation honorary secretary, E .G . Kerr,who often went out as one of the crew.

Three years later: December 10, 1893.Ramsey lifeboat, now the new MaryIsabella, out on service, was engulfedand six of her crew washed overboard;fortunately they were all able to regainthe boat. February 7, 1895: so severewas the blizzard that Mary Isabella,called out to take off the crew of thedistressed Margaret and Elizabeth,could not be launched from the shore.A passage had to be dug for her throughdeep snow from the boathouse to theharbour; she was damaged as she wastipped into the harbour from her car-riage, but, repaired on the spot, shewent on to rescue the two men.

Castletown lifeboat was also calledout on that bitter February morning, toa vessel in Port St Mary Bay.

'A moderate gale was blowing fromthe south, with a very heavy sea. Thesnow having drifted about six feelagainst the lifeboat house, a largenumber of men were engaged to cut away out for the boat, and at 0915 theHope was launched. On reaching thebay the ss Vigilant of Liverpool, boundfrom Burryport for Belfast with a cargoof coal, was found stranded on a reef.Six of her crew had been rescued by ashore boat, which had put off from thevillage to her assistance, and the remain-ing six men had taken refuge in the rig-ging, from which they were taken intothe lifeboat in an exhausted condition,and landed at Port St Mary.'

Port St Mary was soon to have alifeboat of its own because of thenumber of shipwrecks in the area.

But to return to Ramsey, the newlifeboat Mary Isabella, with her car-riage and equipment, had been theanonymous gift of 'a friend' through

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Celebrating the Isle of Man'smillennium: Port St Mary pre-pares for the review of the SailTraining fleet by HM King Olafof Norn-ay, August4, 1979. PortErin and Port St Mary lifeboatsare seen in centre of picturetaken from an SAR helicopterfrom RAF Valley, Anglesey.With her crew of Fl Lt AlanCoy, Fl Lt Brian Murdock andWinchman Steve Lynch, thehelicopter was based on Manfor the weekend, taking part inthe review and exercising withall the Manx lifeboats as part ofregular combined training.

(Below) Port St Mary's 54ftArun The Gough Ritchie andPort Erin's 37ft 6in RatherOsman Gabriel, together withPort St Mary's D- class ILB andboarding boat, man ship readyto cheer King Olaf.photograph by courtesy of J. G.

Sawtell

„ ~

the Manchester branch and she washoused in the new Norbury Boathouse,the gift of Mr and Mrs Norbury wholived at Port Lewaigue but who werealso connected with Manchesterbranch. The entire first floor is a crewand committee room, the window pro-viding a fine lookout over the bay and,when the boathouse was first built,there was a second floor above wherethe coxswain could live. Mr and MrsNorbury still look down benignly fromtheir portraits in the committee room,which forms a wonderful natural focalpoint for the station's activities.

It was at about this same time,towards the end of the nineteenth cen-tury, that lifeboat activity increased onthe west and south-west coasts of theisland. Port Erin lifeboat station wasestablished in 1883 at the request of thelocal people, and a lifeboat was re-established at Peel in 1885, after a lapseof some years, to meet the needs of anincreasing fishing population.

Fishing: Scallops in winter, queeniesin summer, with herring fishing build-ing up as the summer draws to an end,Scottish and Irish trawlers coming tojoin with the Manx boats in the catch.In the old days the returning herring

fleets would fill the island's harboursand, although there was a decline in theindustry, fishing is now once againbuilding up. Many of the herringscaught are packed in barrels of salt tobe picked up by continental coasters,but of course some, cured at Peel,become the famous Manx kippers.Most of Port Erin's crew members arefishermen, and fishermen still form thegreater part of the Douglas crew. Thereis always an Admiral of the HerringFleet and last year it was Bob Corran;Bob joined Douglas lifeboat crew in1938, was second coxswain from 1940to 1970 and then coxswain until 1974.

Port St Mary was the last of theManx lifeboat stations to be estab-lished, in 1896, so that now the rockysouth-west tip of Man, with its off-lyingisland, Calf of Man. is watched over tothe west by Port Erin lifeboat and tothe east by Port St Mary. After a motorlifeboat was sent to Port St Mary, thestation at Castletown was closed in1922 and the present-day pattern ofManx lifeboat stations was set.

Motor lifeboatsWhen motor had replaced manpower

and sail, the range of lifesaving

increased dramatically. On October 19,1936, Barrow and Maryport lifeboatsfrom the mainland and Ramsey lifeboatfrom Man were all trying to reach the ssEsbo of Helsingfors, in.ballast for Fin-land, which was dragging her anchorstowards Selker Rocks, near Bootle. Ahurricane was blowing from the southwest and the seas were very heavy.Ramsey's motor lifeboat. Lady Harri-son, launched at 0820 . . .

'When she had gone about 14 miles(she had to cover over 30) conditionswere so bad that it was impossible to gofurther. She was continually swept fromstem to stern and nothing could be seenon account of the foam. She made forthe lee of the land at Cornah, Isle ofMan, and after waiting for three-quarters of an hour, in the hope that theweather would moderate, set off again.She got about ten miles off but wasagain compelled to return . . . "

When she put into Laxey she wastold that Esbo's crew had managed toget to safety by breeches buoy and herown ship's boats, helped by peopleashore. For their part in the service.Coxswain J. T. Lord and his crewwere awarded medals by the FinnishGovernment.

Coxswain John Cornish of Ramseywas awarded the bronze medal of theInstitution for a service in 1941 whichcalled for great skill. On a very dark,wet November night the trawlerStrathairlie had run ashore at SkelligBay, about three miles north of Ram-sey in a strong onshore wind and heavyseas. It was impossible for the lifeboatto get close enough in the shallowwaters to take off the trawler's crew—she herself was reported as 'nearlystanding on end' in the heavy surf. SoCoxswain Cornish anchored anddropped down on his cable, managingto get two lines to the trawler. Then, byhauling in on the lines just far enoughfor a man to jump aboard when a seahad passed, and hauling out again onthe cable before the next sea came, all 13

15

of the crew were successfully rescued,one by one.

Douglas lifeboat, under the com-mand of Coxswain Bobby Lee, was thefirst to be called out on December 2,1966, to Nafsiporos, whose 15 crewwere eventually rescued by Holyheadand Moelfre lifeboats. Nafsiporos wasfirst reported to be 12 miles from Doug-las Head; she was disabled and, sailinglight ship, being blown before a violentnorth-westerly storm. The 46ft 9inWatson/?. A. Colby Cubbin No. I , oneof four lifeboats provided by a legacy ofthe late Mrs E. M. M. G. Cubbin ofDouglas, followed in pursuit of thedrifting ship, searching, for 36 milesuntil it was learned that Holyheadlifeboat had made contact.

On September 9, 1970, at about 0600,Port Erin and Peel lifeboats were bothcalled out to the coaster Moonlight,reported to be in trouble five milesnorth of Chicken Rock in south-south-westerly gales gusting to stormforce and very rough seas. First oneempty liferaft was sighted by aShackleton aircraft and then, at about1100, Port Erin lifeboat sighted twosurvivors in another liferaft. It wasonly with great difficulty that theexhausted men were got aboard, Sec-ond Coxswain Peter Woodworth, nowPort Erin's coxswain, going over theside on to the scrambling net to reachthem. Moonlight's other two crewmembers had apparently been washedaway and drowned. For this serviceCoxswain Alfred Maddrell, BEM, ofPort Erin was awarded the bronzemedal, and Coxswain William Gorry ofPeel was accorded the thanks of theInstitution inscribed on vellum.

TodayCoasters and fishing boats . . . now-

adays calls also come from yachts,small pleasure boats or other visitors indifficulties, for the Isle of Man is agreat holiday centre. Being, as it were,an outpost in the Irish Sea, calls maycome to take seriously ill or injuredpeople off passing ferries, or to searchfor a passenger lost at sea. Port Erin orPeel lifeboats sometimes go to helpclimbers in trouble on the cliffs of thewest coast, which rise to 1,000 feet. InMarch 1978 Coxswain Peter Wood-worth of Port Erin was accorded thethanks of the Institution inscribed onvellum for the rescue from the rocks bybreeches buoy of three skin diverswhose boat had broken down and beenblown ashore in a south-southwesterlynear gale and rough seas.

R. A. Colby Cubbin No. 1 is still onstation at Douglas and there is greatcompetition to be in her crew. She hasin fact about three crews, with otherlads eager to join, and they all meetdown at the boathouse on Sundaymornings to 'clean ship', talk and keepup to date with information. Althoughmostly fishermen, other occupationsare represented, and one crew memberis a musician. Robert 'Young Robbie'

Corran, Bob's son, is now coxswainand another Robert Corran, a cousin, issecond Coxswain. Mary Corran, thecoxswain's wife, plays a traditional keyrole in the station. When a call comes,Captain P. Evans, the station honorarysecretary (himself a retired sea pilot)immediately telephones to Mary, whoknows exactly which of the crew areavailable and quickly rings round. BobCorran still comes down when there isa launch—ready to go out if needed.

Family links sometimes go acrossfrom one station to another; the chair-man of Douglas branch, Alfred Cos-tain, a silver badge holder, is the cousinof John Hudson, who has been stationhonorary secretary of Port St Mary forten years. Port St Mary, at which/?. A.Colby Cubbin No. 2 was stationed until1976, now has a 54ft Arun lifeboat, TheGough Ritchie. She is a fast afloat boatand Port St Mary Harbour provides anexcellent vantage point from which shecan speedily go to the help of shippingin the Irish Sea south of the island, ifneeded. With Coxswain/MechanicArthur Quillin and the nucleus of thecrew all living within yards of the sta-tion, the boat can put to sea veryquickly when a call comes. Familytradition is strong at Port St Mary.Coxswain Quillin's brother and twocousins have been in the boat for manyyears, there is a father and son amongthe number and there has been aKneale in the crew for almost a cen-tury; the present representative isSecond Assistant Mechanic AnthonyKneale. The old boathouse is still inuse, not only as the crew's shore base,but also as the house for the station's Dclass ILB.

Just over the headland to the west isPort Erin, at which is stationed the first37ft 6in Rother class lifeboat to enterthe RNLI's fleet; that was in 1973. Sheis Osman Gabriel, the gift of the late

Peel's Atlantic 21 in Fenella Bay.

Major Osman B. Gabriel. Osman Gab-riel is launched down the Institution'ssteepest slipway—and it is a fastlaunch. Recovery, on the other hand, iscorrespondingly slow and arduous and,with the boathouse open to the northwest and the winds that always seem tobe in the bay, very long warps run outvia breasting buoys are necessary tohelp position the returning boat.

Peel, the original landfall of the Vik-ings, is further up Man's west coast.Until 1972 an offshore lifeboat wasstationed there, but Peel now has anAtlantic 21 ILB, a very versatilelifeboat with a maximum speed of 30knots and an extensive range, yet emi-nently suitable for inshore work alongthe cliffs. She is housed in the oldlifeboat house in the harbour and, whileshe may be one of the Institution'smost modern lifeboats, there is a ven-erable guard at the entrance to herhouse: the figurehead of the Norwegianship St George which, bound fromGreenock to Monte Video laden withcoal, pipes and rails, foundered inFenella Bay on October 6, 1889 ...

'A terrific gale from the north west. . . accompanied by heavy torrents ofrain. At Peel the full fury of the gale wasfelt with exceptional force. The wavesdashed over and enveloped the break-water, and swept the Shore Road andMarine Promenade from end to end, andPeel Castle was continually hidden bythe spray. On Monday morning, about10 o'clock, a large full-rigged ship wassighted about 10 miles from Feel, with asteamer close at hand. As she camecloser in, she was seen to be flying sig-nals of distress, having nothing standingbut the mizzen-masl and stump ofmizzen-lopmast. The jibboom andbowsprit had also gone . . The lifeboatJohn Monk was quickly launched. . . When the boat rounded the break-water, she encountered the full force ofthe terrific north-west gale that was rag-ing, and many people on shore felt that it

photograph by courtesy of Vince Wilson

16

was almost tin impossibility for thelifeboat to get up to the vessel in theteeth of such a wind . . .'

Nevertheless, the ship's crew of 21,and her captain's wife and nine-month-old baby were all rescued—thebaby coming aboard the lifeboat in theship's carpenter's bag tied between oneof the crew's shoulders. The masterlater said:

'The Peel lifeboat is a first-class boat.She never shipped a sea, and the menhandled her splendidly . . .'

The King of Norway presented amedal, and the Bishop of the Isle ofMan a Manx Bible, to every member ofthe lifeboat crew. St George's keel anda few ribs can still be found by divers inFenella Bay and the rescue has beencommemorated by the Manx poet,T. E. Brown. There have been otherpostscripts, too: a baby born on thatsame wild day and given St George ashis middle name later became amember of Peel lifeboat crew; andabout ten years ago an elderly lady visi-ted the station—she was the baby whohad been rescued and it had been oneof her ambitions that one day shewould come back.

But to return to the present day.Peel's enthusiastic young crew takepride in the fact that, from time to time,they are asked to help with operationalevaluation of gear and equipment.Their station honorary secretary,David Hill, a young man too, comesfrom a lifeboat family; he took over theoffice of secretary from his father andhis mother has played a great part inlocal fund raising.

Peel lifeboat station's presi-dent—and very good friend—is theReverend Canon F. M. Cubbon, chap-lain to the Manx police and one of thesame family as the donor of the fourR. A. Colby Cubbin lifeboats.

Ramsey, on the north east of theisland, has a housed carriage lifeboat,the 37ft Oak\ey James Ball Ritchie, andthis is a station where there are veryclose bonds with the local police. Whenthe maroons are fired and the crew aremaking for the boathouse hot foot, thepolice come down, too, to make surethat all is clear for the boat. PoliceInspector Alfred Quirk is on thelifeboat committee and if he helps withany of its events the branch knows thatthe organisation will be impeccable.

As at all the island's lifeboat stations,there is a strong family tradition inRamsey and the present coxswain,Lawrence Gawne, is continuing intothe future a record of lifeboat servicewhich goes back through four genera-tions to the early 1890s. His great-grandfather, William Isaac 'Kenna'Gawne, his grandfather, William Isaac'Willie' Gawne (who was one of thecrew on the service to ss Esbo), and hisfather, Isaac Gawne, were all membersof the crew in their time. Then therehas been a Kinnin in the boat for morethan a hundred years, the present rep-

Ramsey celebrated its 150th anniversary on June 17, 1979, with a service of thanksgiving andre-dedication of its lifeboat, James Ball Ritchie, and the lifeboathouse.

Photograph by courtesy of 'Isle of Man Weekly'

resentative being Second CoxswainJames Kinnin. The crews' wives arealso very closely involved with thelifeboat herself, as well as organisingsuch fund raising activities as dancesand sponsored events. Mrs HildaKneale, wife of Motor Mechanic JamesKneale, is the grand-daughter of a pre-vious coxswain. Mrs Vera Gains, whohas two of her menfolk in the boat, herhusband and son, while another son is ashore helper has her own particularniche in the organisation; she goesimmediately to the boathouse when acall comes and always has soup waitingfor the returning crew.

The late Major Keith GrimbleGroves and his family are anotherexample of loyalty to the servicepassed on from one generation to thenext. His grandfather worked for thelifeboats at Southport; his father, MrJ. G. Groves, was honorary treasurerof Manchester and Salford branch until1911, when he went to live in the Isle ofMan and joined Ramsey committee; hismother worked for the ladies' auxiliaryafter it was formed in 1913 and when itbecame the ladies' guild in 1926, shewas its president; while his uncle, Wil-liam Grimble Groves, gave a motorlifeboat to the Institution in 1926.Major Groves himself was a member ofRamsey branch committee for almost40 years, becoming its chairman in 1958and later its president.

Now, there is yet another unbrokenline of service at Ramsey, because,from 1930, the station honorary sec-retaries have been directors of RamseySteamship Company; first Mr J. B.Kee, whose father had been in the mer-chant service; then from 1934, Mr J.Ramsay and Mr W. R. Edwards servedjointly until Mr Ramsay's death in1962, after which Mr Edwards con-tinued on his own until 1967—he wasawarded the gold badge of the Institu-

Mrs J. B. Ritchie, president of Ramseybranch and ladies' guild and donor of Ram-sey's 37ft Oakley lifeboat James Ball Ritchieand Port St Mary's 54ft Arun The GoughRitchie, was awarded honorary life govern-orship of the Institution in 1978.

photograph by courtesy of Manx PressPictures

tion in 1964 and received the MBE in1966 for his services to the RNLI; andnow the honorary secretary is BernardSwales, the Company's present manag-ing director; he has been a member ofRamsey committee since 1948 and washonorary treasurer from 1950 to 1965.

President of both Ramsey branchand its very active ladies' guild is nowMrs J. B. Ritchie who has also, withgreat generosity, made possible theprovision of two of the Isle of Man'slifeboats, Ramsey's James Ball Ritchieand Port St Mary's The GoughRitchie—and who, incidentally, is nomean seaman herself.

The young Ann Gough, as she wasthen, first came to the Isle of Man toteach physical education—she hadtrained in Denmark and had alreadytaught for two years in Germany. Orig-inally, she expected to be in the islandfor just four years, but she met and

continued on page 23

17

Prototype of the experimental

RNLIMedina

35

ANEWRIGID-INFLATABLE

LIFEBOAT

IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, the RNLI hasbeen exploring the possibilities ofintroducing intermediate lifeboats intoits fleet: fast boats of about 35 feet inlength, essentially simple but with out-standing seakeeping qualities, whichwould bridge the operational gap be-tween present offshore and inshorelifeboats, thus giving greater flexibilityin the provision of effective cover to allparts of the coast. It was thought that,at a few stations, such an intermediateboat might well be able to replace asmall offshore lifeboat at a lower capi-tal cost and still do the job effectivelywith the added advantage of greaterspeed. Equally it was thought that sucha boat could be stationed at placeswhere, because of the necessary rangeof operation or the severity of wind andsea which could be expected, a biggerboat is needed than the Atlantic 21, thelargest of the inshore lifeboats.

Two intermediate lifeboats are atpresent being developed, one of whichhas been designed by the Institution'sown staff. She is the RNLI Medina 35and the prototype of this experimentalboat was launched at Cowes on the Isleof Wight last autumn. To be namedMountbatten of Burma, she was onshow at the London Boat Show in earlyJanuary.

Throughout its history the Institutionhas been noted for its pioneering workin lifeboat design and also for the con-tribution which its work has made,over the years, to the general develop-

Overall lengthRigid hull lengthOverall beamRigid hull beamStatic draught (outdrives up) Forward

Aft(outdrives down) Aft

Weight with fuel and crewEnginesOutdrivesSpeedFuel capacity maximumRange at full speed for 6 hoursHeight of top of stowed mast structure above base lineCrew

39ft 6in34ft 6in14ft 3in11 ft 4in2ft Sin

1ft11'/2in3ft 9in

7.1 tons2 x Sabre 212hp

2 x Sternpowr unit 8326 knots at 2,450 rpm

156 gallons150 nautical miles

11ft 1in4

ment of small boats. The RNLI Medinais adding yet another chapter to thathistory. Here is an advanced ideawhich offers great and challengingpromise; or perhaps it would be truer tosay that here is an already proven idea,taken a large step forward; in fact therigid inflatable concept, so successfulin the outboard-engined Atlantic 21,has now been applied to a 35ft boatwith inboard engines.

The prototype RNLI Medina 35 hasbeen developed by the Institution'sCowes Base design team under theleadership of David Stogdon, MBE; shehas been built by W. A. Souter and SonLtd. The Cowes Base is on the eastbank of the River Medina, oppositeSouter's Yard on the west.

Design and constructionIn essence, the RNLI Medina 35 is

an extension of the ideas embodied inthe Atlantic 21, the Institution's out-standingly successful rigid inflatable

The prototype RNLI Medina 35, Mountbatten of Burma, on trials at Cowes. The more peopleon board, the greater her stability.

inshore lifeboat which was alsodeveloped at the Cowes Base. Where-as, however, the Atlantic 21 is drivenby twin outboard engines, the Medina'spower comes from twin inboard dieselengines. The design problems are not,therefore, the same and so she must beregarded as a different member of thesame family rather than as a larger ver-sion of the same boat.

The Medina's hull is sharply veedforward for easy riding and good sea-keeping and includes a bold sheer,while the after body has a 29in flat forthe last 9 feet. This feature, besidesassisting planing, provides directionalstability and allows the boat to stayupright when beaching. Cold mouldedof four layers of 5mm mahogany with a'/2in marine ply deck, the hull is dividedinto watertight compartments by fivelongitudinal wooden box girders andseven transverse watertight bulkheadsbetween which are additional inter-costals. The skin is slightly curvedthroughout for greater strength.

This rigid hull is the 'boat' on whichthe Medina runs and which carries herup the back of waves, her sheer givingher considerable reserve buoyancyforward. The sponson, mounted like avast inflatable gunwale, is designed tobe clear of the water under way.

An important function of the spon-son is to give the Medina her stability,particularly when she is at rest andwhen she is heavily loaded. In fact, themore people there are on board, that is,the more the 31 in diameter sponsonis pushed down on to the water, thegreater will be the stability.

The sponson is made by Avon oflloz hypalon/neoprene fabric, a verystrong air-retaining material. The 31 in

18

diameter tubes (which taper down to25in in the bow so that they do notobstruct forward vision) are supportedinboard by glass fibre box seatings andare glued to the hull by laminated rein-forcing strips. The tubes are dividedinto compartments by inner baffles,those in the forward part being sodesigned that, should the outer skin ofthe sponson be damaged, these baffleswill move to take up the shape of eitherthe bow or the shoulder sections.

The present aluminium superstruc-ture provides the steering position forthe helmsman and also a basic shelterbig enough to take a stretcher and sur-vivors. The helmsman has an uninter-rupted vision all round and can seealmost the entire deck. His position hasbeen so designed that the height of thefloor and the fore and aft position of thepadded backrest can both be adjustedto suit his height and reach. It shouldbe emphasized that this is a prototypeconsole from which an improved ver-sion will be developed after evaluationtrials.

A gantry at the after end of thesuperstructure carries a radar scanner,navigation and blue flashing lights andthe VHP aerial. These can be swungdown aft to reduce overall height whenthe boat is housed. The boat is fittedwith a Pye Beaver VHP radio, a Sea-farer III echo sounder and a Decca 060radar. The radome of the radar, whichwas donated to the RNLI by DeccaRadar Ltd, has been speciallystrengthened to withstand damage,should the boat be capsized.

A roll bar in the stern of the boatcarries a deflated buoyancy bag. In theunlikely event of the boat being cap-sized the crew can inflate the bag bypulling a handle on the transom to acti-vate compressed air cylinders and theboat will right. If inverted, the boat willfloat high enough on her sponson toleave a good air space between thedeck and the sea and room for her crewto carry out any work necessary to theboat's righting and the safe recovery ofsurvivors and the crew themselves.This is a feature unique to rigid inflat-ables. All these arrangements havebeen proved in a controlled capsize andrighting trial.

Deck arrangements and the accom-modation in the shelter are at present ina skeleton stage and there is still muchwork to be done taking into accountexperience now being gained on seatrials. However, there are already indi-cations of the kind of analytical thoughtwhich will characteristise the wholedeck layout when it is complete: suchas the anchor chain made up on flexiblebollards so that, once the anchor isdropped over the sponson, the chaincan follow freely; the neoprene quickrelease 'channels' to hold the anchorwarp where it crosses the sponson andthe deck so that, on a rough, darknight, there is no dangerous loose ropelying on deck; the tubular sampsonposts fore and aft standing so high that

The RNLI Medina 35'srigid hull, on which the31in diameter inflatablesponson will be mounted,has a long, fine bowwhich cuts cleanlythrough the crests ofwaves. Her sheer is bold,giving her considerablereserve buoyancy.

(Right) the rigid hull is divided into water-tight compartments by five longitudinalwooden box girders and seven transversewatertight bulkheads . . .

(Below) . . . it is sharply veed forward foreasy riding and good seakeeping . . .

(Below, right) . . . flattening out to a plan-ing surface aft. The sponson, which givesthe Medina her stability, is divided intowatertight compartments by inner baffles.

Mountbatten of Burma ishauled over by crane forher capsize and rightingtrial; she has alreadybeen hauled over morethan 100 degrees and isstill stable, the port tubeof her sponson support-ing the weight of thewhole boat. -The roll barin the stern carries herdeflated buoyancy bagwhich, activated by thecrew with a handle on thetransom, will inflate andright the inverted boat.

it would be possible to make fast along-side a vessel with high freeboard with-out chafing on the inflatable sponsons;the generous scuppers in the transom;the provision of continuous handholds.

The Medina will be manned by ahelmsman and three crew members allof whom will be provided with securepositions which can be occupied whenthe boat is at full speed.Engines

The RNLI Medina 35 is fitted withtwin Sabre 212hp diesel engines, theirpower being transmitted through twin

Sternpowr outdrive units type 83. Oninitial trials the boat has shown that sheruns well with very good, smoothacceleration and little change of trim. Aspeed of more than 26 knots at2, oO rpm has been reached on meas-ured mile trials; this means that theMedina should have at her commandthat extra burst of power which can beused to get her out of trouble in break-ing seas.

The engines, housed in a watertightaluminium casing, are modified as are

Continued on page 21

19

Patrick Howarth

THE RNLFS PUBLIC RELATIONSOFFICER FOR MORE THANA QUARTER OF A CENTURY

W H E R E I N LIES the essence of good pub-lic relations? Who better to ask thanPatrick Howarth, for more than a quar-ter of a century public relations officerof the RNLI? His answer is predictablyclear-cut and to the point:

'First of all in telling the truth, andsecondly in believing in what you aredoing. Fundamentally, of course, in hav-ing a good product because, unless theproduct is good, no public relations cando more than paper over the cracks. Ofcourse, with the lifeboat service it isvery, very easy because we have such asuperb product. On top of that we haveso very many voluntary public relationsofficers up and down the country, reallydoing the job. We are only a small groupof professionals but it is a sustainedexercise carried out by a great manypeople'.'

There it is in a nutshell. The RNLIwas indeed fortunate that, on theretirement of the much-loved CharlesVince in the early 1950s the guidance ofits presentation to the general publicshould have come into such surehands, but then at times life seems togo to immense trouble to see that theright person appears in the right placeat the right time, spinning the wheel, ifnecessary, a number of times until thedesired result is achieved.

Patrick Howarth—Pat to his manylifeboat friends—came to the RNLI bya circuitous, adventurous route whichhad equipped him with unusual butinvaluable experience: A boy, winningthe poetry prize at Rugby; a student atOxford, whose work was praised bySiegfried Sassoon and C. S. Lewis; ayoung man looking for work in therecession of the '30s with the imagina-tion to take a chance on the ratherromatic job of editing, in English, forthe Polish Baltic Institute in Gdynia, anerudite quarterly magazine addressedto the peoples of Scandinavia . . .

'In retrospect, I am very grateful that Ihad this opportunity because all the arti-cles, which were on highly technical sub-jects, were either written by foreignerswriting in English or they were transla-tions. It was my job to put them intoEnglish English. It really made me thinkabout the accurate and careful use ofwords which at that age, 23, was a mar-vellous training . . .'

Summer, 1939, and it became obvi-ous that the next quarterly number of

'Baltic and Scandinavian Countries'would never appear. The SecondWorld War was to break out over Dan-zig and, in those last months, Danzig,Gdynia and the whole Polish Corridorwere over-run by journalists from allover the world . . .

'To counter the German propaganda,the Poles, characteristically, had avery nice chap but he didn't speakany English . . . so I really just tookover from him and, as an unofficial,unpaid public relations officer to thePolish Government, became theirspokesman . . .'

By now, Pat could of course speakPolish himself and his war service waswith the Special Operations Executive(SOE) whose task was to foment andsupport clandestine resistance to theenemy wherever it could gain a foot-hold. The story of SOE and of many ofthe outstanding men and women whoserved in the organisation are told inthe latest of Pat's many books, 'Under-cover', which is to be published inMay.

Peace again, and . . .'. . . / wondered what to do. By sheer

chance I heard that they were looking fora press attache at the Embassy at War-saw . . . I got the job and returned toPoland in September, 1945, to serveunder a marvellous ambassador, BillCavendish-Bentinck . . . The plane flewquite low over the city and I couldn't seea single roof. It just looked like a pile ofrubble . . . We landed in a field—theyhad to shoo the cows off. . . Warsawseemed a terrible place. Desolate. Yeteverywhere there were flower sellers.This was Hiroshima with flower sellerson every street corner. It was charac-teristic of Poland's great spirit . . . "

What looked like becoming a diplo-matic career, however, ended when Patmarried a wife from behind the IronCurtain.

That is the briefest of summaries ofwhat were unforgettable years and it isperhaps significant that when, in hisfifties, Pat's dormant poetic muse wasonce more aroused it was to write anautobiography in verse of those earlyyears. Many lifeboat people will haveheard extracts from this epic poem,'Play Back a Lifetime', read by theauthor, either over the radio or at read-ings in aid of the RNLI. Or they mayhave met him in more reflective and

discursive mood, hearing his readingsof his second long, reminiscent poem,'The Four Seasons', which have alsobeen broadcast.

But to return to the early 1950s: Pat,back in London, in the Civil Service,with one book published, another beingprinted . . .chafing to find a job whichwould use his abilities more fully . . . aworthwhile job which would still allowhim to write. Sheer chance enteredonce again; it was to be the last spin ofthe wheel . . .

'/ was talking to a very nice man, whowas Assistant Secretary at the Ministryof Town and Country Planning, and hesaid "Oh, my cousin is retiring frombeing in charge of publicity for theRNLI. Do you know of anybody whomight be able to succeed him?" So Isaid, "Give me the address" . . .'

For Pat, his introduction to theRNLI on February 1, 1953, was prettydramatic. The day before, in the west,the car ferry Princess Victoria hadgone down in St George's Chan-nel—the biggest disaster to a merchantship in peace time around our shoresfor a quarter of a century—and thatsame weekend floods were wreakingdreadful devastation up and down theeast coast. Lifeboats were out every-where. Immediately, he was in thethick of his work for the lifeboat ser-vice, but he counted it his great goodfortune that he was introduced to thatwork by a man like Charles Vince,whom he was soon to succeed . . .

'He was one of the finest humanbeings I have ever encountered; a manof absolute impeccable integrity, hugefun and liked by everybody. The onlything I held against him was thatwherever I went on RNLI business, thefirst thing anybody said to me was,"What a pity Mr Vince has retired!" '

However, Pat was soon to experi-ence the extremely warm welcomewhich awaits 'a chap from headquar-ters' when he goes to the coast. Thefirst lifeboat station he visited wasDungeness, always to remain one of hisfavourites.

7 realised that, just because the RNLIwas a voluntary service, I was not (withmemories of service life) regarded assomeone from HQ coming to lay downthe law, but was treated as an individual.I was accepted on my merits and would

20

be told, without hesitation, if I wentwrong. 1 found that very salutary andvery gratifying.'

In the quarter of a century that fol-lowed. Pat was a frequent visitor tolifeboat stations (7 certainly wasn'tgoing to try to write or talk aboutlifeboats and lifeboat crews unless Iknew what I was talking about.') and tothe fund-raising branches and guilds.And if it was part of his work, it wasalso his pleasure . . .

'It would be difficult to find anotherjob in which you made so many goodfriends up and down the country. Peoplewho work for the RNLI whether at alifeboat station or in a financial branchreally are broadly speaking the nicestpeople in that community. If you fit in,you are accepted as a member of theclub. And the voluntary workers are sokeen! Their very enthusiasm alwaysmade me feel very humble.'

On no less than five occasions. Patwas at a lifeboat station when a servicecall came . . .

'/ can't pretend any of them were verydramatic. The first was certainly themost colourful. 1 was just finishing lunchwhen I heard the maroons fired. Idashed down to the lifeboat house andfound the crew already aboard. The cox-swain said I could go out; there was aninjured seaman on board a ship and theywere taking a doctor out. The coxswainturned round to me and said, "What doyou think about this for speed?" / toldhim I was very impressed. And he said,"You'll be able to tell them all about thatwhen you get back to London, won'tyou?" Anyway, we went down the slip-way into the harbour and we were justclear of the harbour when the coxswainturned to me and said, "We've forgottenthe bloody doctor!"

'One of my most memorable visits, orseries of visits, was a week I spent on thecoast of Wales with Wynford VaughanThomas in preparation for a radio pro-gramme he was planning. We went fromone lifeboat station to another bylifeboat. That was a whole week spentvirtually at sea, meeting a different crewevery day and going to a different sta-tion. It was a marvellous experience.Most instructive and most enjoyable.'

Those were the good days, but there

have been tragic and difficult timeswhen, as public relations officer, Pat-rick Howarth would be in the front lineand when the Institution would dependvery much on his wisdom and his stat-ure. In his term of office, it was the lastFraserburgh disaster, in 1970, comingas soon as it did after the Longhopedisaster in 1969, which presented thelifeboat service with its greatest prob-lems in terms of public relations . . .

'We did undoubtedly come in for quitea bit of criticism—our boats and every-thing else. And we dealt with it. I had along television interview and there wereall sorts of criticisms. But I think thatserved as a catalyst, you know, and afterthat the criticism stopped. On the whole,we are subjected to very, very littleadverse comment.

'The highlight in our professional pub-lic relations was certainly the way inwhich we celebrated our 150th anni-versary in 1974. We had a small workingparty of which I was chairman and TedPritchard was secretary and right fromthe start we made up our minds thatnothing was too good for the RNLI andthat we should aim at the very best ineverything we did that year. This wasaccepted as the policy and we started offwith a service in St Paul's on March 4,the actual anniversary. The Queen couldnot come because she was abroad butthe Queen Mother came, the Archbishopof Canterbury preached the sermon, theJewish Chief Rabbi and the Moderatorof the Free Church Council took partand Cardinal Heenan would have beenpresent but for ill health. That set thetone and we went right through the ' Yearof the Lifeboat' with one highlight afteranother.'

Patrick Howarth's public relationswork has spread beyond the confines ofour islands, because he has been verymuch concerned with the work of theInternational Lifeboat Conference, forwhich the RNLI provides the sec-retariat and which is growing in impor-tance all the time. The Conferencemeets in a different member countryonce every four years and Pat hasattended every meeting since the one atBremen in 1959; on several occasionshe has presented a paper to the Confer-ence on behalf of the RNLI. Perhaps

even more important, it was at hisinstigation that, a few years ago, anannual international journal was intro-duced to bridge the gap between con-ferences and help keep up the steadyinternational exchange of technicalinformation.

'It is very pleasing to see the tremen-dous standing which the RNLI hasamong all countries. And I myself havemade so many friends from the differentnations . . . "

At the Hague last spring, whenlifeboat societies from 25 countrieswere represented, Patrick Howarthwas singled out to receive the specialgood wishes of everyone present at thedinner—the delegates, the crews andtheir wives—because it would be thelast International Lifeboat Conferencehe would attend—and it was hisbirthday . . .

'. . . That was really tremendouslypleasing . . .'

After 27 years, Patrick Howarthretired from full-time service with theRNLI last December, although theInstitution will still continue to havethe benefit of his advice as a consultantfor a little while yet. So now, perhaps,was the time to take an objective lookat the running of the Institution fromthe centre . . .

' You cannot run it as a business. Youcannot run it as a service. You have gotto accept that the lifeboat service isreally a collection of individuals, eachcontributing something which only he orshe has to offer. It has some of the qual-ities of an armed service; it has to be runon business-like lines; you need some ofthe skills of the Civil Service. But youhave got to combine all those to run theRNLI as it has traditionally been runand as I think it always should be run.'

And to take a look back at his ownterm of office . . .

'Looking back over a quarter of a cen-tury, I have astonishingly few regrets. Ihave failed occasionally to achievesomething I wanted to do—it was one ofmy regrets that I never managed to get afilm made of the Lynmouth overlandlaunch—but in personal terms I have noregrets at all.'

RNLI Medina 35from page 19

all modern lifeboat engines, so thatthey will continue to operate normallyafter a capsize. Access is by watertighthatches and ample ventilation trunkskeep the engine room unusually cool;these trunks go right down to the bot-tom of the engine room so that, werethe boat capsized, their open endswould be above the inverted waterline.

The outdrives can be tilted manuallywith a quick, lever action, so that theboat can be beached safely, and as wellas the normal power assisted hydrauli-cally operated steering gear anemergency tiller designed by theCowes staff has also been provided.

LaunchingThe RNLI Medina 35 is intended,

eventually, to be capable of launchingfrom a slipway or a carriage, as well asto lie afloat; for the time being, how-ever, she will lie afloat because a suit-able carriage or trolley for her 7 tonweight has yet to be developed.At sea

The RNLI Medina 35 prototype is atpresent undergoing sea trials and thegood performance this new boat isshowing is very encouraging. She hasalready run trials in winds up to stronggale, force 9, with very rough seas, andeven in these conditions her hull hasproved to be exceptionally dry, nogreen water and little spray comingaboard. She drives into the sea well,her long bow cutting through the crests

of waves before they can take chargeand lift her. At speed, beam on toheavy breaking seas she is extremelystable, riding along level, without rol-ling, while the seas roll away under her.When running, her bow lifts well on theback of a sea, her weight, as intended,being taken by her rigid hull rather thanby her sponson. Stopped in roughwater the Medina, with her great beamof 14 feet, becomes a very stable work-ing platform.

So a good start has been made,although there is still a considerableway to go before the first Medina 35will enter service. She represents a newadvance in the means of saving life atsea and, being a pioneer, will be givenexhaustive operational trials before aboat is sent to her station.

21

LondonInternational

Boat Show1980

EARLS COURTJanuary 3-13

FOR THE FIRST TIME ever the RNLI hadtwo different stands at Earls Court andfor many of the thousands of visitorsthere was no doubt that the lifeboatswere stars of the show. The spotlightfell on us time and again allowing us togive a vivid impression of our workboth in operations and in appeals.

Thanks to the generous sponsorshipof the Midland Bank we were able tooccupy a position beside the centralpool and play a leading role in thetheme for the show: 'Safety at Sea'.Brian Bevan, the Humber lifeboat cox-swain, who won the gold, silver andbronze gallantry medals all within ayear, was asked to open the show; inhis speech he mentioned two of hismedal-winning rescues but likened

Raymond Baxter, chairman of the PublicRelations Committee, presented PR awardsto (I.) Dr William Guild and (r.) CoxswainDerek Scott.

photograph by courtesy of David Parker

Superintendent CoxswainBrian Bevan of Humberlifeboat station opened the1980 London Boat Show.

Atlantic 21 righting demonstrations were given

There was a constantstream of visitors to seeMountbatten of Burma, theprototype RNLI Medina 35lifeboat.

them to a Sunday school outing com-pared with the experience of addres-sing the crowds at Earls Court.

Three times a day different Atlantic21 inshore lifeboat crews from thesouth and east of England thrilled thepublic with a righting display and thentook part in a joint exercise with HMCoastguard and the Royal Navy, usinga D class inflatable lifeboat to transfer acasualty rescued from a cliff to ahelicopter suspended above the pool.

The prototype of the new RNLIMedina 35 class lifeboat, Mountbattenof Burma, was on display at our secondstand and a constant stream of visitorsconfirmed the huge interest this craftengenders as probably the largest rigid-inflatable boat ever to be built. Branchworkers from the Southern districtmanned the stand and by selling raffletickets and share certificates for theMountbatten appeal they raised £5,272.Ernie Wise kindly made the draw forthe Bursledon Bug sailing dinghy whichthree times a day.

was first prize in the raffle.Meanwhile, many presentations took

place; with the Fastnet Race stormsstill ringing in many yachtsman's ears,the Boat Show joint organisers, theShip and Boatbuilders National Feder-ation, invited Denis Thatcher to pre-sent their newly instituted GoldenAnchor Award to the RNLI and otherorganisations involved in the rescueoperations carried out during the ill-fated race; HM Coastguard, the RoyalNavy and the Royal Air Force. Ourpublic relations awards were presentedthis year by Raymond Baxter, chair-man of the Public Relations Commit-tee, to Derek Scott, coxswain of TheMumbles lifeboat, for his successfulbroadcasts on behalf of the RNLI andto Dr William Guild who has spentmany years as an honorary film makerfor the Institution and has recentlycompleted the film 'Storm Force Ten'.Dr Severne Mackenna and WilliamHawthorne, who were unable to bephotographs by courtesy of Peter Hadfield

22

Robert Glen (I.) of E. P. Barrus presentedthe cost of a D class ILB to Major-GeneralRalph Farrant, a vice-president of theInstitution.

The draw for the Burseldon Bug sailingdinghy raffle was made by Ernie Wise.

photograph by courtesy of David Trotter

present, will also receive PR awards.Other presentations took place dur-

ing the show; a cheque representing thecost of a new Zodiac 16ft inflatablelifeboat and engine was handed over byRobert Glen of E. P. Barrus to Major-General Ralph Farrant, a vice-president of the RNLI; £50,000 wasgiven by the Independent Order of OddFellows; the radar set fitted to Mount-batten of Burma was donated by DeccaRadar Ltd; a cheque for £2,000 waspresented by Kriter Sparkling Wine; acheque for the Wavy Line Grocersappeal for a new Rother class lifeboatwas handed over; and a portrait of EarlMountbatten was donated by artist, MrE. B. Dredge.

Shoreline recruited even more newmembers than last year, a total of 1,153and the souvenir stall on the poolsidestand brought in £11,663 in sales anddonations; both of these record figureswere achieved thanks to the untiringefforts of voluntary workers.—E.W.-W.

On behalf of the RNLI, Stephen Mearns,coxswain of Courtmacsherry Harbourlifeboat, received the SBBNF GoldenAnchor Award from Denis Thatcher.

photograph by courtesy of Picture Power

The Isle of Manfrom page 17

married James Ritchie, whose familywere the owners of the brewery Heronand Brearley, and she has stayed for alifetime. Her present home, not farfrom the boathouse, looks out overRamsey Bay, and as the years havegone by her interest and her joy hasbecome the lifeboats and lifeboatpeople of the island.

Jamesiand Ann Ritchieiboth loved thesea and in the early 1960s the 54 tonmotor cruiser Silver Lai was built forthem at Silver's yard, Rosneath. In herthey cruised extensively, sailing thewaters of the Isle of Man and Scotlandand going as far afield as the Mediter-ranean. Some few years later, the keelof another motor cruiser was laid downfor them at McGruer's yard, Clynder.She was the 56 ton Golden Laidesigned by J. A. McLachlan of G. L.Watson and Co, who was also thedesigner of the first prototype hull ofthe Arun lifeboat. Mr McLachlanintroduced Mr and Mrs Ritchie to Stir-ling Whorlow, secretary of the RNLI atthat time, and it was on hearing that anew lifeboat would soon be needed atRamsey that a thought which had beenwith James Ritchie for many years tookdefinite form: '/ would like to put herthere myself.'

Sadly, before he could follow hisintention through, James Ritchie wastaken fatally ill, and it was his wife,Ann, who made sure that his lastwishes were translated into the Oakleylifeboat James Ball Ritchie which wenton station at Ramsey in 1970. As far asshe is concerned, that lifeboat is the giftof her husband.

Mrs Ritchie then made the bolddecision that she would go to seaagain in Golden Lai. As master, shewas determined that, although shewould have a crew, she would knowhow to handle her yacht herself, andeven went to the length of spending twohours every evening studying the work-ings of the marine engines. In the nextfive years Golden Lai cruised to Nor-way, France and, of course, Scotland,but always returning to the Isle of Manwhere many of the lifeboatmen becameMrs Ritchie's friends. Bobby Lee,Douglas coxswain from 1950 to 1970,she remembers with particulargratitude for his ready help and advice.

In 1976 Mrs Ritchie gave a secondlifeboat to the island, the 54ft Arun TheCough Ritchie, which is stationed atPort St Mary. Her reward and herpleasure is in the pride of the lifeboat-men themselves in the Ritchie boatsand the care they bestow on them.Looking back with great happiness, sheregards herself as very lucky becauseshe has been able to do what she reallywanted to do: make a positive contribu-tion to the saving of life at sea.

Individually, and as a community,Man has a remarkably good fundraisingrecord. To take just one example ofwhat a comparatively small number ofpeople can do, Port Erin where the sta-tion honorary secretary, Dick Riming-ton, himself gives a strong lead, lastyear raised the equivalent of about twopounds per head of population. Hardwork and enjoyment go hand in hand,each area having its special socialevents—a coffee morning, or perhaps acelebration champagne party. A greatdeal of planning goes into the island'sflag days and lifeboat collections—fol-lowed inevitably by a great deal ofdetermined effort. Douglas, forinstance, includes the ferries and manyof its pubs in its collections and at PortErin all the hotels are visited, the col-lectors going round the individualtables. Port Erin's men's committee,supported by the local silver band andchoir, holds an open air service ofcommunity hymn singing, a Carolare,on the first Sunday of June each year,coinciding with the start of the ManxTT week, and there is always a goodcollection for the lifeboats.

No less than four Manx lifeboat sta-tions have already celebrated their150th anniversaries and without doubt,lifesaving at sea and the support givenby the people on shore is an importantstrand in the history and heritage ofMan. So, when the island celebrated itsmillennium last year, it was fitting thatlifeboat people should take their part.Two lifeboatmen were chosen to be inthe crew which, early in the summer,rowed the replica Viking longshipOdin's Raven from Trondheim in Nor-way to make their landfall at Peel,retracing the voyages of the Norsemen:David Eames of Peel and JonathanTomlinson of Port St Mary. Then, on abeautiful Saturday morning in earlyAugust, after the Sail Training Associa-tion fleet had raced from Fowey toMan, it took station at Port St Mary tobe reviewed by King Olaf of Norway.In company with such famous trainingships and ocean racers as WinstonChurchill, America, Rona, Royalist,Outlaw and Drumbeat were Port StMary's The Gough Ritchie and PortErin's Osman Gabriel, with Port StMary's D class inflatable lifeboat andboarding boat alongside. The lifeboatsmanned and cheered ship while over-head, off the pier end, hovered anotherof their partners in search and rescue, ahelicopter from RAF Valley in Ang-lesey. Crowds had gathered on the pierand foreshore for the review and theystayed to watch demonstration exer-cises inside the harbour and at seagiven that afternoon by the lifeboatsand the helicopter. For the RAF crewthat afternoon was the first of a seriesof exercises with each of the island'slifeboats in turn as part of regularmutual training and co-operation.

Landmarks in history may come andgo, but for the watch kept by the rescueservices there is no end . . .

23

Lifeboat AppealsNorth East

A Tyneside lifeboat appeal has beenlaunched in the North East under thepatronage of Their Graces the Dukeand Duchess of Northumberland tocontribute towards the cost of the 52ftArun lifeboat which has recently goneon station at Tynemouth. Of the totalcapital cost of more than £300.000.£115,000 has been provided for thisboat by legacies originating in CountyDurham, the Isle of Sark and North-umberland, and the aim of the Tynesideappeal is to reduce the balance.

Any Northern of Geordie 'exiles'who would like to be associated withthis appeal and give it their support arewarmly invited to write to the RNLINorth East office, or to the treasurerof the appeal, Mr T. G. Kirton,Lloyds Bank Ltd., Quayside Branch,Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1.

An exciting draw in aid of the appealis already under way. The prizes aretwo Getaway American Package Holi-days of about £500 each kindly donatedby Trans World Airlines, and the drawwill be made on Independence Day,July 4, 1980. Tickets are available fromthe North East office (5()p per book offive). The Mill, Glasshouses, Harro-gate. North Yorkshire HG3 5QH.

North WestThe Lord Mayor of Manchester's

lifeboat appeal has now topped £30,000and its most ambitious event so far wasa carol concert given by the HalleOrchestra and Choir on the Sundaybefore Christmas. What proved to bean extremely successful evening wasgenerously sponsored by ManchesterBuilding Society which is giving greatsupport to the lifeboat service.

To help the appeal, a 12in stereo LP'Sea of Songs' (see below), featuringthe Bollington (Cheshire) FestivalChoir and St Winifred's PrimarySchool Choir, Stockport, is now avail-able. St Winifred's Choir provided thebacking for the record 'MatchstalkMen' and has appeared on televisionwith Burl Ives, in concert with ABBAand in ITV's 'Stars on Sunday'. Therecord costs £3.50 plus 40p postage andpacking, or there is a cassette price£3.75 plus 15p postage and packing.

(*t» A

Sea Of Songsd oo t>«h»«<Xlh« Roy* MalK>n»IUIetooal Institution

Also still available are some of thedecorated plates produced in a limitededition to commemorate the LordMayor's appeal, price £15 each.

The records, cassettes and plates canall be obtained from the RNLI NorthWest office. Prince's Chambers, 26 PallMall. Manchester M2 1JR. Chequesshould be made payable to RNLI 'LordMayor's Appeal'.

SouthThe Mountbtitten of Burma appeal,

which is continuing unt i l September,has reached £120,000. Almost £13.000was raised for the appeal by a competi-tion for a Saab car, which was won byMrs I. Scott of Melksham. Wiltshire. Itis the third year running that Saab(Great Britain) Ltd. has donated a carto the RNLI's Southern District forsuch a competition.

Lifeboat PeopleMr D. K. Redford, who is a member

of the Committee of Management, wasawarded the CBE in the New YearHonours List.

* * *After double gold medallist Dick

Evans, ex coxswain of Moelfre lifeboat,took part in the BBC television MichaelParkinson Show one Saturday night inearly March, donations amounting tomore than £400 accompanied by lettersmentioning this broadcast were receivedat RNLI HQ in Poole. A furcoat valued at£2,000 has also been donated forauction.

* * *It is with deep regret that we

announce the following deaths:

May. 1979Harry Burgess, coxswain of Lowes-

toft lifeboat from 1947 to 1968. He hadserved as bowman from 1931 to 1946and as second coxswain in 1947.

November 1979Duncan Newlands, coxswain of

Campbeltown lifeboat from 1943 to1968. He joined the crew in 1922 andserved as bowman from 1933 to 1938and second coxswain from 1939 to1943. Duncan Newlands was awardedthe bronze medal in 1942 and a bar tohis bronze medal in 1946.

William Morris, coxswain of NewBrighton lifeboat from 1962 to 1973.

(Right) Burton-on-Trent branch presidentand a committee member plan to visit allEnglish mainland lifeboat stations on theirBMW motorcycles. They will start from theRNLI stand at the Royal Show being held atthe National Agricultural Centre,Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, leaving on thefirst morning of the show. June 30, andreturning there before the show closes onJuly 3. Funds will be raised for the lifeboatservice by commercial sponsorship and byrunning a 'guess the mileage' competitionfor which the first prize will be a new BMWR45 motorcycle generously donated by-BMW (GB) Ltd. Burton-on-Trent branch,which hopes to raise more than £30,000,invites stations, branches and guilds to sup-port the venture by selling tickets for thecompetition, all monies being retained for

Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham, Director ofthe RNLI, visited Newcastle lifeboat sta-tion during a tour of Ireland lustDecember. With him lire (I. to r.) MotorMechanic Gerald Murphy, Crew MemberJim Smyth, Second Coxswain SamuelMcCulli>ugh. Winchmun Jim Murphy andCoxswain Michael Leneghan. Photography

by courtesy of 'Mourne Observer'

December 1979James Carss, coxswain of Boulmer

lifeboat from 1957 to 1967. He joinedthe crew in 1934 and served as bowmanfrom 1946 to 1947 and second coxswainfrom 1947 to 1957.

Harold Coyde, coxswain of Torbaylifeboat from 1961 to 1970. He joinedthe crew in 1953 and served as secondcoxswain from 1960 to 1961. HaroldCoyde was awarded the silver medal in1964.

January 1980Captain J. S. B. (Steve) Caldwell. a

former Commodore of the Burmah OilCompany Line who was a staunchmember and one-time chairman ofNewport (Gwent) branch. CaptainCaldwell left a most generous bequestto the Institution.

March 1980Mrs A. Mitchell, who served on

Tynemouth ladies' guild committee for25 years, 23 years as honorary treas-urer.

Mr S. Valentine. MBE BL. who wasGirvan station honorary secretary from1927 to 1970. He was awarded binocu-lars in 1938, the gold badge in 1954 thethanks of the Inst i tut ion inscribed onvellum in 1971 and honorary life gover-norship of the Institution in 1967.

station, branch or guild funds. Tickets fromBurton branch honorary secretary, MrsMarion Turner, The Cottage. Rough Hayes,Needwood. Bitrton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

24

(Some

Fund-raising branches and guildsthroughout the country had very goodresults last year. Dundee branchincreased its total by nearly 50 per centto reach £15,800. the ladies' guild con-tributing £8,000 towards this sum; theguild, which was supported by crewmembers, their wives and members ofthe Royal Tay Yacht Club, hadincluded in their programme a cocktailparty at Glamis Castle. Sheringhamladies' guild raised a fine £9,191, whileDymchurch branch, which held a dif-ferent fund-raising event each month,showed a 60 per cent increase by rais-ing £2,000 from a population of only2,400. A dance, a coffee morning, aregatta day, a hot-dog stall and asouvenir shop all helped Little andBroad Haven ladies' guild to amass£2,446. Among other events, Newportbranch in Shropshire held a Thanksgiv-ing Service followed by a luncheon

wine party to boost its income to£1,500. Jack Puxty, chairman of HerneBay branch, organised a sponsored rowand contributed £676.36 to his branch'sthree month total of £2,181. Finally.The Chilterns branch succeeded indoubling its 1978 result by raising£7,000 in 1979.

Glasgow has contributed more thanone million pounds to the RNLI in thepast five years. On one night lastNovember the ladies' guild raised £519with a bottle stall at the Clyde CruisingClub ball held at the Normandy Hotel,Renfrew, while on the same eveninganother ball, at the Plaza Ballroom,Glasgow, brought in £1,325. One Glas-gow couple instructed their friends notto give them silver wedding anniver-sary presents but to give to the lifeboatservice instead; £115 was raised as aresult.

Aberdeen Lifeboat Ball, held atSkean Dhu Hotel, Dyce, on February1, broke all records by producing£5,330 for branch funds. All ticketswere sold within five days of invita-tions going out in the first week inDecember. £1,057 was raised by anauction, the highest bid, £210, being fora citrine pendant in nine carat gold withmatching earrings. The following Sun-day Aberdeen branch held its annualLifeboat Service in the West Church ofSt Nicholas.

During the weeks before Christmas,the Albion Street branch of the TrusteeSavings Bank in Leeds offered coffeeto its customers free of charge, but allwere encouraged to make a donation tothe RNLI. An ILB and pictorial displaywere stationed in the banking hall and£225 was handed over as a result.

Garry Windehunk—you canonly see his legs—is not onlysupporting a world recordnumber of 76 lyres tit a gar-age in Ramsey, his weight-lifting feat is also supportingthe Mountbatten of Burmalifeboat appeal to the tune of£500 in sponsorship money.and, later in the year, a cheese and

While the choir of Grey Court School, Ham, sang carols for an hour atRichmond station, a collection of £114 was taken for the RNLI by the 14thRichmond Sea Scouts (group Shoreline members). Altogether Richmond-with-Kew branch raised £345.22 by carol singing and a Christmas concert,with the Barnes Choir and the John Paul Foundation boys, raised a further£148.71.

L«

The RNLI always has reason to begrateful to those publicans and theircustomers who raise and contributefunds; for instance at the Riverside Inn,Winchester, two long-standing cus-tomers, Fred Stanger and William Cas-tle, sacrificed their dignity by takingpart in a sponsored 'punk hair-do' andraised £61.50. Three regulars at theGate Inn, Nether Whitacre, Jim Car-roll, Roger Upton and Danny Wiggin.lost 43 pounds in weight between themand gained £160 in sponsorship whileMr Waller, landlord at the Glen PublicHouse, Glen Parva, Leicester,arranged two film evenings of famousboxing matches to produce £230 for the

Dr Who's indispensible mechanical partnerhas turned his attention towards the RNLI.Alan Dixon, proprietor of Huddersfield'smodel centre, has made a full workingreplica of K9 and will be sending him out tofund-raising events to exhort people in hisfamiliar voice to support the lifeboat ser-vice. Mr Dixon raised £500 for the RNLI lustyear with a model display.

photograph by courtesy of HuddersfieldExaminer'

"MIONAL UK-BOAT USTITUl

25

RNLI and a similar amount for a localchildren's home. The Ship Inn, ConyerQuay, Teynham, held its annual com-petitions on the adjacent mud flats andraised £1,000, twice the amount of itsprevious 'mud day'. The HoumetTavern, Guernsey, totalled £1,139.43last year in its collecting box whichincluded proceeds from a sponsoredwalk and wheelbarrow race. Five yearshas seen more than £1,500 donatedthrough the collecting box on the bar ofThe Swan Inn at Pangbourne, thanks tothe landlord, Charles Spackman. And abarbecue organised by Mr and MrsFoxon at the George and Dragon,Graveley, Hertfordshire, brought in£220.

A pirate invasion of theTrent Navigation Inn waspart of the pub's lifeboat daywhich raised £100. Here,DonClarke, the event's organ-iser, hands over a cheque forthe takings to Mr C. G. PoleCarew, High Sheriff of Not-tingham and a local branchcommittee member.

photograph by courtesy of'Nottingham Evening Post'

A framed record of thankswas presented to CaptainIan Gibb of P and O ss Can-berra by Lt-Cdr Brian Miles(2nd I.), staff officer opera-tions RNLI and himself aformer officer of P and O.Since last September £3,000has been collected for thelifeboat service duringcruises when RNLI filmshave been shown, whiteelephant auctions held andother collections made bythe crew and passengers.Also present were (I.)Franco Tamborini, crewfund-raiser, and (r.) RogerLee, cruise director.

After a New Year's Eve party atBallyholme, Northern Ireland, Mr G.Crawford of Belfast was persuaded totake an unseasonal swim. His conditionfor doing so was that a minimum of £15be given to the RNLI. He took his dipand £16 was duly raised.

A 'Fruits of Israel' cookerydemonstration by Mrs RosemaryCooke and Mrs Deirdre Bos from Ged-ney, near Spalding, raised £90.90 forCromer lifeboat station.

The small but dedicated committeeat Hampstead Garden Suburb raised£98 at a bring and buy sale at the houseof Dame Elsie Abbot.

Mrs Catherine Patterson, vice-president ofAnstruther ladies' guild, and CoxswainPeter Murray handover a cheque for £4,700to Lord Cough of the Scottish ExecutiveCouncil. The money was raised atAnstruther's gala day when a sponsored raftrace brought in £3,000 with the remaindercoming from a children's raft race, stalls,teas and donations. A winching demonstra-tion by Anstruther lifeboat, The Doctors,and an RAF Leuchars helicopter, and aCoastguard breeches buoy rescue, providedfurther interest.

A single coffee morning organised byRustington and East Preston branchraised £400. The chairman and his wife,Mr and Mrs H. G. Carter, ran the eventwhich included stalls and a raffle fora beautifully-dressed doll, whichattracted £50.

Within the three months leading upto last Christmas, Mrs Anne Bennett ofCrowborough sold £500 worth of RNLIChristmas cards and souvenirs.

A lesson in how to make moneymake money was given in Stonehavenwhen a competition to guess how muchhad been collected in a gallon whiskybottle was staged. The bottle contained£97.79, the guessing competition raiseda further £23 and the winner of theprize (a bottle of whisky) returned it forauction to make a further £15.Stonehaven ladies' guild has raised£4,000 through the year—a remarkablesum from a population of only 7,000.

Rubbish recovered from the bottom of the River Cam raised £500 insponsorship, half of which was donated to the RNLI; the sub aquajunk hunters were members of Cambridge University's UnderwaterExploration Group whose haul included bicycles, bottles and a dozensupermarket shopping trolleys.

photograph by courtesy of 'Cambridge Evening News'

Edward Wilson, better known as Dr Billy Seaton in BBC TV's "Whenthe Boat Comes In', opened last year's harbour fete at Seahouses onAugust Bank Holiday Monday. The money raised at this annual eventincreases each year and 1979 saw another record gross total of£4,500.

photograph by courtesy of George Skipper Photography

26

Great Yarmouth flag day last summerachieved a record of over £3,000. PaulDaniels, star of 'Summer Magic', at theBritannia Pier, helped sell souvenirs non-stop for two hours, bringing the sale for theday to £200.photograph by courtesy of Great Yarmouth

Press Agency

During the nine days of the ScottishBoat Show at Troon last October thelocal branch and ladies' guild raisedmore than £1,200 by selling souvenirsand manning the turnstiles; a percent-age of all entrance money was givento the RNLI. The show was openedby Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham,director of the Institution.

Henry Cooper, former British andEuropean heavyweight champion, wasthe principal guest at a summer danceheld by Stourbridge branch at theEngine House, Tardybigge, where £500was raised.

On January 18 Selsey lifeboat stationwas presented with a cheque for £ 1,260by Mrs Joan Hilton, Chief Ranger,Court Sussex Elm, of the IndependentOrder of Foresters, after a year of fundraising on behalf of the RNLI.

The Merchant Navy College branchat Greenhithe, Kent, raised more than£1,300 during its first 12 months. Thebranch officials are members of staffand students, and all events, with theexception of a local house to house col-lection, were held in the college; theyincluded a summer bazaar, a barndance and a sponsored knit-in.

A sum of £161, was raised by Work-ington British Railway Staff Associa-tion Club at a charity show it organisedon behalf of the RNLI, The Newtones,a local band, gave their services freefor this occasion.

The three Rimmer sisters of Prescotdoubled their previous year's donationwhen they raised £200 at an afternoontea at their home in September. A bringand buy stall, a treasure hunt and a raf-fle helped to swell the total, but thehome-made 'goodies' for which the sis-ters are famous were the real attractionof the afternoon.

The Mayor of Ferndown (r.)encounters members of thelocal branch modelling tea-cosies on sale at theirChristmas bazaar. The eventraised £354 and included atombola, beauty corner, k-*'. &stalls and a FatherChristmas.

photograph by courtesy of'Salisbury Times and

Journal'

Popularity has grown stead-ily for the Petworth claypigeon shoot and in the fiveyears the competition has ^been held more than £1,500 _has been amassed for theRNLI. Vice-Admiral Sir itPeter Compston, a deputychairman of the Institution,assisted by Captain Butler,branch chairman, and Syd-ney Gillingham, ADOS (SE),presents prizes to the 1979runners up from the HalfMoon team, Kirdford—MrS. Goodchild, Mr P. R. Grayand Mr R. Holder.

Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club pre-sented a cheque for £1,000 to Harwichlifeboat coxswain, Peter Burwood,which was the result of its fund-raisingefforts throughout 1979. Meanwhile,Himley Hall Sailing Club, Dudley,organised its annual sponsored sail atHimley Park and presented £1,800 tothe RNLI; this event has raised over£5,500 for the lifeboats in four years.

Reigate and Redhill branch was ableto announce at its AGM that a record of£6,000 had been raised in 1979. A paint-ing of the Brighton Atlantic 21 has beenpresented by its artist J. D. Reeve,Brighton Harbour Master, to GeorgeHodgkins, Reigate and Redhill presi-dent, who has contributed a very largeproportion of the cost of establishingthis boat at Brighton.

A small garden party was held at thehome of J. R. Burt, chairman of Pinnerbranch, during last summer. No entr-ance fee was charged but with plough-man's lunches, sideshows andsouvenirs £164 was raised. Among thecompetitions was one to see who couldgather the highest number of pegs inone hand from a clothes line.

Richard and Sue Godwin opened upthe Overton Hotel, Cheltenham, for aNew Year's Eve RNLI party, makingno charge except for the food at costprice and donating all bar profits. Aftera super evening, a cheque for £500 waspresented to Cheltenham branch.

Twenty-six 13th Torbay (ChurstonGalmpton) Cub Scouts, aged 8 to 11,handed Captain Barry Anderson, Tor-

The ship's company of RFA Gold Rover,commanded by Captain P. T. Taylor, col-lected £234 for Weymouth lifeboat stationand the money was presented to CoxswainVic Pitman (1.) by Chief Officer J. Carew atPortland last January. With them (I. to r.)are Motor Mechanic Derek Sargent, MrsE. S. Taylor, chairman of Weymouth ladies'guild, and Lt-Cdr B. F. Morris, Weymouthstation honorary secretary.

photograph by courtesy of HMS Osprey

bay station honorary secretary, £50they had raised by a five-mile spon-sored walk, from Galmpton to Dart-mouth via Dittisham, and a beetledrive. The cubs have raised £227 forTorbay lifeboat in the past five years.

A team was entered from the RNLICowes Base for Shanklin and DistrictRound Table's Christmas cracker racelast December. A mixed team of six,with Chris Powell as cracker captain,carried a 13ft long by 3ft 6in diametercracker along the 11 kilometres ofroads and woodland between Shanklinand Ventnor, raising £25 from theirsponsors for the Institution.

27

Letters...Silver Jubilee

We were delighted to read about thepresent Wells' lifeboat in the winterissue of the journal and also to hearabout the naming by Princess Margaretlast November of Margate's newRother lifeboat, Silver Jubilee (CivilService No. 38), commemorating theSilver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth.Hearing of these two boats broughtback very happy memories for mywife, who was present at the naming ofthe former 'Silver Jubilee' lifeboat,Royal Silver Jubilee 1910-1935. whichcommemorated the Silver Jubilee ofKing George V and Queen Mary andwhich was stationed at Wells. The boatwas named by her donor, Mrs E. W.Montford, JP, on July 13, 1936.

Mrs Montford's husband was adirect descendant of Simon de Mont-fort, the Earl of Leicester of MagnaCarta fame, and the family wereassociated with our town or manor ofNewcastle-under-Lyme from 1342 untilMr Montford's death. Mrs Montfordwas patron of our ladies' guild, and sheinvited the committee to accompany

Seventh national lotteryTHE SEVENTH RNLI national lottery wasone of the most successful yet held,raising £30,000 for the lifeboat service.It was drawn on Thursday January 31,by Polly James and Elizabeth Estensenof ' Liverbirds' fame in the presence ofVice-Admiral Sir Peter Compston.chairman of the Fund Raising Commit-tee, Rear Admiral Wilfred Graham,director of the RNLI, and Cdr TedPritchard, appeals secretary. A party ofchildren from Canford Heath MiddleSchool were among those who watchedthe draw, and after it was over Pollyand Elizabeth, who were at that timestarring in the pantomime 'Babes in theWood' in Bournemouth, signed lifeboat

The Surf lifeboat RoyalSilver Jubilee 1910-1935stationed at We/Is 1936 to1945.

her to Wells for the naming ceremony.A carriage was reserved on the train,meals supplied on the outward andreturn journey and the day included avisit to Sandringham. It is still fresh inthe memory of my wife, now aged92.—A. RYLES. 43 See/bridge Road.Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

Royal Silver Jubilee 1910-1935 was a32ft 9in Surf lifeboat with twin Hotchkissdrive. She was stationed at Wells-next-the-Sea from 1936 to 1945, launching 43times and rescuing 23 lives. In 1946 shewent to one of the Netherlands lifeboatsocieties. Since the establishment ofWells lifeboat station in 1869 there hasbeen a close connection with the Cokes.Earls of Leicester, who have by traditionbeen the patrons and presidents of thebranch.—ED.

postcards for them all. The winnerswere:

£1.000: W. G. Newbery, Worcester.£500: Donald W. MacRitchie. St

Catherines, Argyll.£250: Mrs P. M. Williamson. Netley

Abbey. Southampton.£25: Mrs B. Massam. Hornsea, North

Humberside: P. L. Colvin, Orford. Suffolk:W. C. Caldwell. Altnagelvin. Londonderry:R. E. Collier. Stoke-on-Trent. Stafford-shire; M. Smith, Stroud, Gloucestershire;Mrs Smith. Nuneaton, Warwickshire; NigelAlbertini, Norwich, Norfolk; Miss I. D. L.Don, Chelsea, London; J. K. Leeds. SuttonStalham, Norfolk; Mrs C. A. Nixon, Wick-ford, Essex.

The eighth national lottery will bedrawn on April 30. 1980.

Women's WorkIn the letter from Jeff Morris pub-

lished in the winter issue of THELIFEBOAT mention is made of a womanvolunteer going out in Lowestoftlifeboat. As the writer says, this was onAugust 28, 1946. when RNLB MichaelStephens launched under CoxswainAlbert Spurgeon to go to the help of theyacht Ziska in a south-east gale. Shewas Mrs A. Gooch of Leicester whowas in Lowestoft on holiday.—J. w.MITCHLEY, chairman, Port of Lowes-toft Research Society. 50 Kirkley Cliff,Lowestoft, Suffolk.

When you have read your copy ofTHE LIFEBOATPlease pass it on

'Liverbirds' past and present, Polly James(I.) and Elizabeth Estensen. took turn todraw the seventh RNLI lotten winners.

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Please save a little for the peoplewho save a lot—give generously tothe R.N.L.I.

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T I L L E R M A S T E Rcelebrates 10 years of Ocean crossing

We stock LOCAT, the powerfulBritish personal Radio DistressBeacon that saved the life of

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Wind, water and solar batterychargers available.

DAVID JOLLYLong Range and Emergency Radio Consultant

3 Little Russel, Lytchett Minster, Poole, Dorset BH16 6JD.Tel: 0202 622142 TELEX: 41495.

28

ShorelineSection

FOR SHORELINE this year's LondonInternational Boat Show was the bestever: through the efforts of the band ofvoluntary workers who gave up a fort-night of their time to help us we signedon 1,153 new members, and I wouldlike to thank them most sincerely. Weeven had the pleasure of signing on twovisitors from America as life gover-nors. It was also encouraging to meetthe many Shoreline members who cal-led at our stand at Earl's Court.

* * *The Shoreline Club at Portsmouth is

doing well and in January an inauguralmeeting was held for Shoreline ClubNo. 2, at Southampton, at which thechair was taken by Sir Alec Rose. Thismeeting was attended by 280 Shorelinemembers of whom 135 have joined thenew club. We wish it every success forthe future and would like to thank allour supporters who took the trouble tocome along on that evening. Thechairman is Bill Rawles of 63 FirgroveRoad, Freemantle, Southampton (Tel.:Southampton 783010) and he will bevery pleased to hear from anybody liv-ing in the Southampton area who isinterested in becoming a member.

If Shoreline members in any otherareas would like to form clubs, pleaselet us know here at Poole. We shall behappy to make initial inquiries, with theco-operation of the RNLI's local dis-trict organising secretary, because wefeel strongly that this is one way inwhich our ever-growing membershipcan take more part in the work of theInstitution and so help our very hardworking fund-raising branches andguilds in raising the money that isneeded to keep the lifeboat servicerunning.

It was interesting that several branchrepresentatives from the Southamptonarea were present at the inauguralmeeting of Shoreline Club No. 2 and anumber of them received offers of helpin their work from Shoreline members.

* * *The appeal to our members to sign

on a friend and so enter a competitionfor a BMW car is going very wellindeed. We will report the name of thelucky Shoreline member in the summerissue of THE LIFEBOAT.

Support for the RNLI throughShoreline comes in many ways. AUnited States magazine, The NationalFisherman', published an article about

The thousandth member tobe signed on at the LondonInternational Boat Show lastJanuary was Mr M. S.Bravery (r.). With him (I. tor.) are two of the volunteerenrolling team, HaroldAppleton and Ian Taylor,Mrs Bravery and PeterHolness, membershipsecretary.

photograph by courtesy ofPeter Hadfield

our work and, as a result, severalAmericans have joined Shoreline.Since the article appeared there hasbeen a steady flow from the States andwe send a warm welcome to every oneof them.

Chief Officer Alan Turner of MBDunelmia, has persuaded all 20 mem-bers of his crew to join Shoreline.Thank you very much, Alan, and wel-come to you all.

Blue Peter Yacht Charters, whoseboats sail out of Lymington, are plan-ning to enrol into Shoreline any chart-erers booking for more than one weekwho are not already members. Well,there's another good idea which hasour best wishes and our thanks.

* * *Our North East district office has

some first day cover envelopes com-memorating the naming of the 37ft 6inRother class lifeboat RNLI Shoreline atBlyth last October. Each cover isautographed by Sir Alec Rose, whonamed the boat, and comes completewith a programme of the event. They

When RNLB Shoreline wasdue to leave WilliamOsborne's yard at Little-hampton for her stationlast August her Shorelineflag had not arrived. The 5thLittlehampton Sea ScoutTroop (a group member) wasproud to present its flag tothe Blyth boat. It was pre-sented by Patrol LeaderSteve Tester to MotorMechanic John Scott. Withthem is Lt Alan Tate, divi-sional inspector of lifeboats<NE). photography by

courtesy of James Clevett

are available from the NE office,Bridgehead, Glasshouses, HarrogateHG3 5QH, price £1 each, first comefirst served.

* * *Don't forget that Mrs Nora Neill, of

95 Fitzroy Avenue, Harborne,Birmingham B17 8RG, is still collectingGreen Shield stamps for Shoreline andwould welcome any of these stampsyou can send her. So far she has raisedmore than £2,700 for the lifeboat ser-vice in this way—a splendidcontribution.

The Boat Show set 1980 off to anexcellent start and I am certain that,with your help, this year can be themost successful Shoreline has everhad. To our many yachtsman memberseverywhere we send our best wishesfor good sailing this summer and a safereturn to port.—PETER HOLNESS,membership secretary, RNLI, WestQuay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1 HZ(Tel. Poole 71133).

TOHHP

*To: The Director, RNLI, West Quay Road,I enclose subscription to join Shoreline as a:

MemberFamily MembershipMember and GovernorLife member and GovernorSend me details of how I can help with a Legacy.

Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ.

£3.00 (minimum) D£5.00 (minimum) D£15.00 (minimum) D£150.00 (minimum) D

D

Name _

Address

Over 104,000 people would have been lost without the lifeboat service.

29

Awardsto Coxswains, Crews

and Shore Helpers

The following coxswains, members of lifeboat crews and shore helperswere awarded certificates of service on their retirement and, in addition,those entitled to them by the Institution's regulations, were awarded anannuity, gratuity or pension.

AithA. Smith

ArklowJ. Dixon

Bowman 14 yearsCrew Member 6 years.

Second Coxswain 13 yearsBowman '/3 yearCrew Member 29 years.

Atlantic College St Donat's CastleD. Sutcliffe ILB Crew Member 11 years.

BarmouthC. Pugh

E. D. Jones

Barry DockJ. P. Wells

BembridgeA. A. Robinson

T. Etheridge

BlythJ. D. Kerr

BridlingtonE. Crawford

Cloughey/PortavogieJ. Donnan(Posthumous)

ConwyJ. K. Roberts

CricciethR. D. Williams

CromerA. A. Blythe(Posthumous)

A. R. Mayes

E. C. J. Luckin

CullercoatsR. J. Taylor(Retired 1976)

R. Oliver(Retired 1976)

DoverA. Liddon

Crew Member 13 yearsincluding ILB Crew Member 12 years.

Silver medal 1971.

Coxswain 12 yearsSecond Coxswain 3 yearsBowman 3 yearsCrew Member 21 years.Bronze medal 1978.

Motor Mechanic 3 '/4 yearsAssistant Mechanic 1% yearsCrew Member 20 years.

ILB Crew Member 13 years.

Bowman 21 yearsCrew Member 3 years.

Coxswain 3 yearsSecond Coxswain 12 yearsBowman 3 yearsCrew Member 8 yearsBronze medal 1962.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

Coxswain/Mechanic 23/4 yearsCoxswain 11 '/4 yearsSecond Coxswain 'h yearBowman 6 yearsCrew Member 3 years.

ILB Crew Member 13 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

Crew Member 34 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 11 years.

ILB Crew Member 6 yearsShore Helper 5 years.

Coxswain/Mechanic 12 yearsSecond Coxswain 1 yearAssistant Mechanic 14 yearsCrew Member 2 yearsSilver medal 1975.

DunbarR. G. Brunton

A. Wilson

DungenessA. O. Haines

Joan Bates

Doris Tart

C. A. O. Haines

Serena Fair

Dilys Oilier

Mai Steward

Kim Hobbis

Janet Bates

Pat Copson

Pauline Fair

Judy Richardson

Sylvia Oilier

Betty Paine

EastbourneH. Hewitt

FileyJ. Cunningham(Retired 1978)

R. Goodson(Retired 1978)

FleetwoodF. Whitehead

Galway BayT. Flaherty, Snr

C. Hernon

M. Flaherty(Posthumous)

HarwichT. Bennett

HelensburghJ. E. F. Fulton

W. R. Morrison

G. Hyslop

N. McNicol

C. Thompson(Retired 1976)

Holy headR. A. Griffiths

HowthL. M. Hudson

C. P. Geran(Retired 1978)

Coxswain 18 yearsSecond Coxswain 8 yearsBowman 3 yearsCrew Members 4 years.

Second Coxswain 11'A years.

Coxswain 4 yearsSecond Coxswain 9 yearsBowman 18 yearsCrew Member 6 years.

Shore Helper 37 years.

Shore Helper 44 years.

Crew Member 13 years.

Shore Helper 56 years.

Shore Helper 13 years.

Shore Helper 10 years.

Shore Helper 4 years.

Shore Helper 9 years.

Shore Helper 13 years.

Shore Helper 10 years.

Shore Helper 10 years.

Shore Helper 3 years.

Shore Helper 8 years.

Winchman 18 yearsAssistant Winchman 4 yearsShore Helper 28 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

Coxswain 3 yearsSecond Coxswain 16 yearsCrew Member 22 yearsBronze medal 1938.

Coxswain 15 yearsSecond Coxswain 9 yearsBowman 1 yearBronze medal 1962.

Shore Helper 20 years.

Crew Member and ILB Crew Member 13years.

ILB Crew Member 12'Ai years.

ILB Crew Member 10 years.

ILB Crew Member 13'/2 years.

ILB Crew Member 13'/2 years.

ILB Crew Member 11 years.

Crew Member 32 years.

Second Coxswain 11 '/2 yearsCrew Member 34'/2 years.

ILB Crew Member 10 years.

30

P. McLoughlin

L. Quigley

HumberB. Sayers

Ilf beB. R. Ley

C. W. Knill

KiliYiorcP. Wickham

LargsJ. F. McGill

LerwickG. D. Leith

MorecambeT. F. Gardner(Retired 1978)

NewbigginH. W. Hepple

R. Martin

C. T. Main

PenleeL. F. Brown

PeterheadA. Birnie

PortpatrickS. Alexander

A. C. Palmer

Port St MaryD. McCutcheon

Port TalbotN. McNaught

QueensferryR. D. Mackay(Retired 1978)

RhylH. Olive(Posthumous)

P. Adams

RunswickR. L. Laverick(Retired 1968)

Crew Member 12 yearsCoxswain 1% yearsSecond Coxswain 23/4 yearsCrew Member 22 years.

Crew Member 44 years.

Motor Mechanic 10'A yearsAssistant Mechanic 4'/2 yearsCrew Member 1 year.Bronze medal 1979.

Tractor Driver 7 yearsAssistant Tractor Driver 5 years.

Head Launcher 25 yearsShore Helper 3 years.

Shore Helper 24 years.

1LB Crew Member 14'/4 years.

Cox wain 10 yearsBowman 15 yearsCrew Member 5 years.Silver medal 1972.

ILB Crew Member 1 1 years.

Crew Member 13 years.

Assistant Mechanic 3 yearsCrew Member 16 years.

Second Coxswain 4 yearsCrew Member 10 years.

Second Coxswain 5 yearsCrew Member 9 years.

Coxswain 13 yearsSecond Coxswain 6 yearsBowman 1 yearCrew Member 2 years.

Assistant Mechanic 25 years.

Bowman 13'/2 yearsCrew Member 1 year.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 13'/2 years.

ILB Crew Member 10 years.

Head Launcher and Shore Helper

Assistant Mechanic 13'/2 yearsCrew Member 4 years.

Second Coxswain 3'/2 yearsBowman 5'/2 yearsCrew Member 4 years.

R. Marsay(Retired 1964)

W. Evans(Retired 1978)

St IvesJ. Humphries

A. G. Thirlby

SeahamD. P. Cave

R. Riddell

H. R. Sayer

M. Murley

J. Cougle

M. Thornton

ShorehamD. Gledhill(Retired 1977)

SillothW. A. Ray

Sou then dR. L. Chalk

SoutnwoldA. A. Carr

J. R. T. Goldsmith(Retired 1977)

StornowayR. I. Maclean

TeesmouthD. Elders

WalmerC. S. Williams

West KirbyP. J. C. Gatenby(Posthumous)

C. G. Broad

West MerseaR. Ha ward

WeymouthB. Legge

A. T. Pavey

12 years. D. S. Laker

YoughalJ. J. Murphy(Posthumous)

M. P. Hennessy

SERVICES AND LIVES RESCUED BY OFFSHORE ANDJanuary 1, 1979, to December 31, 1979: Services: 2,546;

Second Coxswain 5 yearsCrew Member 5 years.

Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 10 years.

ILB Crew Member 10 years.

Coxswain 3 yearsSecond Coxswain 6 yearsCrew Member 3 years.

Second Coxswain 3 yearsCrew Member 10 years.

Assistant Mechanic 93/4 yearsCrew Member 2 years.

Crew Member 10 years.

Head Launcher 10 yearsShore Helper 1 year.

Crew Member 13 years.

ILB Crew Member 10 years.

ILB Crew Member 1 1 '/4 years.

ILB Crew Member 14 years.

ILB Crew Member 15 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

Coxswain 7 yearsCrew Member 1 1 years.

Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 15 years.

ILB Crew Member 12 years.

ILB Crew Member 13 years.

ILB Crew Member 16 years.

Bowman 16'/2 yearsCrew Member 22 '/2 years.

Coxswain 17 yearsSecond Coxswain 3 yearsCrew Member 12 yearsBronze medal 1972.

Crew Member 20 years.Bronze medal 1965.

Motor Mechanic 27 'A yearsAssistant Mechanic 6 yearsBowman 6 yearsCrew Member 1 year.

Bowman 203/4 yearsCrew Member 1 year.

INSHORE LIFEBOATSlives saved 992

THE STATION FLEET

131 offshore lifeboats(as at 31/1 2/79)

1 27 inshore lifeboats operating in the summer51 inshore lifeboats operating in the winter

LIVES RESCUED 105,246from the Institution's foundation in 1824 to December 31, 1979

31

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32

Lifeboat Servicesfrom page 12

were sent to Coxswain/AssistantMechanic Anthony G. Hawkins, Sec-ond Assistant Mechanic Roy W.Couzens and Crew Members John J.Smith, David Williams, Geoffrey I.Buckland and Ernest S. Watson.

North Western Division

Icelandic trawlerAT 0430 ON MONDAY December 12,1979, HM Coastguard informed thehonorary secretary of Fleetwoodlifeboat station that MV Gavina ofFleetwood was trying to take in tow anIcelandic trawler, Olafur Gisli, west ofShell Wharf. The trawler, with a crewof eight, had been bound for Iceland inballast but had had to put back withsteering gear trouble. She was in

danger of being driven into shoal waterand Gavina had asked for lifeboatassistance.

Gale force winds rising to stronggale, force 9, were blowing from westsouth west and the seas were very high.It was high water. Although the morn-ing was cloudy, visibility was good.

Fleetwood's 44ft Waveney lifeboatLady of Lancashire slipped her moor-ing at 0438 under the command of Cox-swain David Scott and was standing bythe two vessels by 0540.

Despite the severe wind and seasGavina was handled extremely welland a tow was passed. It broke twiceand the lifeboat spread wave reducingoil so that Gavina could get closeenough to heave a line. Lady of Lanca-shire then escorted the two boats backto Fleetwood, helping by putting a lineon Olafur Gisli's stern when makingthe turn to starboard at Wyre Channel.

The service was completed and thelifeboat back on her moorings by 1100.

Western Division

Two launches

THE MUMBLES LIFEBOAT, the 47ft Wat-son Pentland (Civil Service No. 31)launched twice in the storms of August14, 1979. The first launch, at 0735, wasto stand by while the tug Hendonbrought a yacht manned by two peoplethrough the very heavy seas into thesafety of the River Tawe. The lifeboatwas rehoused by 0950.

The second launch was at 1103, bywhich time the westerly winds hadreached hurricane force. A cabincruiser towing a yacht had beenreported off Newton Beach, Porth-cawl. A search was made but nothingcould be found and it was thought thatthe informant had in fact seen a tanker,hull down, with high bow and stern.The lifeboat was again rehoused andready for service by 1730.

Services by OffshoreLifeboats, September,October and November,1979Angle, DyfedSeptember 12Appledore, North DevonSeptember 5 and November 4Arbroath, AngusNovember 30Arklow, Co. WicklowOctober 15Arranmore, Co. DonegalSeptember 26Ballycotton, Co. CorkNovember 15Baltimore, Co. CorkOctober 22Barra Island, Iverness-shireNovember 18Barrow, CumbriaSeptember 1Barry Dock, South GlamorganSeptember 29 (twice), November 25 and 26Beaumaris, GwyneddSeptember 16, October 21 and November25Bembridge, Isle of WightNovember 6Bridlington, HumbersideSeptember 20, October 13, November 18and 25Calshot, HampshireSeptember 9, 20, October 8, 22 (twice), 24,30, November 3, 17 (twice) and 18Campbeltown, ArgyllshireSeptember 11Clacton-on-Sea, EssexOctober 28 and November 29Clogher Head, Co. LouthSeptember 1 and October 6Clovelly, North DevonOctober 5 and 19Donaghadee, Co. DownSeptember 1, 8 and October 7Dover, KentSeptember 9, 14, 22, 29, October 7, 10, 15,21,30, November 1, I I and 19Dunbar, East LothianSeptember 16 and 17Dungeness, Kent

November 9 and 29Dun Laoghaire, Co. DublinSeptember 1 and 25Dunmore East, Co. WaterfordSeptember 3 and 25Eastbourne, East SussexOctober 11, 28, November 7 (twice) and 11Exmouth, South DevonNovember 4Eyemouth, BerwickshireSeptember 11, 17, 28 and November 17Falmouth, CornwallSeptembers, 18 and 21Filey, North YorkshireNovember 27Fishguard, DyfedSeptember / 1Flamborough, HumbersideNovembersFleetwood, LancashireSeptember 10, 21 and November 3Fraserburgh, AberdeenshireOctober 23Galway Bay, Co. GalwaySeptember 22, 29, 30, October 14, 23 and24 (twice)Girvan, AyrshireSeptember 12 and October 5Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, NorfolkSeptember 11, October 24 and 27Hartlepool, ClevelandOctober 16Harwich, EssexSeptember 14 and November 3Hastings, East SussexSeptember 16Holyhead, GwyneddOctober 6Hoylake, MerseysideSeptember 20Howth, Co. DublinSeptember 3 and November 4Humber, HumbersideSeptember 13, 20, 29, October 11, 16, 22,27, November 4, 15, 22 and 29Ilfracombe, North DevonNovember 17Islay, ArgyllshireSeptember 20 and November 18Kirkcudbright, KirkcudbrightshireSeptember 8 and October 22Kirkwall, OrkneyOctober 22Lerwick, ScotlandSeptember 3 and October 20

The Lizard-Cadgwith, CornwallOctober 15Llandudno, GwyneddSeptember 6Lytham-St Anne's, LancashireOctober 8Mallaig, Inverness-shireSeptember 18, October 13 and November19Margate, KentSeptember 25, 30, October 28 and 29Newbiggin, NorthumberlandOctober 19Newcastle, Co. DownOctober 8Newhaven, East SussexSeptember 2, 6, 8, (3, 23, October 2, 12 andNovember 10North Sunderland, NorthumberlandOctober 2 and 5Oban, ArgyllshireSeptember 16, Novembers and 15Padstow, CornwallSeptember 3Penlee, CornwallSeptember 1, 4, October 4 and 5Peterhead, AberdeenshireOctober 28 (twice)Plymouth, South DevonSeptember 8 (twice), October 3, 5, 29,November 13 and 18Poole, DorsetNovember 13Porthdinllaen, GwyneddOctober 6 (twice)Port pa trick, WigtownshireSeptember 2 and 16Portrush, Co. AntrimSeptember 30Port St Mary, Isle of ManSeptember 16 and October 13Pwllheli, GwyneddNovember 1 1 (twice)Ramsey, Isle of ManSeptember 1 ,9 , October 28, November 4and 11Ramsgate, KentSeptember 12, 13, October 10, 24, 27,November 3 (twice) and 7Redcar, ClevelandSeptember 5Rhyl, ClwydSeptember 10St Helier, JerseySeptember 8 (twice), 21, October 6 and 13

33

St Ives, CornwallOctober 20 (twice), 26 and 28St Mary's, Sf illy IslandsSeptember 9St Peter Port, GuernseySeptember 8, October 1, November 5 and 9Salcombe, South DevonSeptember 7 and October 16Selsey, SussexNovember 1 1Sennen Cove, CornwallOctober 4 and 26Shoreham Harbour, West SussexSeptember 9Stornoway, Ross-shireSeptember 5, November 5 and 16Sunderland, Tyne and WearNovember 13Swanage, DorsetSeptember 22. October 6, 7, 9, 20, 21 andNovember 25Tenby, DyfedSeptember 5 and November 16Torbay, South DevonOctober. 3, 9, November 7, 20 and 23Troon, AyrshireOctober 29 and November 1Tynemouth, Tyne and WearSeptember 24 and October 3Valentia, Co. KerrySeptember 4, 7 and 9Walmer, KentOctober 8 and November 9Walton and Frinton, EssexSeptember 7, 15, 29 (twice), October 7,November 26 and 27Wells, NorfolkSeptember 17Weymouth, DorsetSeptember 1, 2 (twice), 16, 21. 28, October22 and November 6Whitby, North YorkshireSeptember 13, October 13 and November10Wicklow, Co. WicklowNovember 4Workington, CumbriaNovember 9Yarmouth, Isle of WightSeptember 1, 23. 25, October 22, 29 andNovember 6ON 1003 on passageNovember 7

Services by InshoreLifeboats, September,October and November,1979Abersoch, GwyneddSeptember 13, October 15 and 25Aberystwyth, DyfedSeptember 1, October 14 and 18Aldeburgh, SuffolkSeptember 9Amble, NorthumberlandSeptember 15Appledore, North DevonSeptember 2, 5 (three times), 15 andNovember 4Arbroath, AngusOctober 21Arran (Lamlash), ButeshireSeptember 3 and 5Atlantic College, South GlamorganSeptember 29 (twice) and October 28Bangor, Co. DownOctober 20Barmouth, GwyneddOctober 19

Barrow, CumbriaSeptember 16, 22 and October 20 (twice)Beaumaris, GwyneddSeptember 5, 16, October 21 andNovember 25Bembridge, Isle of WightSeptember 6Blackpool, LancashireSeptember 7, 8 (twice), 10 and October 26Bridlington, HumbersideSeptember 9Brighton, East SussexSeptember 27 and October 6Broughty Ferry, AngusSeptember 10 and 17Burry Port, DyfedSeptember 14, 24 and October 7Clacton-on-Sea, EssexSeptember 14, 16, 23 and October 21Criccieth, GwyneddSeptember 4, 22, 28, 29 and October 8Cromer, NorfolkSeptember 16, 30 and October 7Cullercoats, Tyne and WearOctober 4Dunbar, East LothianSeptember 9 and 17Eastbourne, East SussexSeptember 8, 13 and October 1Filey, North YorkshireSeptember 10Fleetwood, LancashireSeptember 22, October 7 and 8Flint, ClwydSeptember 20, October 23, 24 andNovember 21Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, NorfolkSeptember 23, October 1, 23 andNovember 5Hartlepool, ClevelandSeptember 2, 27, October )6, 20, 31,November I I and 19Harwich, EssexSeptember 20 and October 24Hastings, East SussexSeptember 23, October 14 and November16Hayling Island, HampshireSeptember 2, I I , 18, October 6, 7, 22(twice), November 3, 4 and 11Helensburgh, DunbartonshireSeptember 2, 9, 10 (twice), 12, 17, 21 ,22 ,24 and November 17Holyhead, GwyneddSeptember 16Hunstanton, NorfolkSeptember 9Kinghorn, FifeSeptember 12, 16 and October 1Largs, AyrshireSeptember 8, 23, 29 (twice), October 13 and22Little and Broad Haven, DyfedSeptember 3Littlehampton, West SussexSeptember 2, 6, 14, 17, 27, November 8 and18Littlestone-on-Sea, KentSeptember 15 and October 28Llandudno, GwyneddSeptember 6, 16, 30 and October 6Lyme Regis, DorsetSeptember 2, 14, 29, Novembers and 16Lytham-St Anne's, LancashireOctober 8Mablethorpe, LincolnshireSeptember 2, 16 and 19Margate, KentSeptember 5, 14, 16, 23, October 24 andNovember 18Minehead, SomersetSeptember 16 and October 21Moelfre, GwyneddSeptember 5Morecambe, Lancashire

September 8, 9 and November 15Mudeford, DorsetOctober 22New Brighton, MerseysideSeptember 2, 9 and October 2New Quay, DyfedSeptember 16Newquay, CornwallSeptember 9 and 29North Sunderland, NorthumberlandSeptember 9Oban, ArgyllshireSeptember 16 and October 20Plymouth, South DevonSeptember 7, 8, 9 and October 20Poole, DorsetSeptember 9, October 21 and November 11Port Isaac, CornwallSeptember 6, 7, 8, 18 and 29Portsmouth (Langstone Harbour),HampshireSeptember 2 (three times), November 3(twice) and 4Pwllheli, GwyneddOctober 1Ramsgate, KentOctober 24Redcar, ClevelandSeptember 2, 27 and October 5Rhyl, ClwydSeptember 16Rye Harbour, East SussexSeptember 23St Abbs, BerwickshireSeptember 5 and 7St Catherine's, JerseySeptember 21St Ives, CornwallSeptember 2 and 7Scarborough, North YorkshireSeptember 2 and 30Selsey, West SussexSeptember 8 and 23Shoreham Harbour, West SussexSeptember 2, October 17 and 20Skegness, LincolnshireSeptember 4Southend-on-Sea, EssexSeptember 2, 16, 17, October 19, 21 (threetimes), 22, 25, 28 and 31 (twice)Southwold, SuffolkSeptembers, October 13, 14, November11, 24 and 29Staithes and Runswick, North YorkshireSeptember 9, October 6 and November 13Stonehaven, KincardineshireSeptember 19Stranraer, WigtownshireSeptember 9, October 14 and 21Tenby, DyfedSeptember 5, 6, 7, 11 (twice), 13. 16(twice). 17 and 20Torbay, South DevonSeptember 5, 6 and October 28Tramore, Co. WaterfordSeptember 2Trearddur Bay, GwyneddSeptember 13Tynemouth, Tyne and WearOctober 2 and November 25Walmer, KentSeptember 16 and October 8Wells, NorfolkSeptember 15 and 30West Kirby, MerseysideOctober 21, 23 and October 28West Mersea, EssexSeptember 3, 8, 9 (twice), 10, October 22,November 23 and 29Whitby, North YorkshireSeptember 2Whitstable, KentSeptember 12, October 7 and November 3Withernsea, HumbersideSeptember 16

34

R.N.LI, rely on MermaidT

THE NEW ROTHER CLASS LIFEBOATS, as those already inservice like the Margate Lifeboat shown here, rely on Mermaid dieselengines for continuous trouble-free power in every emergency. Youneed reliability too, so specify Mermaid diesels from 45bhp to275bhp, for your next craft.

Mermaid MarineEngines LtdFERNDOWN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE.7072COBHAM ROAD.WIMBORNE. DORSET BH21 7RNT.lwhon. FERNOOWN 102021 891824

I.!., «18236

Boat Insurance for Shoreline Members (and other lifeboat' readers)Temple InsuranceBrokers Ltd., specialistMarine Craft InsuranceBrokers, Members of theBritish InsuranceBrokers Association, arepleased to offerShoreline Members andother 'Lifeboat' readersspecial terms for theirpersonal Yacht andMotor Boat insurance.

For a quotation withoutobligation, pleasecomplete and post theenquiry form opposite.No stamp required.

OR RING POOLE(02013)79444

Personal Name Tel. Nodetails Address

Experience

Accident Losses Claims in last 5 years Yes/No(Details on separate sheet)

Details Name Class/Type

Of Craft Construction Year Built

Length Beam

Engines H.P Inboard/Outboard

Values Hull, Machinery, Equipment £ Special Equipment £

Dinghy Boats £ Outboard Motor £

Trailer £ . . TOTAL

Use In commission from to (inclusive)

Moored at

Laid up from to Inclusive. Ashore/Afloat.

Cruising Area

General (a) Are you entitled to No Claim Discount? years.

(b) Do you wish to bear the first part of any claim? Yes/No.If so, state £25: £50: £100.

(c) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS.Road Transit Risks, etc

Racing Risks, Water-Skiing,

TO FREEPOST, Geoffrey Bere FCII,TEMPLE INSURANCE BROKERS,29 High Street, POOLE BH15 1BR

35

Index to Advertisers Page

Dr Arnison-Newgass 36Birds Eye Foods Ltd 2Even Sailwear Ltd 32Glanvill Enthoven & Co Ltd 32David Jolly (Tiller Master) 28Maritime Books (Liskeard) 36Mercantile Credit Inside Back CoverMermaid Marine Engines Ltd 35NECO Marine Ltd 32Peeks of Bournemouth 36The Quorn Fine Art Co

Inside Front CoverReaders Union (Maritime Book Society)

Outside Back CoverTemple Insurance 35C. P. Witter Ltd 28

Classified AdvertisementsACCOMMODATION

THE OLD HALL HOTEL, RUSWARP,WHITBY. Delightful Jacobean Hall border-ing the glorious North Yorkshire Moors andbeaches. Ideal for fishing, boating, walkingor relaxing. Residential proprietors ensurewarm hospitality and good food. Twentybedroom family hotel, radio and baby listen-ing system, lounge, television lounge,restaurant, bar. Brochure—Whitby (0947)2801.

BOURNEMOUTH. 'Come and talk boats'.Friendly guest house run by Shorelinemember and boat owner. Home cooking.Children welcomed. Walk sea and shops.Bed, breakfast, evening meal from £38week. Tour the Chandlery shops. Send forbrochure: "The Anchorage", 28 GrosvenorGardens, Bournemouth, Dorset. Tel: 020235760.

NORTH CORNWALL. Luxury self-catering cottages in peaceful Cornishcountryside, near moor and coast. Beauti-fully furnished, colour TV, etc. Reductionstwo persons out of main season. Also well-appointed character farmhouse. Excellentfarmhouse fare, including full English break-fast and five-course evening dinner. From£48 per week. Brochure; Tel: 0208 850728,Mr and Mrs R. Curtis, Park Farm, Michaels-tow, St Tudy, N. Cornwall.

DORSET, 3 miles Bridport. Furnished holi-day cottage to let. St Anthony, Uploders.

BRIXHAM, DEVON. Beside outer har-bour, comfortably furnished self-cateringholiday apartments each with lounge/diner,fridge, television and modern electricfacilities for two-six persons (children oversix years). Please send stamp for details.Resident proprietors, G. A. Smith, "Har-bour Lights", 69 Berry Head Road, Brix-ham, Telephone: (08045) 4816.

ILFRACOMBE: for comfort, cuisine, viewsand close to harbour, visit this Georgianhouse, set in 2'/2 acres of grounds. Childrenwelcome. Ample parking. Easy access allamenities. Also self-catering lodge avail-able. Open all year from Easter 1980.Enquiries to Mrs C. Biggin, Laston HouseHotel, Hillsborough Road, Ilfracombe, N.Devon. Tel: 0271 62627.

NORTH CORNWALL, Rock on CamelEstuary between Padstow and Port Isaac.Comfortable family home with superb viewsover Estuary. 400 yards, safe sandy beach.Good facilities for golf, sailing, fishing,water sports, walking (North Cornwallcoastal path). B&B. EM optional. Shorelinemember. "Speedwell", Rock, Wadebridge.Tel: Trebetherick (020 886) 2260.

MODELS AND PAINTINGS

FULLY DETAILED lovely replicas ofindividual boats as miniature models orframed wall plaques. Many commissionedfor retirements, presentations, trophies andmementos. Details: Brian H. Williams,Marine Model Artist, 'West Rock1, TheCleave, Kingsand, Nr Torpoint, CornwallPL10 INF. Tel: 0752 822638.

YOUR LIFEBOAT IN OILS. On canvas36" x 28". S.a.e. Lee, 9 Esplanade,Weymouth, Dorset.

MEDITERRANEAN VIA CANALSADVICE, information or delivery. WriteCaptain Ward, 4 Graydon Avenue, Chiches-ter. Tel: 0243 784700.

FOR SALEVIVACITY 650, full cruising inventory, sixsails, outboard, four-wheel trailer, etc.£3,500. Tel: Camberley 23819.

DESIGNED on traditional trapper canoesof Canada. Ideal family canoes for campingtrips. Free coloured brochure: CavenhamMarine, 15 Abbey Road, Billericay, Essex.Tel: 54788.

MEMORABILIATITANIC and other ocean linermemorabilia wanted. Details to: RobertForrest, 165 East 35th Street, New YorkCity 10016 USA, Apt 15C.

TROPHIESRACE SETS—Mainsails—Dinghies—Cups.W. & E. Astin, 7 Westerly Lane, Shelley,Huddersfield. Kirkburton 2368.

MISCELLANEOUSFISHERMAN'S SMOCKS, navy drill. Allsizes £6.95 delivered. Rockall Wear, 138Narrow Lane, Halesowen B62 9NX.

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Send your PO or Cheque (£1:75 per copy) toMaritime Books : Duloe : Liskeard : Cornwall PL14 APE

for your copy by return of post.

FOR SALE. Ex-RNLB 46ft WATSON. ON784Superb long-range family cruiser conversion 1974. New Mermaiddiesels; 6 berths, deck saloon.Dr P. Arnison-Newgass, Swanfield House, Alnwick, Northumber-land. Tel: Alnwick (0665) 2353.

New!for shorelinememberssailing loans atreduced rates

Now, as a Shoreline member, you're in a privilegedposition when it comes to financing your sailing.

Shoreline Sailing Loans are now available atspecial preferential interest rates. One of them canprovide the cash you need to buy a boat, to refit, or evenfor major annual expenses like insurance. Then you canspread the cost over monthly instalments and so sail ona budget.

Help the R.N.L.I. as you help yourself.Shoreline Sailing Loans will provide a valuable

source of revenue for the R.N.L.I., as well as saving youmoney. Each loan granted will provide a donation to theInstitution, without the deduction of promotion,administration or other costs.

Non-members can apply for loans and joinShoreline simultaneously, and have their first year'smembership paid for them. Mercantile Credit, who arearranging the loans, will make a £5 donation to Shorelinefor each advance made to non-members, entitling themto family membership for one year.

You can pick up a Shoreline Sailing Loan leafletat your local branch of Mercantile Credit [see yourtelephone directory for the address] or write toMercantile Credit, [Shoreline Loans), FREEPOST,

London WC2B 5DX. No stamp needed.

I Mercantile Credit

c/y/7/zf/yofexperiences of the most famous

lone sailors of the Atlantic

To: Maritime Book Society, PO Box 6, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 2DWI would like to join the Maritime Book Society and claim Challenge foronly £1.00 post free (Allow up to 21 days for delivery) I agree to purchaseat least 4 books (in addition to the introductory book) during a year'smembership and may resign thereafter.

Mr/Mrs/Miss.

Address

CHALLENGE80 pages of superb colour, plus many other illustrationscelebrate the remarkable achievements of men like JoshuaSlocum, Francis Chichester and Eric Tabarly. For allsailors this magnificent book will capture the grandeur ofthe Atlantic as well as the sometimes harsh reality ofsailing it alone.

ONLYfcl POSTFREE

save £11.50 when you join the

Run by sailing enthusiasts on the South Coast the MaritimeBook Society secures virtually every significant new sailingbook for its members, be it technical (eg Coastal Naviga-tion) practical (Offshore Racer) narrative (Come Wind orWeather) or on classic cruises and circumnavigations. Thereis bound to be something useful or interesting for yourcrew or you yourself on every aspect and level of cruisingand racing. Members buy their books at a discount of upto 25% (sometimes more) off publishers' prices. They areoffered to you every other month and our bulletin tellsyou what is coming. Your only obligation is to buy fourbooks during your first year of membership.

Signaturelor if under 18. signature of Parent/Guardian ISEND NO MONEY ALJ POST TODAY

Maritime Book Society is run by Readers UnionBrunei House, Newton Abbot.

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