In a way the weather has been unseasonably good. This often leads to a dramatic increase in the number of shouts we are called on (we could hardly be quieter!) We often refer to this as the 'Silly Season' for a number of reasons: there seems to be more silly people around doing silly things in silly craft, and also our workload can get a bit silly. The story often goes a bit like this: Dennis arrives in boatpark with crappy car, crappy boat and crappy engine. At the twentieth attempt Dennis manages to reverse said ensemble into the sea. He then spends at least half an hour trying to start the engine, this usually involves taking it to pieces. The minute the engine starts Dennis heads straight out to sea in a cloud of smoke with no lifejackets, little fuel and his entire extended family. Half an hour later our pagers go off.......! (This is an entirely true story but to save humiliating people some of the names, details and events have been changed).
Thankfully the RNLI has chosen to be pro-active in halting this sort of nonsense with their superb sea-safety campaign. I wish them every success.
1 comment:
I have just found your blog, & I am reading it with geat interest. This particular post rang bells with me. I was on the boat storage area at Rock in Cornwall, one September morning, preparing my dinghy for the road, when a man drove down in a big four wheel drive, towing a big RIB, with a big engine. He asked me whether the sand was safe to drive on in order to launch, & when was high tide. My blood ran cold - he had a wife & two under fives with him, was planning to launch with no idea of the tides (Springs, & it was still going out). Fortunately my brain clicked in & I suggested that they'd know at the lifeboat station, & he went to seek their advice. I don't know what was said, but he & his vehicle disappeared fairly quickly. How can people risk their children?
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