A few delectable treats are kept on the boat for people to tuck into when they are flagging, however the choice is limited, we have hot cans and cuppa soups....................
Or if you know where to look, Dave has a secret stash of chocolate!
Friday 1 June 2007
How Long is a Piece of String?
No one ever knows how long a shout is going to last. When you step on that boat you could be out there for ten minutes or you could be out there for hours. One of the longest shouts we've had lasted fourteen and a half hours, this was on the Mersey, we had been called out for two young boys who had been swept into the sea on a stormy night. Searches are very tough on the crew as they require maximum concentration, often over long periods of time. When undertaking a search, the aim is to swap around regularly to keep people on the ball, however this isn't always practical.
A few delectable treats are kept on the boat for people to tuck into when they are flagging, however the choice is limited, we have hot cans and cuppa soups....................
A few delectable treats are kept on the boat for people to tuck into when they are flagging, however the choice is limited, we have hot cans and cuppa soups....................
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3 comments:
Thats what I love about this blog, I find out the answers to questions that had never even crossed my mind!!
Hope that the 'hot can' food is better than the stuff we get issued on occasions of exceptional demand (new years eve etc - I worl for the ambulance service)I still remember the last one I had and my stomache hasn't forgiven me!! The thought of it on a moving boat really doesn't sit well!! Do you carry glucose tablets or anything similar? They are good for a quick 'hit' of sugar and take up next to no space. Slight downer is they need to be kept dry, but could be stored in a small air tight box.
You do have to be pretty hungry to eat a 'hot' can. They normally start off cold and end up red hot at the bottom! Irish stew is the worst looking, its the layer of fat on the top that does it :o) We don't carry energy tablets, don't know why really. What Jo didn't mention is that we do have; tea, coffee, hot chocolate, 4 different sorts of cuppa soup (minestrone with croutons is my favourite), bottled water and 30 ltrs of fresh water for the kettle. The other thing that's worth remembering is that the toilet facilities onboard do leave a little to be desired . . especially if you're a girl! DT
I have to say, I always quite look forwards to a 'Hot-Can'. When you have been out there long enough to deserve one there really is very little else to look forwards to!
It's the lottery of it all that I love; will I be lucky enough to get an all day breakfast, will it be hot, cold or cremated, will I poke the nail thing through my hand, will I hold it down to the end...............
Sometimes of course we are able to do rather well on a shout for food and drink. I remember managing to provide the crew with ice-cold water, lemonade and coke on one occasion and bacon butties on another (I even persuaded the chief inspector of Dorset police to pay for them!) Of course the really surreal moments come when we are dealing with luxury yachts. As the person who often jumps across to attach the tow I have in the past found myself sipping a G&T, eating canapes and listening to soothing music!
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