Bike to work

Regular readers will be aware that I am a keen cyclist. So the sight which greeted me at the boathouse last Sunday warmed the cockles of my heart. I counted no fewer than 8 bicycles lent against various walls of the boathouse having been used by crewmembers to get down to the boathouse. Of course, they were all hideously expensive sports machines rather than 'proper' transport bikes which I prefer for this sort of journey, however, they were being used for transport all the same.

Perhaps it's time that we thought about some sort of bike rack or parking area?

Sadly I wasn't one of those on a bike as I am between 'pub' bikes at the moment. My last one met with a rather untimely end and pickings up at the tip have been rather sparse of late. Indeed, so desperate am I getting that I am considering actually parting with money and getting one of these as a round town load hauling machine. I figure I could get all the shopping and both of the kids on the deck at the back. What do you recon?!

Do you want to come?

Anonymous asked this question:

How do you choose which crew to take on each shout if more than needed turn up at the boathouse? Is it down to experience or a mix of the novices and the hardened crew?

Now there's a question! I think that it is one of those things which each station does differently and each method has it's advantages. For example:

One station I know in the north of the country runs a first come first served type system, as crew arrive they collect a tally from next to the door and the first 5 (plus mechanic and Cox'n) go on the shout. The problems with this are that you might end up with an experienced crew on a 'big' shout, it encourages speeding, the same people might always go because they live close or work close and it also encourages competitiveness amongst the crew.

Another station I know runs a sort of 'squash ladder' type arrangement. Once a crew member has done a shout they go to the bottom of the list and work their way up again. Scrupulously fair but again might mean that the boat might go with a poorly experienced crew.

I've even heard of stations which run a sort of on duty crew. For a week at a time they have a nominated crew and they are the guys who respond initially if there is a shout. Good, but again, you end up spreading your experience thinly and it does require crew to live and work nearby.

And us? Well, we run two systems, one for the ILB and one for the ALB.

On the ILB it is a case of first come first served, that is, the first helmsman through the door commands the boat and then the next two crew (or helmsmen) go too. The Helmsman has a right of veto though, so if there is a particular need for experience or skill he can stand crew down and nominate others.

On the ALB we use the crew list as our guide. This list is in order of experience and time on the crew. The top 6 (Cox'n, 2nd Cox'n, Mechanic, Deputy 2nd Cox'n and numbers 5 & 6) automatically climb onto the boat if they are there. Then, depending on whether any of them haven't arrived, what type of shout it is, experience of the remaining crew, who's been on a shout recently and whether he can remember their names, the Cox'n will fill up the remaining spaces from those stood at the bottom of the stairs. And generally this works well. It means that the first principle is that the boat will go with the most experienced crew. It means everyone gets a few shouts each season. It also means that the Cox'n may bring on less experienced crew over time. Of course, as with the other methods, it's not without flaws...life's not perfect, we can accept that!

Job done.....

Well, finally the long awaited day has come. Team Swanage Lifeboat has completed the Swanage Classic Triathlon and, if I might be permitted to say, has done so in fine style.

We each had our own personal goals and mostly achieved them, so well done Darren, Liz and John (x2).

Later this evening when I have recovered a bit (and Kim has sent me her photos...hint, hint) I will post a few pictures of the action and tell a few stories about the event. For now though I just want to say a huge thank you to all of the crew, wives, girlfriends and mates who turned up so early to cheer us on, laugh and generally take the piss! You know who you all are (except Matt who's probably forgotten) so thanks, it was much appreciated. Mwa!

Lifeboat economy

One of the great things about the lifeboat crew is that it provides an informal economic network. Most of the crew have a skill or knowledge which they are only too happy to share with others on the crew. Recent examples of this are many:

Paul here came and chopped a tree down for us a couple of weekends ago (and I have to say I would have paid money to watch as it was fantastic). In return his bike is currently stored in my shed and he's using my bike maintenance facilities.

A couple of weeks ago Tom phoned for some late night legal advice from Liz my wife, in return we get an occasional supply of pot bait and crabs.

Last night Dave helped me to fix my outboard, in return he gained a wakeboarding tower for his Raider, I also managed to negotiate his help with re-wiring my boat.

Last year Gavin came and re-newed a bit of my staircase. His payment was a land rover bumper and winch!

Of course, given my profession there is a limit to the practical help I can give, however, it is surprising the number of conversations I have had over the years to re-assure and advise the parents on the crew about the educational needs of their offspring.

Luckily we all take the attitude that it is a case of 'what goes around comes around'.

Long may it last!

Suprise!!

Now I've long held the view that it's best not to spring suprises on older people. In my experience they tend not to like them too much and they can, in extreme cases, have life limiting consequences.Despite this, Martin's family last night arranged a suprise party for him in the Ship. And what an awesome do it was. The place was full to the gunnels with seemingly everyone I know in Swanage, there was superb food and of course a group of men fiddling in the corner. Being an athletic bunch the crew (and the rowing club) rose to the challenge of a spot of extreme dancing. As usual, the casualty rate was high but the spectacle was extraodinary to watch.And Martin, the centre of attention looked pleased as punch. And, when you consider this fine photo on his birthday cake, the years have actually been pretty kind to him! Here's to the next 50 mate!

One

Being as close as we are to the RNLI HQ in Poole, it is not unusual for us to get requests to help with various filming projects and things that are going on. The latest request was for us to help with filming a piece for BBC 1's 'The One Show'. A number of our crew were filmed at the Sea Survival Centre yesterday with presenter Neil Oliver. They and he took part in a mock Sea Survival Training exercise in the environmental pool. Our wonderfully photogenic Coxswain, Martin, also took part in filming on Wednesday for the show. Ah, the cult of celebrity!

For your interest the show is scheduled to be broadcast on Monday 21 January at 7pm on BBC 1 (schedule information correct at time of writing but probably likely to change!)

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One...life

One
(U2 - One)

9 to 5

So when we aren't speeding about in lifeboats, training or on a shout. What do we all do? Well, we're a pretty varied bunch really. If I can remember rightly we have: 2 chippies, 4 RNLI full time employees, teacher, gardener, Jewsons manager, software development manager, shellfish fisherman, charter boat skipper, estate agent, youth minister, local government worker, pa to a patent agent, electrician, 2 tank re-builders, chef, aerial fitter, CAD designer, mechanic and an outdoor instructor. We also have Paul 'B' and none of us have any idea what he does.

So there you go!

On the same boat
With a lot of your friends
Waitin' for the day
Your ship'll come in
And the tides gonna turn
An its all gonna roll you away

Workin' 9 to 5
What a way to make a livin
Barely gettin' by
Its all takin'
And no givin'
They just use your mind
And you never get the credit
It's enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
(Dolly Parton)

Fit for purpose

This looks like a medieval instrument of torture. It's not. It is in fact a rather cleverly designed machine which allows some one's ability to pull a piece of rope to be tested.Why would you want to test this? Well, it is deemed, by the powers that be in the RNLI, to be a representative task that a lifeboat crewmember could be expected to perform while serving on a lifeboat. And so, it has been included in the newly introduced fitness test which all crewmembers must now pass.

Tonight we gathered at the station to take this test for the first time. The idea behind it is, I think (and I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong), simply to make sure that crewmembers have a basic level of physical fitness to allow them to proceed to sea in a lifeboat and perform any tasks which might be expected of them. Makes sense. It has also allowed the RNLI to do away with a compulsory retirement age. Now, once a crewmember has reached a certain age, they take this test every year and can remain on the crew beyond the previous age limit of 55 (provided they pass). This is excellent for the RNLI because it means that they can retain their most experienced crew beyond what was previously an essentially arbitrary retirement age. What sensible and pragmatic thinking!So, for my sins, I had to undertake the test. To be honest it was all a bit of a laugh. The final exercise was the rope pulling thing and naturally we all became a bit competitive with this. Of course I couldn't possibly be so indiscreet as to say who got the best time. So, I simply want to say......well done you plucky losers!

New recruit #1

Along for the ride on Sunday we also had Darren who is one of our newest recruits. He has been hanging around the station 'showing an interest' for the last 6 months or so and was promoted to shore helper at the last crew-meeting. This also means that he is now insured and so can be taken to sea once or twice to whet his appetite and give him a flavour of what we do. Judging by the grins he enjoyed himself and wants more. Good news too because he works locally as a butcher and is fit and healthy......just what we need. In due course, provided he turns up, completes his training, avoids annoying too many people and makes enough cups of tea, then I'm sure he will be elevated to the dizzy heights of 'probationary' crewmember. Good luck!

Oh, by the way. The Triathlon training is going well so far. I completed 1200m in the pool tonight which is a first. The only slight downside is I also discovered that triathletes seem to complete the bike and run part of the race wearing something that closely resembles a pair of underpants! I'm shocked.......

With a hop and a skip and a twirl

So yesterday was our final fling of the year; the social event of the season in Swanage. It was of course the Lifeboat Christmas party. This year we decided that we would have a real blow out. We took over the whole of the Ship Inn for the evening. Nathan's crew put on a spectacular event which suited the mood perfectly. Greeted by Champagne, Bucks Fizz and Kir Royale the Ship was soon awash with friends and buzzing with happy chat.The crew of course looked impressively smart in their DJs and best bib and tucker. They were there almost to a man.Wives and Girlfriends were there too of course, as were many of our friends from town who give us so much assistance throughout the year.Martin was looking resplendent in his retro 70's fancy dress and Paul was cutting a fine dash in his impressive 'Tie Your Own' bow tie.The DLAs held court in the corner, an Oasis of sophistication and calm amidst the social storm of the crew.And then the dancing began! Music was provided by local band 'Black Sheep'. Led by Titch they describe themselves as Cask Conditioned Celtic Rock. I don't know about that but they were certainly superb and brought the party to life.Rapidly the dancing became more enthusiastic and energetic. With their usual passion for making complete idiots of themselves all of the crew took part. Ultimately it became positively lethal with bodies flying around and egos ruined.One thing is certain, they are no wallflowers!During a lull in the dancing Jon stood up (at least we think he did) and made his traditional speech prior to handing out our Rose Bowl. This is awarded each year to the crewmember who has made the biggest contribution to the lifeboat season; either due to bravery, foolery or a job well done. Steve Williams nearly won it for his impressive 3 mile sternboard. The ILB crew came close for having to deal with the aftermath of a rather grizzly suicide. But in the end Jon awarded it to Terry Pond for his huge contribution over the years. Well done Terry. We also took a moment to honour and remember Walt Bishop, three cheers and a gulp of a pint seemed appropriate.And then on with the dancing! The band even became unplugged at one point and roamed the floor as they continued to play jigs.And so! A great night was had by all. I really mean that too. It was superb. Thanks to everyone who contributed and helped to organise it.

By the way, you may notice the lack of hideous drunken shots here. I took many but thought I might reserve these for Facebook?

All a matter of style

There is a well regarded theory in the world of education that people learn in different ways. Indeed there are 3 commonly accepted 'Learning Styles'; These are known as VAK or Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. Visual is to do with seeing and reading, Auditory is to do with listening and speaking and Kinesthetic is to do with touching and doing.

Each person will have the ability to learn in every way but will also have a 'preferred' learning style. I can't remember exactly what proportion of an 'average' population prefers each style, however it is my theory that Lifeboat crews, almost by definition, are Kinesthetic learners. They are 'hands on' kind of people; they prefer doing, active learning and moving about. They are most likely to be heard saying things like: How does that grab you? I have a grasp of the basics. It certainly feels right. I can relate to that.

I got thinking about this on the way to work this morning (dull, I know!) Our 1st Aid course does cater for all learning styles but there is a huge emphasis on Kinesthetic learning. Indeed, out of a total of about 20 hours learning, there has only been about 5 hours spent learning in a Visual or Auditory way. The remainder has been Kinesthetic, or doing. And I wonder how much Paul and the other staff at the RNLI Training College have done this as a deliberate pedagogy? In designing a course for school there is always an expectation that you will provide VAK learning opportunities in direct proportion to the proportion of Visual Auditory and Kinesthetic learners you have. So if you have 20% of your students who are Kinesthetic learners, then 20% of the course should be designed to cater for Kinesthetic learners. I have a suspicion though that this has not been a conscious thought process that Paul has gone through, but rather he has just done the obvious thing. I doubt that the research has been done on Lifeboat crews but I'm pretty confident of what the outcome would be.........when was the last time you ever saw a lifeboatman read a set of instructions?!

I suspect that this is why we are getting so much from this course. None of us are getting bored because, unlike previous courses, we are having our unique learning preferences catered for. Consequently we are enjoying ourselves and learning quickly. I believe the boffins call it 'Personalised Learning'.

And of course this is fundamental to what makes us lifeboat crews successful as 1st Aiders. Kinesthetic leaners can be best described as 'Touchy Feely' and that is precisely what is needed to be a good 1st Aider.

If you're interested in finding out what kind of learner you are try this test. Or if you can't be bothered, ask yourself this question.........when something breaks, do you get out the instruction book, call a friend to talk about it or take it apart?

Big Sick - Little Sick

It turns out that we are guinea-pigs again.........

Paul Savage, the RNLI trainer who is conducting our first-aid course, has spent the last 12 months re-writing the RNLI training handbook for first-aid. If tonight's session is anything to go on he has done a great job. Without doubt it was the most interesting and knowledge enriching (does that make sense?) course I have ever undertaken. I like it because he has thrown out the old textbook stuff and boiled it down to first principles. No longer does he want us to try and diagnose things, he doesn't want us to worry about the injury too much (at least not in the first assessment). What he is asking us to do is look at the symptoms and decide whether someone is 'Big Sick' or 'Little Sick'. Simple! 'Big Sick' = gonna die soon of no oxygen or no circulation. 'Little Sick' = not gonna die.........just yet. And then simply do whatever we can to prevent that death or prevent things from getting too much worse!

I am very much looking forwards to tomorrow evening's instalment. And yes, before you ask, it not only finished on time but in fact about 5 minutes early. Nice one!

Wisdom squared

Behind every operational Lifeboat station is a team of willing volunteers who tirelessly work to keep everything going. Perhaps the two most significant are the Chairman and the Lifeboat Operations Manager:Robin Tiller is our Chairman. He has filled this role for some years now and has been a steadying hand on the helm. His is the thankless task of replying to letters and smoothing the way for events like lifeboat week. By day he is an estate agent but one should not hold this against him. Despite this handicap he still manages to display supreme integrity and work selflessly for the cause.I have mentioned Neil Hardy before. He is the ultimate figure of authority to the crew......our Lifeboat Operations Manager. It is his responsibility to tame the beast that is the crew. For this he earns my unswerving respect.

Without people like these two the lifeboat service would simply fail to function. Thank you!

Party time!

The next major event on the horizon (apart from the annual excitement of our AGM next month) will be our Christmas party (remember the photos from last year?) Well, change of location this year and perhaps a change of theme too. One option was black-tie but it was felt this would be too much of a challenge for some of our crew and guests so we are actively seeking the crew's opinion. One suggestion was a Bond theme.........perhaps the elusive Wenley would care to join us? Anyway.........look out for photos in due course!

Business as usual.

Last night was exercise night and there was a good turn out. Unusually the ALB went to sea with a crew who were all practically fully trained for their roles onboard. This made for a slightly different exercise where the emphasis was more on doing than learning. No more than 1 minute after launching Martin threw an engine room fire at us and like seasoned pros the lads fell to their tasks. And slick it was too. We then ran through some search patterns, the drogue and some boathandling before heading back to the boathouse for a crew-meeting. This turned into something of an epic. As usual we discussed the successes and the areas for improvement in what we do before moving on to crew matters. Well done to Becky who has now completed her Probationary period and is a full on crewmember. Some other, slightly harder, decisions were made. Hopefully these will prove to have been the right ones.

Dulce et decorum est............

All supporters of Swanage Lifeboat will be sad to hear that Walt Bishop collapsed and died on Sunday the 19th of August. He was 75. Walt had a long and distinguished association with the Swanage Lifeboat, joining as a shore helper in 1966. In 1968 he became a crew member on the 41ft Watson class lifeboat 'RLP' and became bowman on the 'J Reginald Corah' when she arrived on station in 1975. Walt continued to serve until he stepped down from the crew in August 1981. During that time there were 707 launches, and 440 lives were saved. Instead of retiring, Walt became Head Launcher until November 1992, and after having to give up this post, he became a regular boathouse attendant, imparting to many thousands of visitors his stories of past rescues, in his own inimitable way. Walt was unique, one of the now 'rare breed' of old lifeboatmen. At all times he carried out his duties with great professionalism, but it was always accompanied with his own distinctive wicked sense of humour. He was a great man, and it was a immense privilege to have served with him on the crew. Our thoughts go out to his wife Ros, his daughters Diana and Susan, and to his grandchildren and other members of his family. (Words thanks to Dave Corben)

Spreading the word

So. Lifeboat week has started in earnest. My task today was to attend the local United Reform Church and give a talk about lifeboating and what it is like being on the Swanage crew. I have to say, I was honoured to invited by Christine Pulleyn and was made (with my family) to feel tremendously welcome. To be honest it surprised me. I had expected folk in a coastal town to be encouraging and interested in our work. However, I wasn't expecting quite the level of gratitude and support which I did get. My thanks to them all.

It was doubly a pleasure because our Coxswain's mother in law is a church elder there. It is always a pleasure to see Gloria.........someone who knows more that most what is expected of lifeboat crews. You see her husband Vic was the Coxswain of our boat for many years.

Furthermore I also had the pleasure to meet God's parents. No, not that God.......our LOM Neil Hardy. Both his Mother and Father were in the congregation and made a point of introducing themselves afterwards. To be honest I was slightly surprised, they didn't look old enough to be Neil's parents! Perhaps beards age you?

Anyway, once again thanks to you all at the URC for making me feel so welcome and appreciated.

Full house

Yesterday, before the exercise we spent some time getting a new crew photo for the boathouse. The weather wasn't up to much but what the heck, we got it done.It involved a fair amount of milling around, laughing and jokingAnd no small amount of hanging about with hands in pockets.And here are a few snapshots from the morning. Here is the whole team, crew, Coastguard, DLAs, Boathouse attendants and guild members.And this was the crew shot, fully kitted up and ready for action!

Old timers

Being a reasonably small community, crew who have retired from the Lifeboat service tend to stay in touch. Seldom is the boathouse open and there is not an old crewman hanging around. Some volunteer as boathouse attendants and are there to show the public around, some just pop in for tea and biscuits whenever they pass. Either way it is great to have them around. Sometimes to share war stories old and new and sometimes just to reflect on the exigencies of the service.

The photo here shows Chris Haw, past coxswain and local dentist chatting with Mike Bonfield, ex station mechanic. Both retired from the boat at about the same time after many years of distinguished service but still maintain a keen presence around the boathouse. All part of the family.

Who's who

Dave, our mechanic is bit of a IT guru. He maintains and indeed built our station website. At present he is in the process of updating the crew info section of this and has asked me to write a short 'Bio' of each crewmember. This is actually harder than it sounds as there is very little about any of our crew which is suitable for public consumption. Anyway, always up for a challenge I've sent each of them a little questionnaire so that I can have at least a few facts upon which to base my lies. So, as a starter, here is the first one I have done, I give you, the one and only, Jonnnnnnnnnnnn Deare (bythe way, the photo is of Jon and shows his good side....):

Jon joined the crew in 1988 so is approaching the magical 20 years service. He is our head launcher which gives him the un-enviable task of trying to tame the kindergarten while we are away on shouts. He claims to have once had a proper job, however, he now lists his occupation as ‘beach hut manager’. We’ve no idea what this involves but suspect that it allows him plenty of time to indulge his favoured pass time of bird watching. When not at ‘work’ or at the boathouse Jon is most likely to be found at the pub, indeed, because of him our exercise schedule is determined by the opening times of the ‘Crow’s nest’. His lifeboating claim to fame is having once shared a stretcher with a labrador suffering from urinary tract failure………mm, nice!