Office party

Many of our crew are either self employed or work with just one or two others. For this reason many of them are spared the torture that is an office Christmas party. Both Paul and Nick are in this position, though today, as it was their last day at work before Christmas, I decided to treat them to a little piece of the action and delivered them a mini office party (perhaps stretching the truth slightly...being honest it was a mince pie and a bottle of beer). I think that it was appreciated, at least it was by me! In any case, I think they were relieved to have a chance to stop work for a few minutes and chew the fat.

Busy exercise (and sorry for the delay!)

Right...I'm feeling a little better now so here are a few more details from the weekend exercise.

In a sense Sunday's exercise was a big one for me. Since becoming one of the Stations Deputy Second Coxswains a number of years ago I have spent a lot of time acting as Second Coxswain for the other three (Martin, Rob and Dave) but very little time taking complete command of the lifeboat as Coxswain. So on Sunday I took the boat out for an exercise with my own crew...the sort of crew I would have is Martin, Rob and Dave were absent.

My intention was to give the engines a run, get Gav doing a little navigating and spend a bit of time running Paul E and Kev through a couple of seamanship evolutions with them acting as my Second Coxswains. Of course it didn't turn out like that. Events and colleagues conspired to scupper my plan.


Midway through out little Navigation exercise I overheard Deasy on the ILB talking to Portland about a kayaker which they had spotted in difficulty. It was agreed that they would take the kayaker onboard and head back towards Swanage along with his Kayak. After a brief discussion it was agreed that we would head off to meet them and take either the kayak or the Kayaker onboard. As it turned out we did both as the fellow was a bit cold from his swim.


Having practised this sort of thing last year the recovery of the kayak went smoothly and it was soon emptied of water. In short order it was stowed on the side deck and we returned to the slipway to land both the vessel and the casualty.


We then headed out to continue our exercise. And it was a busy day for kayakers in the bay. This bunch seemed well organised and had the added benefit of safety in numbers.


No sooner had we resumed our planned exercise than we had a 'For Exercise' shout from Portland Coastguard. They had had a report of an explosion on a fishing vessel 1/2 a mile SE of Peveril point. Of course we made best speed towards the casualty and dealt with what we found (burnt crewman, one crewman missing presumed overboard and a disabled boat). Kev and James boarded the boat to administer first aid. We did a quick search and found the casualty in the water, we then brought the casualty onboard the ALB before rigging up a tow to bring the casualty vessel home.

And it mostly went well and smoothly. So...a big thanks to Rob and Dave for arranging that little beauty for us!

One of life's little inconveniences

So, this morning I was helping some farming friends out transporting something in the region of fifty chickens from their farm to a farmer's market. Just as I was pulling out of their drive our pagers went off. So I quickly called them and let them know that they could find said chickens in the car down at the boat-park and to help themselves. I meanwhile jumped on the boat and headed out to sea.



Little more than 15 minutes later we came alongside the casualty, a newly purchased commercial fishing vessel, which had issued a Mayday due to engine failure and the strong tidal conditions off St Aldhelm's head. Both of the crew members onboard were OK so we decided to leave them where they were and place a crewmember of ours aboard to assist with rigging the tow and steering. Steve gallantly volunteered to do the heroics and quickly got things rigged on the heavily rolling vessel.



As the tow progressed towards Swanage, Dave, today's navigator, called Portland Coastguard and requested an updated weather forecast. As suspected this was promising a Force 4 South-Easterly wind which would have left the casualty rather exposed on our mooring. Consequently, Martin made the sensible decision to continue the tow up to Poole where we could guarantee the security of the casualty vessel.

Once at the Town Quay in Poole the vessel was rapidly secured alongside with the assistance of the local Coastguards. We then returned home (minus Paul E who elected to remain in Poole so that he could join his partner for some light shopping).

By about 12.30 we were back in the boathouse and ready for further duties. Textbook stuff.

And of the course the chicken was collected and delivered to the market where it all sold I hope.

Change of scenery

Yesterday morning both boats went to sea for exercise. For a change I took the ILB to sea as Helmsman and took Ollie and Chad along with me. It is essential that I do this every now and then as there are odd occasions when I am required to take the ILB out on a shout.



Chad demonstrated to Ollie how the chart plotter works then Ollie set up a route for me to follow. Once we arrived 'on scene' Ollie then talked me through all of the stowages on the boat to remind me of what we carry on the ILB and where everything is stowed. He was particularly good at explaining each of the various uses of each piece of equipment. He then explained to me each of the ways of recovering a person from the water and demonstrated on me!

Chad then talked us through anchoring and veering in to the cliff, they briefly put me ashore then used the throwing line to recover me from the cliff.



We then briefly went to check on the puffins and took Paul off the ALB to come into on of the caves to get this photo.



On the way home we practised some slow speed transfers with the Mersey. This is a great technique which almost seems to lock the two boats together making transfers of casualties and personnel far simpler.

Then it was back to the boathouse for a washdown and debrief. A good mornings work, and I certainly now feel as if I know my way around the boat as well as I should. Thanks lads!

Lifeboat dog

This is Paul and his work mate Shiloe - the Border Collie.

It's not uncommon to show up at the boathouse and be greeted by Shiloe's black fluffy nose at the top of the stairs to our crew room - and a friendly one it always is too!

I think that 'Shi' rightly owns the title of Swanage lifeboat dog, due to the number of years he has been actively involved with our crew (though this may be contested by others who believe their dogs are more deserving of the title?).  

Though dogs, obviously, can't be taken on the boats, or be allowed to get in the way of winch activities, they do often provide plenty of fun, and of course company, for those who are left behind during shouts or even just exercises.  They are also big supporters of our lifeboat week activities (the dry land ones), which looks set to be another excellent one this summer!

A good servicing

Lifejackets are probably the most important piece of PPE (personal protective equipment) that we have. We have 22 in total, 11 ALB and 11 ILB. Both jackets are made by Crewsaver to the RNLI's spec. The ALB jacket has no natural buoyancy but has 2 inflatable bladders, 1 that fires automatically if the wearer enters the water, the other is fired manually to give extra buoyancy to support another person or help if you're going to be in the water for any length of time. The ILB jacket has built in foam buoyancy and a single manually activated bladder to provide extra support. They are exchanged annually, usually towards the end of February for our station, but we are required to service them every 3 months to ensure that everything is as it should be. If a jacket is used in anger, ie inflated, then it must be serviced before it is made available to the crew again. Monday night is the night that myself, Paul, Skid, Kev and a few others, Mr B, Matt and Ollie turned up tonight, go to the station to do routine maintenance. Given the cold North Easterly wind that was whistling through the station being upstairs in the crew room seemed like an excellent idea.

We usually start with the ALB jackets as they're the most time consuming, complicated and awkward to repack. The first thing to do is to remove the 2 CO2 gas cylinders and inflate the jacket using the oral inflation tubes.

With the jacket inflated as hard as you can get it (this shows the smokers versus the non-smokers!) you can then start to check the webbing straps, the light, the flares, lifeline and the general condition of the material. After about 10 or 15 mins its pretty obvious whether the jacket is losing air or not, if all's well then all the air is let out the CO2 cylinders are re-fitted (failing to do this, packing the jacket away and then finding them on the table where you left them is called 'Doing a Shi' due to the number times that he manages to do this!). Once all the air is expelled and with a bit of careful folding the jacket is back to a usuable state. The servicing log is then signed along with the label on the jacket itself.

Once all the ALB jackets are done its time to move onto the ILB jackets. These are split up slightly as there are 3 that are used just for the ALB slip the only difference is that they don't have the 2 day/night flares fitted. The jackets are serviced in the same way but as they have foam buoyancy there is only 1 inflatable bladder to inflate . . that's good as some people are getting a little out of breath by now!

Once again you need to check the straps, light, lifeline and flares (if fitted). Once you're happy the air can be let out, the gas bottle re-fitted and the jacket packed away, again the servicing log has to be signed along with the label on the jacket. Its always interesting to see where some of these jackets have been and wonder what sort of shouts they've been out on before we got them.


Luckily tonight we didn't find too much wrong, just a cracked flare cap and a light that wouldn't turn off after testing. These were easily rectified and with the extra help that we had tonight all the jackets were done in just under 90 mins, not too bad at all. With that done and no more working Monday evenings this year (I won't make them do Xmas eve and New Year's eve!) we retired to the East Bar.

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?

Full on

Yesterday was a full on day. Goodness knows what has happened but we have suddenly got really busy. Not content with having our time filled with our excellent first aid course we also had two shouts. That makes 4 in the last 5 days! Not your average December week.The day kicked off just after 1000 when Portland requested that the ALB launch to recover a local fishing boat which had become attached to the seabed by a line around his propellor. He was located somewhere near Durlston head and, in deteriorating weather conditions he was freed and towed into the town slipway. In typically pragmatic 'fisherman' style he shot away a fleet of pots as he was under tow! Less than an hour after it all started 'Bingo Lifeline' was back in the boathouse, refuelled and ready for further service.Then at 1900, half of the crew gathered for the evenings instalment of our first aid course. It was a very practical evening. The incredible Paul 'Sáuvage' had designed an evening of multiple casualty scenarios. We took it in turns to respond in teams of six, while three at a time played the casualties and three at a time critiqued the responders actions. And it went very well indeed. With some very tricky casualties to deal with our fine training kicked in and we got the job done. Jo here had a nasty abdominal wound combined with a subtle but significantly large amount of bruising on her chest. Chad meanwhile had a nasty leg wound and was bleeding heavily.Meanwhile John had two very nasty arm wounds and had a 'life threatening' bleed. Paul and Skid skillfully dealt with this. First with direct pressure, then a tourniquet and finally with a pressure bandage. They were able to release the tourniquet after no more than 8 minutes. Superb!Wing-Co played the concerned friend with a nasty gash on the head. Not a particularly worrying injury in itself but in the context of the scenario one more thing to factor into the 'Triage' equation. He was also a pain in the proverbial!

But what amazed me about the evening wasn't our response, rather it was the high quality of the course and it's delivery. Paul delivered 3 large, complex scenarios to a group of twelve trainees and kept every one of them busy at all times. Of course the responders had to be on their toes, but the casualties also had to think carefully and work hard to play their particular injury or illness convincingly. They were also expected to respond appropriately to the treatment given.........surprisingly tricky. And then those critiquing had to carefully note all aspects of the treatment and then accurately and honestly provide feedback after the event. Awesome.Then, to round off a busy day we retired to 'The Ship' at about 2200 for a quick pint before bed. At least that's what we thought. Half a pint later we were all running out of the door in response to a page from Portland Coastguard. We launched both boats into fresh conditions to attend a climber stuck at the bottom of Guillemot cliffs near Dancing Ledge. As it turned out conditions were too rough for the ILB and she was sent back while still in Durlston bay. As the ALB arrived on scene the Coastguard cliff rescue team arrived also. It was agreed that the sea conditions were too rough for a seaward extraction except as a last resort and that a cliff rescue would be attempted. Half an hour later this was complete and the rather relieved casualty was back at the top and we were on our way home. I've no idea what time we re-housed 'Bingo Lifeline' but I got to bed at 0100.

A full on day.........

Essential Kit (Part IV)

A sense of humour. Someone once told me in my Navy days that if 'you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined'. The same certainly applies to being a crewmember on a lifeboat. No doubt much of what we do is rendered significantly more bearable by being able to see the funny side of things. The photo shows the awesomely humorous Jo in the tiller flat (the singularly most unpleasant place to be on any lifeboat) with Paul for no particular reason other than Martin thought it would be fun for her!

I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way,
"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"
(Frank Sinatra)

Real Live Rescue

Some months ago now we spent one Sunday morning exercising in fairly rough weather with some local sea kayakers. The idea was for us as a crew to get used to dealing with the specific issues to be found whilst dealing with a particular type of craft.I also used this exercise as the basis for a short article in Canoe Kayak UK magazine. The idea being to raise awareness of what can be expected from the rescue services and to give a rough idea of what might happen should a sea kayaker have to call the Coastguard.This has now been published and features some great photographs shot by fellow crew member Paul Elleray. I'm delighted with the article and think Paul's photos look superb.........what a talented chap he is!

Free Fallin'

Last night's exercise was good fun. We have had some windy weather recently so the seas out in the channel were pretty big. Ideal weather in fact for some realistic man over board practise and deploying the drogue. Indeed last night it was pretty hard to keep the boat going in the direction you wanted without the drogue. When the seas are reasonably large we also like to go out and just have a good run out to sea. This serves the purpose of giving new crewmembers a taste of the rough stuff but more importantly, gives the boat a good shake up (there's no better way to check if things are working properly than giving them some stick in rough weather). It's all great fun of course but bone jarring when you take off over a larger than average wave and free fall on the other side. In the picture we have just landed; I think Becky is enjoying herself?

And i'm free, free falling.
Yeah i'm free, free falling.
(Tom Petty)

Last night's shout..........

............didn't go exactly to plan. Some time before 10 o'clock, Portland Coastguard had received a report of two men cut off by the tide on Broadbench at Kimmeridge. As it turned out, when the Coastguard 'Cliffman' got to the bottom and spoke to them they were fine......however, by that time we were on scene with the ILB and prepared to take the men off by sea if need be. That said, it was fairly lumpy and there was no way we were going to risk the ILB unless it was absolutely the only way of getting the 'casualties' off. The Coastguard 'Cliffman' had a lengthy conversation with the men and, though they were happy to stay where they were until the tide went out, they also (clearly being sporting types), were happy to be hauled up the cliff on the end of a piece of string by the Coastguard! In many ways this was a text book job on behalf of the Coasties. Seemingly in no time the winch was rigged and the two men were hauled up. A great job, well done. Perhaps the defining aspect of the evening was the incredible spirit of co-operation between the various assets. There were two lifeboats, two Coastguard mobile teams and the Coastguard in Portland involved...........all of whom were outwardly appreciative and understanding of each others efforts.The problems started when Skid, our weekend mechanic, noticed something on the floor of the engine room.On closer examination this turned out to be oil. Apparently leaking from one of the engines.A closer examination by Rob, Paul and Skid revealed that in fact the leak was from both engines and there was possibly also a small diesel leak as well!Luckily this was a job that could be rectified on station by our mechanics so, on returning to the boathouse at 0015, Paul, Skid and Rob began to replace the rocker cover gaskets. they were finished and in bed by about 0230! Well done lads, a job well done. They were however slightly intrigued by the discovery of this bolt and washer. They found them on the Starboard engine just sat there..........How and why they got there no one knows!

Anyway, once again I am off next week. A school trip to France this time. Jo has once more agreed to stand in in my absence so, here's looking at you girl.........

Bank Holiday

It has been a busy bank holiday for lifeboat stations in the South West with launches at Exmouth, Torbay and St Ives to name but a few. The weather in Swanage has been rather wild, talking to the a few of the crew I know that they have been thinking about the changing weather and the restlessness of the sea. Some of the crew have taken the opportunity to go away for the bank holiday, those of us that are left are trying to keep as available as possible to ensure that that there are enough of us to man the boats, should we get the call.

Paul, Skid, Steve, Kevin, Tom, Gav, Dan and John Deas are all starting a two week radar and navigation course tonight which will take place in Swanage in one of the RNLI's mobile training units. The course is fairly intense and consists of seven three hour training sessions, but is an essential part of their crew training. We wish them luck!

Dead Fred!

Our casualty last night was not feeling too well. In fact, by the time we arrived he was utterly lifeless. Wedged among the rocks access was going to be hard. Dave, Coxswain for the evening, chose to use a breaches bouy to recover him. Nick and Jo set this up under my supervision having first anchored.Paul E rowed the x-boat in to the coast. This is harder than it looks due to the tide and the drag from the ropes. Nevertheless he achieved it and soon had the casualty in the bouy.Meanwhile Dave, Jon and Jo advised from the Mersey on how to achieve the rescue.........left a bit, right a bit etc etc!And before long he was alongside and being recovered on board. Sadly our station Dummy, 'Dead Fred', did not survive his ordeal...........Still, I don't think he suffered too much!

Mechanical Monday

Each Monday evening all of our crew who are trained as mechanics on either the ILB or the ALB spend a few hours at the Boathouse working through some planned or routine maintenance. This involves pumping up the ILB, ensuring the fuel tanks are topped off, cleaning, repairing and of course, doing any jobs which Dave is not able to complete during the week due to only having two pairs of hands. Last night was especially busy as D651, the trials ILB, had also been out to sea.Here the ILB mechanics are busy fettling. Jon is lubing the engine and changing the fuel filter, Becky checks the first aid kit, Paul B and Kev are sorting the ropes in stowages and Oli is checking the Oxygen bottle and masks.Meanwhile on the Mersey Dave and Paul E have found a defect from the re-fit, one of the engine room bilge sensors has fallen apart due to a cracked length of pipe. Not a show stopper as there are several more bilge sensors in the space but still needs sorting soon.

Afterwards it was a quick pint and pack of crisps in the East bar.........