Nurdles:

are tiny (about 5mm diameter) plastic pellets. They're the raw materials of plastic production. They melt these down to make all kinds of things and are how plastics are transported in the pre-production stage due to them taking up little space but also being easy to handle.

Sadly they are also a major contributor to marine pollution and are particularly harmful to wildlife (they are ingested and block up the stomach, reducing the space for digestion resulting in starvation). They also have the ability to attract 'micro-pollutants which can then enter the food chain after ingestion by marine life. The main trouble with Nurdles is that they are almost impossible to clear from beaches or the sea. It has been estimated that they constitute somewhere in the region of 98% of all pollution on our beaches. Not surprisingly they take a very long time to bio-degrade.

These particular ones are presently on the beach at Kimmeridge and are suspected to have come from the Napoli when she shed containers further west in the channel. The effects of any disaster at sea can reverberate for many years............

My idea of heaven on earth......

So thanks to Gavin for holding the fort in my absence. I have to say I had every expectation that he would do a fine job. He didn't let us down. So I'm now back and, in the absence of anything happening on the lifeboating front, here are a few photos from Wales.....

On the quayside in Barmouth I happened upon this incredibly well cared for building. The Barmouth Sailors' Institute. Being a sailor and interested in these sort of things I ventured inside and found a real gem.

It was erected in 1890 by Canon Edward Hughes, then Rector of Barmouth who was known for his endeavours to meet both the spiritual and the social needs of his parishioners. It is apparently a rare surviving example of its kind.

Institutes of this type were once common in coastal communities throughout the British Isles. They were important meeting places for sailors and their families and served both a social and educational need. I assume that they were encouraged as they provided an alternative meeting place to the pub?

In addition to the fine Victorian Reading Room which remains very much as it was when built (but is clearly intended to be used judging by the assortment of recent journals and books), the Institute houses a Billiard Room which is still used today.

If I hadn't had the kids with me I might have lost a day or two in there!

You've changed

Charles Bowley, a reader of this blog, mailed this week to say that he had a few photos of the day the Robert Charles Brown arrived on station. The pictures are superb and I will use some more this week. However, this one really caught my eye. This was the crew at the time. How things change! Only three remain as crew now (Martin, Robert and Jon Dear). Of the rest, some remain but in other roles (Dave Corben - DLA) while the rest are enjoying a gentle retirement. They all have significantly less hair and what there is is a more distinguished colour.

Of those who remain; Martin has now lost the slug-like appendage which was hanging on his upper lip in those days and Robert has now passed puberty and become a man!

Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can dream of the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
(Babara Streisand)

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)

Mountain rescue

The 'Today Programme' this morning covered a story about the 'Mountain Rescue' teams of Cumbria. Apparently they have witnessed a massive increase in the number of calls on their services over the last couple of years (Up by almost 100% this year).

The report centred on both the difficulty this has presented for the teams in terms of recruiting and retaining members, and also on the increasing trend for people to call them when they are merely inconvenienced (there was a story of a couple late for a dinner party calling for a helicopter!)

The chap being interviewed made the comment that team members' employers had begun to say that enough was enough and insist that they took time spent on rescues as annual leave. Naturally this then created problems with members who found it increasingly difficult to balance work life, rescue work and family commitments. Thankfully this is not something that I have heard of in the lifeboat service but it did get me thinking just how much we rely on the generosity and understanding of our employers, co-workers and families to do what we do.

So to you, our unsung and unrecognised supporters, a big thanks for all you do.

Adventurous living

Being an adventurous sort of a person, I have ambitions to wear more rubber this year. I also plan to wear more lycra. Being the season for making oneself daft promises I've decided to take part in the Swanage Triathlon in August. Now I'm a competent runner and we can all cycle (can't we?) However, I swim like a brick! Should be fun.

On a related note. I'll be doing this to raise money for the lifeboats. Watch this space for further details. Also, I have a shortage of the necessary equipment. So if you have any spare Triathlon kit lying around (or would like to sponsor kit!) that you are willing to donate to the cause it would be gratefully accepted. I'm large (6ft, 34inch waist) and specifically need: a triathlon wetsuit, goggles, a triathlon race suit, size 11 cycling shoes, bike helmet and tri-bars for a racing bike. Worth a try!

We are exercising tomorrow so be sure to visit for the first sight of the Robert Charles Brown at sea in 2008.

In the Bleak Midwinter

At 0505 this morning the Met office were forecasting a typically grim wintry day in the channel:

Thames Dover Wight Portland Plymouth:
East or southeast 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in Plymouth. occasional rain or sleet. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

As I looked up from my breakfast I noticed this fellow crossing the bay heading out into what is bound to be rougher weather. Stood on my decking the temperature was 0 degrees but felt like minus 5 in the 20 odd Mile per hour winds.

I hope he has a fair passage.

The pilot he looked out ahead
The hands on the cane and the heavin' of the lead
And the old man roared to wake the dead
Come and get your oats me son

Oh, now we see the lizzard light
Soon, me boys, we'll heave in sight
We'll soon be abreast of the Isle of Wight
Come and get your oats me son
(Whup Jamboree - Traditional Shanty)

And a happy New Year!

So, the New Year has arrived without a hitch (or shout even). Last night was a quiet one for me, no over-indulgence thankfully so this morning arrived bright and cheery. We had visitors coming for the day which was fun. All the way from Denmark as it happened with two young boys. Short of something to do for a couple of hours we took a stroll down to the boathouse. I think it's fair to say we now have a couple of dedicated Danish supporters of the RNLI!Morton and Espen loved being in the ILB and trying on a couple of Gecko helmets. Indeed it was tricky to prise them away from it.They each had a go at driving the Mersey.You could see the steely glint in their eyes as they imagined taking part in some huge heroic lifesaving effort!Before we left all four of the kids jumped into the 'rescue dinghy' for a play......good old-fashioned fun.

Perhaps not surprisingly as we walked home Espen declared that he wished to be a Lifeboatman when he grows up. Do we allow Vikings to serve as crew?

Happy New Year everyone. Here's hoping it's a good one.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Well, Merry Christmas everybody from all of us here at Swanage Lifeboat. Thanks for all of your support over the last year. Thanks for coming to read this, for letting us have your comments and for all of the kind messages you have sent. Spare a thought though for those crew at Poole, Fowey and Amble who have all launched within the last 24 hours. Lets hope that they are now safely tucked up in their homes enjoying some Christmas cheer.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
(Henry W Longfellow)

Thanks?

Well, I'm not sure whether to thank Dave for his efforts or not. I've certainly enjoyed reading what he has to say, however, can I ever forgive that picture being shown the light of day? I seem to remember Jo did something similar to me in May. Perhaps I should ditch the idea of guest bloggers?

Anyway, I'm back in the hot seat and preparing for a quiet Christmas. I hope. At least I say quiet......of course.......as is the tradition in these matters my Mother-in-Law has landed. Some say she can hear you think. Others believe she can spot a false smile at a thousand paces. All I know is, she's here and she's staying for Christmas.

Wish me luck ;-)

Winter solstice

They say you learn something new everyday. Today is the winter solstice, I couldn't remember whether it was the 21st or 22nd of Dec and that's because it changes! Have a look on Wikipedia for more info.

Anyway today is my last day in charge of John's blog and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your comments and Christmas wishes, to thank you for your interest and support of the RNLI and Swanage Lifeboat Station and to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I seem to remember a comment on here a while back asking whether boat windscreens ever need de-icing . . . I think this might answer that question.

This is Fraserburgh Lifeboat on her mooring, perhaps our crew will realise how lucky we are to keep our boats inside out of the weather!

Over to you John . . . .

Mind your head

Today has been a pretty quiet day at the lifeboat station, other than Neil our LOM arriving with 30 bottles of wine! Every Christmas Mrs Phyl Cleare gives each of the crew a bottle of wine. Mrs Cleare is the lady who bought us our first D Class, Phyl Clare II, along with her late husband, Jack. She also bought our current D Class and it is named Jack Cleare in his memory. Thanks Phyl and Happy Christmas from all at the station.

I was also expecting my line manager, Dave Page (Divisional Engineer/South) to come and visit today for one of our P&D (Performance & Development) meetings but he suffered a blow out in the outside lane of a dual carriageway on his way up from Cornwall and he needed to return home to steady his nerves and possibly change his trousers! Anyway this gave me a chance to get a few things done at the station.

Over the years the RNLI has had various different types of helmets ranging from bump caps to motorcycle helmets. More recently though we have been using helmets produced by Gecko Headgear. These started off as the Mk8, then the Mk9 and most recently the Mk10 (left to right Mk8, Mk9, Mk10)

At first glance they look pretty similar but they are very different. The Mk8 was available in XS, S, M, L, XL and XXL and as a result everyone had to have one of their own that was the right size. They were also pretty uncomfortable and I never really had one that fitted me properly. The Mk9 was a great improvement, there were 2 sizes, Small and Normal. A correct fit was achieved by fitting different thickness pads into the helmet, 3 different thicknesses were provided and within 5 minutes you had a pretty comfortable fit. The drawback was though that you still needed one each.

The introduction of the Mk10 though changed all of this. It is fitted with an inflatable liner that moulds to your head, simply opening a valve on the end of a tube allows the wearer to adjust the fit. This means that there is no need for people to have helmets of their own as they can be adjusted to fit very quickly.

As I was going to have to order 5 new helmets for newly enrolled crew at a cost of £160 each it seemed like an excellent time to rationalise the helmets at the station. Previously some crew have had 2 helmets, 1 for the ALB, 1 for the ILB this was due to the fact that they are stored in totally seperate places and ILB helms had intercom wires that just get in the way if you're not plugged in. So after talking with Martin the Coxswain and our Divisional Inspector we decided to change the system completely. We decided to put 8 helmets aboard the ALB, 6 in the ILB shed and 3 for the ALB shore crew. This meant that we could send 9 helmets to another station in our Division and send the remainder back to Poole for re-allocation although its unlikely that the Mk8 helmets will be re-issued as they are pretty much at the end of their working life now.

Ensuring that the money people give us is put to best use can be a bit tricky but in this case its just a case of using your head!

Look out for tomorrow's post . . its someone's birthday . . someone who has a blog but currently is not in control of it . . someone who is going to be nearer 40 than 30 . . I'm saying no more!

Spare a thought

This is Becky. At this time of Christmas cheer and goodwill towards men (and women?) she is homeless. Or more precisely, she has a home which is uninhabitable due to the inefficiencies of local workmen (who are very good but work to a slightly different timescale to many other people). So what I thought was this........how about we auction poor old Becky to find her a home for Christmas? The highest bidder can have her for the Chirstmas period and return her in the New Year........rest assured, she doesn't eat much and is quite good with the dishes.

Who'll give me a camel and two goats to get the bidding going?

On the blink

Given this year's spate of shouts to climbers, I thought I'd share this photos of my friend Heather climbing earlier this year. It's good to see that she's taken the health and safety notice seriously! Can you guess where she is? There's a free tour of our boathouse for whoever gets the answer correct.

It's funny how you don't give modern appliances a second thought until they cease to work. This morning, as I was writing today's post, my computer screen at home blinked then died (contrary to popular opinion I tend to write my posts at home in the morning, save them, then proof read them during break time at school). This didn't seem good, particularly as there was a very strong burning smell coming out of the top of it. I turned it off and stared blankly at the dead screen. And I'm gutted, it's been a part of my life for 4 years and now it's gone.

Still, looking on the bright side I've just ordered a 19" flat screen thing so it's not all doom and gloom. Let's hope it arrives quickly.

Talking of work, it's now only 3 days until the holidays. Mother has issued her usual summons from Whitby so I will be away next week visiting Yorkshire. This should give me a chance to visit the boathouse there and have a chat with Glen about recent events on Whitby Lifeboat. In my absence Dave, our Mechanic, is going to be a guest blogger for the week. The good news is he knows how to use a computer and take photos. The bad news is I've no idea if, being a mechanic, he can string more than a couple of words together at a time. We'll see!

The weather here is bitter just now, -4 degrees this morning. It should make tonight's exercise a fairly crisp affair. Superb.

Rubber ring

Even a Lifeboat can sink. It has happened too many times in the Institution's history to take it lightly. Lifeboats routinely take to the seas in conditions which have everyone else scurrying home to port, so they need to know that if the worst happens there is a plan B. On modern lifeboats this plan B takes the form of a sophisticated rubber ring, known in the trade as a liferaft. Ours sits in a little slot on the back deck and can be deployed rapidly by one man or woman. Ours has just returned from 'Cosalts' in Lowestoft where it has had a service. I hope that this will ensure that it is in top condition. It should include an inflation test, repairs as necessary, replacement of flares, batteries and other perishable stores. Of course, even in prime condition, a liferaft is one of the very last places one would want to spend any time at all. Indeed, even in the Survival Pool at the Lifeboat College, crewmembers under training routinely throw up!

In his usual diplomatic way Dave, our mechanic, has corrected me on some of the details of what happens to our Liferafts. I stand corrected!

Why don't you check before you write this stuff! :o) The liferaft that you have pictured there has arrived freshly serviced from Cosalt and will be swapped with the one on our boat when she returns from Poole. This raft will be with us for 12 months and then the same thing will happen again. Once I've changed them over the one on our boat will go back to Cosalt, be serviced, inspected etc, given a 12 month ticket and sent out to replace another raft somewhere . . and so the cycle goes on. DT

Private

Not many people know this, but I love beach combing. In particular I enjoy collecting any sort of buoy or fishing detritus. I've just collected this particular specimen from the rocky foreshore at Peveril. It boasts the letters 'RWYC 22 Private'. I suppose if I wanted to I could track down it's owner and return it............as it turns out, I don't want to.

On another note, thanks very much to all of you who have recently (or in deed not recently) given a donation through the Justgiving link. The total has shot up over the last few days and I am enormously grateful. If you count the 'Gift Aid' contribution from the government you have now donated over £420. Fantastic. The reason I chose £1000 as a target was that this is the amount it costs to train one Lifeboatman. Wouldn't it be nice if I was self funding?!

New home

Some time ago I posted about the difficulties that the Swanage Coastguard Rescue team were experiencing finding a new home. They have now achieved this by gaining planning permission to build their new Coastguard Rescue centre in the North beach carpark in Swanage.

As is the way with these things, many folk don't like the idea. To call it NIMBYism is perhaps unkind, however, there was opposition to the plan for a number of quite valid reasons. Nevertheless, the planners have now awarded full permission and this can only be a good thing for those needing rescuing on our patch. Good luck to you fellas...........I hope the build goes smoothly.

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?

Christmas Cheer

A request from Tamsin Thomas, our Divisional Media Relations Manager for Christmassy lifeboat stories led me to unearth this from our archive. I remember this vividly as if it were yesterday. I guess Christmas day shouts are unusual?

On Christmas day 2002 at 1125 in the morning Swanage Lifeboat Crew's Christmas celebrations were rudely interrupted as a Launch request came through from Portland Coastguard. A woman had become trapped after attempting to rescue her dog which had fallen down the cliff about 250 yards away from the lifeboat station. The crew was asked to stand by with both boats while the woman and her dog were recovered from the cliff by the Coastguard cliff rescue team. Both the ALB and the ILB lifeboats launched and made their way towards Durlston Bay. The woman was clearly visible and appeared to be uninjured and in a stable position. The ‘D’ Class lifeboat ‘Phyl Clare’ went close inshore and relayed messages to the woman with a loud hailer. The Cliff rescue team soon had their equipment in place and the woman and her dog were hauled back up the cliff to safety. With the casualty at the top of the cliff both lifeboats were released and swiftly returned to station. After a quick wash down the crew wished each other a happy Christmas and were able to return to their waiting families at 1205.

As the page came through from Portland Coastguard I was just preparing our festive Goose for the oven before heading out with the family for our traditional Christmas day bike ride. Consequently I was dressed head to foot in Lycra and looked nothing like the expected image of a lifeboatman. I abandoned both the Goose and the family and rushed to the boathouse to be greeted by howls of laughter from the crew! On my return I was horrified to discover an uncooked Goose sat exactly where I had left it………….I am the only member of the family who can cook. We had sandwiches for Christmas lunch and a well deserved Goose for supper!

Old habits and boxing glove hands

Tonight we went straight into a whole load of scenarios based upon various 'illnesses'. Like seasoned pros we went straight into them, feet first, and began to try diagnosing what was wrong from the symptoms. Not surprisingly we faltered and stumbled and tripped every step of the way. Paul coined a phrase; we were struggling with 'boxing glove hands'.To begin, Skid was ill, he makes a good patient 'cause he has a natural tendency to look poorly!I got to pretend to be a 'bent diver' (that is, a diver with the bends). I was only allowed to breath once every 13 seconds.Then John acted out a Diabetic who was Hypo. And very convincing he was too (think drunk and randomly aggressive), a bit of type casting perhaps?

After a few more faltering scenarios we stopped and examined what was going right and what was going wrong. And the verdict? Well, we hadn't killed anyone but we were not doing what we had been taught. We were forgetting the assessment and trying to diagnose rather than treating the symptoms. So we had a sharp reminder to stick with the assessment no matter what. Guess what? It all started to work again. Great!Nick and I then got the pleasure of Matt after a stroke. We stuck to our assessment and it worked. We treated the symptoms and ultimately figured out what was the matter with him. Very satisfying.