Saving life at sea.
 

I have just watched a programme about the RNLI's work, broadcast on BBC2. A brilliant watch, very brave people doing great things. All sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds, thank God they are a volunteer group, the government can't cut things much.

I have heard a few criticisms about the RNLI, but they are from people who don't know what it does, or how it operates. Few people realise that the RNLI train foreign life saving services, some of them using ex RNLI boats for their own services. It is an inspirational organisation, and entirely dependent on donations and legacies.

It is a service appreciated by seafarers of other flags, not just the UK. When I sailed with Niarchos each ship in the fleet responded to an annual appeal from the RNLI.

Our first presentation of the RINA/IMarEST winter programme here was given m=by Malcolm Vincent. A vice president of the RNLI (and a past President of IMarEST as well).

I had not realised the guidance given to foreign services either however the current campaign which I am duty bound to convey is against youngsters drowning. Drownings occur in truly epidemic numbers.

I point you to the guidance https://rnli.org/safety/respect-the-water

.............but, if I put a quid into a local collection tin it goes straight to Poole HQ not our very local station. So through agents locally when we have money to gift we ask what piece of kit the local boys need and buy it for them.

But as a service they are wonderful people and have my admiration....

geoff

I'm sure I'm remembering right when I worked for CP we had an arrangement for donating a couple of quid, or thereabouts each month from our wages (or salary as some like to call it :wink: )

When the Merchant Navy declined that must have meant the loss of a regular donation to the RNLI ?

i have been involved in two sea rescues where I saved the lives of those in distress. The first was a sinking cat with two on board. It was sinking and they had just fired off the last distress signal when the mate observed it. We took it in tow to, we hoped the nearest port. Alas it was sinking rapidly and we had to bring them on board. They were nearly exhausted and one of our crew had to go down and assist them. It unfortunately sank. A month or so later I received a letter from a law firm indicating the owners wished to sue me as in his opinion I had not made sufficient efforts to save his boat. I thew it in to file 13.
The second occassion was when a fishing boat in the North sea fouled his propekllor with his nets and was drifting helplessly with gale force winds forecast. I located him after a saerch and he asked to be towed to the nearest port. I connected him using our line and proceeded to Blyth. On aproaching tthere one of his fellow fishermen friends came out and towed him into port. I received a letter from lawers again stating that I had towed him at too high a speed and damaged the stem post. At no time did he indicte I was going too fast. Again I told him to get lost. Further to this when we sent in the log book abstarcts to the charter he put us off hire fo the time involved.
Such were my so called good deeds rewarded

It seems that you were unfortunate enough to encounter on two occasions people who were callous enough to try and exploit the situation they put themselves in.

On a much lighter note I was once credited with saving a life, not at sea but in a swimming pool. Somewhere on the West African coast we were in a dingy hotel with a swimming pool out the back. We had a first trip cadet called Spewy Hughey because he could not get his sea legs. We were all well bevied and I saw Spewy dive into the pool. I thought it would be fun to hand him his shirt when he surfaced by the springboard so I grabbed it and ran out. From that perspective I could see that he was in trouble and I dived in and got him poolside. As it happened he lived about two minutes from my home and I was invited to dinner and treated very well by the family. Spewy never went to sea again and I did not call him by that name at dinner though I can't remember now what his proper name was.