The Royal National Lifeboat Institute - saving lives at sea.

The Headquarters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) is in Poole in Dorset. Back in the Spring I visited it and have been meaning to write a post about it ever since. With the recent sad deaths along our coastline, which have continued this week, it is an appropriate moment to appreciate the many people in the RNLI and emergency services who are willing to put their lives at risk to save others.

The lifeboats at RNLI Headquarters Poole

The islands of Britain and Ireland have always been at the mercy of the sea. In the early 19th century there were 1,800 shipwrecks a year.  It almost became an accepted occurrence and some coastal communities would try their best to help the survivors reach shore. In 1824 Sir William Hillary who had been involved in various rescues formed a  charity for the national institute for the preservation of life and property from shipwrecks. In 1854 this was renamed the National Lifeboat Institute.

Lifeboat at Weymouth Harbour

 In neighbouring Lyme Regis in 1825 a Coastguard Captain named Richard Spence altered a boat by adding airtight compartments and cork fending so that it could be used as a lifeboat.  In 1838 Grace Darling was a lighthouse keepers daughter, who at the age of 22 persuaded her father to row out in raging seas to rescue the survivors of the  wrecked paddle steamer SS Forfareshire. They managed to rescue nine survivors. For a detailed account of the rescue see here. The Darlings were both awarded the RNLI Silver medal for their gallantry.

Grace Darling rescuing the survivors.

In  February 1861 200 ships were wrecked off the East coast. The Whitby lifeboat launched five times to rescue stricken vessels. On the sixth launch a freak wave hit the lifeboat and the sole survivor was Henry Freeman. He was the only one wearing a cork life jacket, that had been recently issued by the RNLI. The design of life jackets has changed considerably since then, this one was so heavy it's not surprising that the other men on that lifeboat choose not to wear it.

 Henry Blogg (1876-1954) was the RNLI's more decorated lifeboatman. He served on the Cromer lifeboats for 53 years. He was awarded three gold medals, four silver medals and the George Cross and the British Empire Medal. During his time at Cromer lifeboats 893 lives were saved, what an amazing achievement!

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In the past the majority of the lifeboat men came were those who worked on boats, as the number of fishermen and sailors have declined it became apparent that there was a need to train those working on the lifeboats. In 2004 the RNLI college opened in Poole and has excellent training facilities. These facilities can be viewed by visitors.

 There is a lifeboat simulator which allows the trainees to experience real life experiences.  It felt very realistic as we headed out of Dover harbour and went to the aid of a stricken oil tanker. It was challenging manouvering the lifeboat in difficult sea conditions. There were many other vessels in the area which added to the difficulties of getting close to people in the water. It really made you appreciate the hazards involved and the conditions they have to work in.

We also were able to watch a practice on learning how to deal with a lifeboat that capsizes in the water. This is likely to be the only chance the trainees will have to experience this, unless it happens for real.

The lifeboat was hitched up out of the water, and then dropped back in upside down. It seem to take an age before they reappeared and managed to turn the boat back over. We had been told that there was an air pocket under the boat, but it still felt scary just watching it. The last lifeboat to be lost was the Solomon Brown in 1981 with all hands on deck, see this moving video.

I came away with so much admiration for the lifeboat men and women. It is amazing that this service is still a funded completely through charity and they receive so much support to keep the service going. They also supply over 1,000 lifeguards who patrol around 200 beaches in the UK during the summer. Some of the cost of the lifeguards is funded by local authorities and beach owners. With the cut backs in public spending over the last few years some of the service has been reduced.

RNLI at Holes Bay

A tour around the RNLI college can only be booked in advance. Their restaurant/cafe here is very popular especially for Sunday roasts and breakfast and it overlooks Holes Bay. You can also stay here (when the accommodation is not been used by the trainees) see here.

How does life saving at sea operate in other countries? There are RNLI museums for Grace Darling and Henry Blogg have you visited them?

Stay safe, until next time.

Sarah x