THE JOURNAL OF THE RNLI Volume XLIV Number 456 Summer 1976 25 p THE BEST WEATHER CLOTHING IN THE WORLD •AIRFLOW COAT JACKET & LIGHTWEIGHT JACKETS ARE WATEPPPOOF & FREE FROrV COMOerNJBATIOlM ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE BOAT INSTITUTION 0 letter of 28 February 1974 U from Assistant Superintendent (Stores) • Your company's protective clothing has 0 now been on extensive evaluation for over two years and I am pleased to advise that the crews of our offshore boats have found the clothing warm, comfortable and a t considerable improvement The issue of your clothing IB is being extended to all of our offshore life boats as RNLI style UJ replacements are required U in Dunloprufe 5 UJ a Waterproof Ralph Lee, Technical Editor 'Camping & Caravanning' Chest high UJ fly closed by concealed zip 0 ^ the finest outdoor garments 1 have ever seen . not just and touch 'n' close fastening good material and well made. It is the amount of thought that has Elastic braces id gone into the design that delights Elasticated Waist me ... I give this firm top marks Substantial internal seat, crutch and knee reinforcement 2 UIl a Leg width is adequate for entry of CD Derek Agnew, Editor of 'En Route' •n Magazine of the Caravan Club seaboots and may be reduced 0 Ul" by zip closure of two gussets on each leg — . I have been giving an The FUNCTIONAL r 5 extensive wear trial to SEAGOING OVERTROUSER Zips are heavy duty and incorrodible in I outdoor clothing made by n o Functional of Manchester . a All I can say is that one Bill Boddy in 'Motor Sport' Kevin MacDonnell in motoring magazine's description Photography of May 1975 of Functional as the Rolls Royce • ... A really top class of outdoor clothing is thoroughly conscientiously made ~ . My attempts to find the accurate If there was a better product ... the Rolls Royce of idea) photographer's garment have spread over many years . I •o epithet I would use it bad-weather, keep-warm m 1 have sat fishing without clothing . clearly the best noticed recently that most outdoor H moving in torrential rain for six possible for outdoor T.V. Crews had ... a standardised m hours, I have been all day in the garment . and I was off on the work and play ... ^ H UJ middle of windswept lakes and trail of FUNCTIONAL Clothing I have never experienced the m s slightest discomfort. There are designed made and sold only by ... on a very warm day . pockets galore, really strong zips in spite of the two waterproof wherever they are needed and •a. layers there was no condensation . n rain and wind could be non hanging around an airfield on a 0 UJ bitterly cold day I stayed warm. m existent for all the effect they 1 have on you FUNCTIONAL It's an all-weather job For the caravanner who The astonishing thing is the Ul wants only the best I thoroughly u-\_P recommend this range You price. It's incredibly well made cannot buy it retail, but only 20 C HEPSTOW STREET out of top grade materials direct from the manufacturer ^ MANCHESTER Ml 5JE This is the best clothing 061-236 2606/7 bargain . encountered for years — Alfred Place Store Street Tottenham Court Road London \VCIE 7KB 01-5804906 Counter Sales now at London and Manchester offices Write to Manchester office for catalogue - twenty pence CLOTHItSJG FOR ACTION FIT FOR FUINJCTIOPJ WARM WIISJTER COOL IIM SUrVirVIEF THE LIFEBOAT Summer 1976 /~^ ~ „ 4- /a-fri-fro Notes of the Quarter, by the editor 147 IlLiJ Beaufort Wind Scale 148 Lifeboat Services 149 XLIV Annual Awards 1975 153 456 A Weekend in September 154 Annual General Meeting and Presentation of Awards 156 Opening of new Headquarters at Poole 162 Chairman: Naming Ceremonies: Macduff and Swanage 163 MAJOR-GENERAL R. H. FARRANT, CB Inshore Lifeboats: Handing-over Ceremonies at Crimdon Dene, Hartlepool Director and Secretary: and Little and Broad Haven ... 164 CAPTAIN NIGEL DIXON, RN _, ,. ... Shoreline 165 Invergordon, by Dag Pike 166 Blue Peter Goes to Sea at Beaumaris, by Ray Kipling 167 Here and There 168 Editor: PATRICK HOWARTH Percy Garon, MC GM : Honorary Secretary of Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station from 1952-1975 169 Assistant Editor: A*T-rr*+-i-T-ci.<.-r\n Eye for Detai] in Lifeboat Desig- n 17i-m0 Book Reviews 171 Around the Coast 172 Headquarters: Royal National Life-boat Institution, Some Ways of Raising Money 173 West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1 HZ (Telephone PooJe 71133). Letters i/o Offshore Lifeboat Services, December 1975, January and February 1976 ... 177 London Office: Royal National Life-boat Institution, 21 Inshore Lifeboat Services, December 1975, January and February 1976 ... 178 Ebury Street, London SW1W OLD (Telephone 01-730 0031). Index to Advertisers 180 Editorial: All material submitted for Advertisements: All advertising en- consideration with a view to publication quiries should be addressed to Dyson in the journal should be addressed to the Advertising Services, PO Box 9, Godal- COVER PICTURE editor, THE LIFEBOAT, Royal National ming, Surrey (Telephone Godalming Appledore Atlantic 21 inshore lifeboat breasts Life-boat Institution, West Quay Road, (04868) 23675). heavy surf in Bideford Bay. She was donated Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ (Telephone by RAF personnel and their families stationed Poole 71133). Photographs intended for return should be accompanied by a at Wildenrath, Germany, who raised more stamped and addressed envelope. Subscription: A year's subscription of than £5,000 for the RNLI in just one year. four issues costs £1.40, including Since Atlantic 21 ILBs were first stationed at Next Issues: The autumn issue of THE postage, but those who are entitled to Appledore in the autumn of 1972 they have LIFEBOAT will appear in October and receive THE LIFEBOAT free of charge will launched on service 50 times and saved 30 news items should be sent by the end of continue to do so. Overseas subscrip- lives. This photograph was taken by Crew July. News items for the winter issue tions depend on the cost of postage to Member Clifford Edwards. should be sent in by the end of October. the country concerned. 145 Highly specialised Search & Rescue Craft from HALMATIC The Self-Righting 'Arun' 54' on trial Sets the pace throughout the world. Backed by over 20 years' experience 1. 'ARUN' CLASS 54. High-speed 3. ATLANTIC 21'. Highly developed in fibreglass boatbuilding, Halmatic self-righting lifeboat. semi-rigid inflatable. are established leaders in the design The largest all GRP self-righting Specially designed by R.N.L.I., built and production of commercial boats lifeboat in the world. Over 30 tons by Halmatic for high speed rescue in from 18ft. to 110ft. (5.50m to33.50m). displacement with a maximum speed heavy or breaking seas. Righting Their range of Search and Rescue of 19 knots and virtually unsinkable. capability. 30 knots. Trailerable, craft are built to the highest standards Completed by Halmatic for The launches and recovers from beach, demanded by Authorities world-wide. R.N.L.I, to very high specification. slipway or moving vessel. Exceptionally heavy scantlings con- * Exclusive design, glass fibre hulls, tribute to a GRP construction of 4. 36'Passenger launch with complete deck and superstructures to with- tremendous strength. D.T.I. Lifeboat certification: /Photo stand high impact loads. shows drop trials). * GRP mouldings to Lloyds Register 2. R.N.L.I. 40'. Inshore lifeboat Developed and built by Halmatic as specification. general duties rescue launch. a passenger ship-to-shore vessel, but with also D.T.I, ship's lifeboat certifi- * 2-year GRP warranty. An excellent inshore lifeboat with 24 * Fit-out to Lloyds, DTI, ARINA and knots maximum speed, carrying cation. Speed 10/14 knots. Bureau Veritas Certification capacity for 30 persons, and towing requirements. capability. Suitable to serve also as Halmatic Limited, * Halmatic Design and Fit-out a dependable all-weather pilot, patrol Military & Commercial Division, I- Service available to meet special or harbour control boat with proven Havant, Hants. PO9 1JR. requirements. sea-keeping qualities. Tel: 070126161. Hunting 146 Raymond Baxter spoke of the impor- 'We would rather help to save lives than tance of the voluntary principle in place flowers on her grave.' At the time promoting the efficiency of the lifeboat of going to press The Northern Echo service and of how it enabled the campaign has produced over £4,000 in RNLI to get the best value for money. addition to arousing tremendous new If it were lost, he said, 'the country interest in the lifeboat service in the would certainly be the poorer in the north of England. moral and spiritual sense as well as in Similarly the Birmingham Evening the purely financial sense'. Mail ran a special campaign with the Colonel Crawshaw said that working object of increasing the branch's income in local and central government had and purchasing some piece of equip- caused him to feel depressed by 'the ment for the Exmouth lifeboat City of movement away from the voluntary Birmingham. Again readers' responses spirit'. A few years ago, he pointed out, were strikingly generous, and as a result it had not been necessary to pay some- of the Mail's efforts £2,000 has been one to come to a youth club to make a collected already towards a new boarding cup of tea. 'We could not', he said, boat for Exmouth lifeboat. 'administer the Life-boat Institution from a central source with the same Isle of Wight Appeal enthusiasm and dedication as it is It was also stated in the last number NOTES OF administered on a voluntary basis.' that the RNLI's Committee of Manage- ment had decided, as a temporary THE QUARTER Newspapers in action measure, to slow down the boat building In the last number of THE LIFEBOAT it programme in 1976 and to order only was reported that a series of small two new offshore lifeboats.