THE JOURNAL OF THE RNLI X 'olume XLIV Number 455 Spring 1976 THE BEST WEATHER CLOTHING IN THE WORLD •AIRFLOW COAT JACKET LIGHTWEIGHT JACKETS ARE WATERPROOF FREE FROM CONDENSATION 0 ROYAL NATIONAL 2 LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION I Letter of 28 February 1974 0 from Assistant Superintendent (Stores) U • Your company's protective clothing has now been on extensive D evaluation for over two years 0 and I am pleased to advise CD that the crews of our offshore boats have found LU the clothing warm, a comfortable and a considerable improvement The issue of your clothing t is being extended to all of IB our offshore life-boats as replacements are required 9 UJ U Ralph Lee, Technical Editor 'Camping & Caravanning' UJ Z " ... the finest outdoor garments 0 I have ever seen . not just good material and well made. It is the amount of thought that has gone into the design that delights in me ... I give this UJ firm top marks •n U UJ Derek Agnew, Editor of 'En Route' r UJ Magazine of the Caravan Club a ir ca ^ ... I have been giving an the FUNCTIONAL Jacket in extensive wear trial to n outdoor clothing made by Bill Boddy in 'Motor Sport' Kevin MacDonnell in UinJ Functional of Manchester . Photography of May 1975 D All I can say is that one motoring magazine's description •. ... A really top-class " ... My attempts to find the c conscientiously made of Functional as the Rolls-Royce ideaJ photographer's garment have a product ... the Rolls Royce of of outdoor clothing is thoroughly spread over many years ... I bad-weather, keep-warm accurate. If there was a better noticed recently that most outdoor clothing . clearly the best epithet I would use it T.V. Crews had ... a standardised possible for outdoor I have sat fishing without garment . and I was off on the work and play ... *9 moving in torrential rain for six trail of FUNCTIONAL Clothing hours; I have been all day in the middle of windswept lakes and designed made and sold only by ... on a very warm day . I have never experienced the in spite of the two waterproof UJ J slightest discomfort. There are layers there was no condensation . a pockets galore, really strong zips hanging around an airfield on a wherever they are needed and bitterlv cold day I stayed warm. rain and wind could be non It's an all-weather job! existent for all the effect they fFUNijTIONAL i have on you • , The astonishing thing is the UJ For the caravanner who price. It's incredibly well made wants only the best I thoroughly out of top grade materials \ recommend this range. You UJ cannot buy it retail, but only 20 CHEPSTOW STREET This is the best clothing direct from the manufacturer . MANCHESTER Ml 5JF bargain . encountered for years— 061-236 2606/7 D j D 9 Alfred Place Store Street Tottenham Court Road London \VC1E 7EB 01-5804906 U write or telephone for further details CLOTHIMG FOR ACTION FIT FOR FUlSJCTIOrVJ WARM WINTER COOL SUMMEF THE LIFEBOAT Spring 1976 Notes of the Quarter, by The Editor 111 Contents Henry Blogg Centenary Exhibition 112 Lifeboat Services 113 Volume XLIV International Boat Show ... 119 Number 455 Major-General R. H. Farrant, CB, Chairman of the Institution 120 Donaghadee: One of the Guardians of the Northern Channel, by Joan Davies 122 Chairman: Helicopter Rescue, British Airways Style, by J. D. Ferguson 125 MAJOR-GENERAL R. H. FARRANT, CB Profile of the Offshore Fleet 126 Director and Secretary : CAPTAIN NIGEL DIXON, RN Electronic Eyes and Ears, by Lieut. Ernest Gough, RN 128 Around the Coast ... ... 130 Medical Arrangements in the RNLI: Part II, Current Work and Policies, by Geoffrey Hale, MBE MB B.ch ... ... ... 131 Editor: Letters 132 PATRICK HOWARTH Lifeboat People 133 Assistant Editor: JOANDAVIES Some Ways of Raising Money 134 Shoreline 136 „ , Here and There 138 Headquarters: Royal National Life-boat Institution, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 Awards to Coxswains, Crews and Shore Helpers 139 1HZ (Telephone Poole 71133). Offshore Lifeboat Services, September, October and November 1975 ... 141 London Office: Royal National Life-boat Institution, 21 Inshore Lifeboat Services, September, October and November 1975 ... 142 Ebury Street, London SW1W OLD (Telephone 01-7300031). Index to Advertisers 144 Editorial: All material submitted for consideration with a view to publication Advertisements: All advertising en- in the journal should be addressed to the quiries should be addressed to Dyson COVER PICTURE editor, THE LIFEBOAT, Royal National Advertising Services, PO Box 9, Godal- Exercises at sea are part of the regular Life-boat Institution, West Quay Road, ming, Surrey (Telephone Godalming routine of every lifeboat station. On Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ (Telephone (04868) 23675). exercise the crew can familiarise themselves Poole 71133). Photographs intended for with the boat and with her lifesaving equip- return should be accompanied by a ment, and, as a team, practise manoeuvres stamped and addressed envelope. Subscription: A year's subscription of which, on service, may have to be carried four issues costs £1.40, including out in extreme conditions. In this photo- postage, but those who are entitled to graph, taken by Roger Jones, Second Next Issues: The Summer issue of THE Coxswain Peter Gibbons of Lowestoft is LIFEBOAT will appear in July and news receive THE LIFEBOAT free of charge will preparing to fire the line-throwing gun on items should be sent by the end of April. continue to do so. Overseas subscrip- board the 47' Watson class lifeboat News items for the autumn issue should tions depend on the cost of postage to Frederick Edward Crick. be sent in by the end of July. the country concerned. 109 Backbone of the FishingTrade. This was one that didn't get away. One of a thousand million. A thousand million of the reasons why every day and night men put out to sea in all weathers to earn their living. A thousand million reasons why lifeboatmen are needed as much as they are. We at Birds Eye would like to voice our appreciation of the lifeboatmen. We are proud of our long association with them. no lifeboats under construction which are New money expected to be completed this year. As part of its drive to raise new money NOTES OF This is a rate of building which cannot the RNLI organised a series of meetings THE QUARTER now be sustained because of inflation, in November 1975 of a new kind. The and the RNLI plans to order only two Institution's advertising agents, Lintas new Rother lifeboats this year. If the Ltd, kindly offered the use of a reception financial situation of the Institution room on their premises in which a small improves appreciably the number of exhibition of models of new lifeboats by the Editor new lifeboats will be increased, but in was staged. Small groups of influential any event 42 new lifeboats will have been people in the City of London were completed since 1970, giving an average invited and were given an audio-visual of seven new lifeboats per year. presentation of the RNLI's present When the new boat building pro- financial problems. On one evening THE RNLI'S ACCOUNTS for 1975 are not gramme was announced in 1970 it was those present were bankers, on another complete at the time of going to press, stated that the aim was to have a self- they were drawn from the oil industry hut it is certain that expenditure will righting fleet of lifeboats by 1980. and on another from shipping. Solicitors have exceeded income. In other words Despite the proposed pause in the new and trustee bankers, people associated there will he a deficit which will have to construction programme the aim is still with the RNLl's City of London he made good. likely to be fulfilled because of the branch, representatives of overseas The reason for this deficit is inflation, number of existing boats in the fleet interests and the press and television and not any falling off in support for which will have been modified and provided the guests on other evenings. the RNLI. Contrary to some people's altered to give a self-righting capability. The sympathetic interest shown by all doubts and fears the branches and It will still be true to say that, apart the RNLI guests on these evenings, all guilds did not in any way lessen their from the three Clyde class lifeboats of whom were people of standing and activities in 1975 following the big drive which were never intended to have a authority, was extremely encouraging, made throughout the country to raise self-righting capability, by 1980 all and there is already evidence of extra funds for'The Year of the Lifeboat' offshore lifeboats in the active fleet will increased financial support. One in 1974. There has been a gratifying be able to right themselves in the event example in particular may be cited, increase in money received from legacies, of a capsize. although the decision was taken before and Shoreline continues to flourish and the meetings held in Lintas House. This expand. But with the cost of new was the action of the Board of British lifeboats ranging from £100,000 to over An outstanding example of sup- Petroleum as reported in the adjacent £200,000 a deficit was hardly surprising. port from one of Great Britain's column. The RNLl's Committee of Management leading companies is the action of Other appeals are being made to therefore decided on two courses of British Petroleum in making a other sections of the community.