Due South the Lizard Lifeboat Station the Lizard Lifeboat Station Welcome to the 2019 Issue of the Lizard Lifeboat Station Journal Due South Suggested Donation £2
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The Lizard Lifeboat Station Journal 2019 Due South The Lizard Lifeboat Station The Lizard Lifeboat Station Welcome to the 2019 issue of The Lizard Lifeboat Station Journal Due South Suggested donation £2 Contents From the Editors 2019 was another busy year for all at The Lizard Lifeboat Station, with the Crew Chairman’s Foreword 4 training to maintain their skills, the Visitor Centre Team hosting an ever increasing Coxswain’s Corner 5 number of visitors and the Fundraising Committee organising events and bringing Operations 2019 6 in much needed financial support; all overseen by The Station’s Management 2019 Shouts 7 Group. Crew News 11 Thank you to all the contributors who have helped us put Due South together, The Crew 12 especially the photographers and those who have given permission for children to Respect The Water 14 appear - they are the future of the RNLI. RNLB ROSE 17 Finally, many thanks once again to the people who make Due South possible - Visitors 19 L&S Printing - for their continued support. Events 20 David & Kathryn Issitt Editors Fundraising & Finances 23 Rachel Tonkin BEM 27 Station Personnel 29 Cover Photos: Photos left: Beach Reconnaissance Exercise with Front: RNLB ROSE by moonlight. RNLI Lifeguards. Photo: Steven Legge. Top: Kynance Cove. Photo: Nick MacRae. Rear: RNLB ROSE with a typical Cornish backdrop. Bottom: Poldhu. Photo: Geoff Squibb. Photo: Geoff Squibb. 2 The Lizard Lifeboat Station Picking up the Recovery Gear. The Boat’s Crew are picking up the Haul-Up Spans which connect the Winch Cable to the boat and allow RNLB ROSE to be hauled back into the boathouse. The yellow pole on the left-hand side of the slip is the Recovery Device. This is a piece of equipment that allows the boat to be recovered without anyone on the slip, making the operation much safer. The Recovery Device was designed by our station Mechanic, Dan Atkinson, and has been accepted by the RNLI and is now in use at most slipway stations. Photo: Geoff Squibb. 3 The Lizard Lifeboat Station CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD Welcome to this edition of Due South. I am grateful, as always, to the dedicated team who contribute to and produce this fantastic magazine. I sincerely hope you find this as interesting as I do. This year has been one of change, again, with the departure of our relief Coxswain, Russ Craig, and the welcome return of Andrew Putt, our permanent Coxswain. Our thanks go to Russ for covering The Station whilst Andrew was away on important work for the RNLI. As many of you now know, Andrew will be retiring from the RNLI next year after 35 years of dedicated service. Andrew has expertly guided The Lizard Lifeboat Station through a huge transition including the building of our magnificent new station facilities, the departure of our Tyne Class RNLB DAVID ROBINSON and the arrival of our capable new Tamar Class RNLB ROSE. He has supported the training and development of many new volunteers as well as continuing to work alongside existing volunteers, to deliver a fantastic team ready to get our lifeboat to sea when required. With this in mind I then started to reflect on all the years of dedicated service many of our volunteers, in addition to the permanent staff, have contributed over the years. The record is both astonishing and deeply humbling. We have one volunteer, Rachel Tonkin, who has given 50 years of service, this was recently recognized nationally with the award of The British Empire Medal. Our President, Dr Geoff Wood, has been associated with The Station for 60 years. There are many, many others from 10 to 30 years plus; indeed, our longest-serving operational volunteer has been with us for 38 years and is still going strong! The volunteering ethos is extraordinary and reflects the commitment of the whole team to support the work of The Lizard Lifeboat Station and our commitment to “Save Lives at Sea”. This selfless giving of valuable time to support the RNLI and The Station in so many ways, including Crew, Shore Crew, Station Officials, Fundraising and Visitor Centre Teams ensures The Station both survives and thrives. The RNLI have reviewed how to reflect this service and have instigated a new process to ensure all volunteers receive recognition of their vital contribution. Do visit us at The Station, you are guaranteed a warm welcome from us all. Dr Chris Cuff Chairman Lifeboat Management Group 4 The Lizard Lifeboat Station COXSWAIN’S CORNER As they say, all good things must come to an end! Some of you may be aware that I shall be retiring from the RNLI on the 31 May after 35 years’ service, 34 of those years as a full-time lifeboat crewman. During this time, I have been fortunate enough to have been involved in many activities with the RNLI. Highlights have included taking one of the early Mersey class lifeboats to Norway for the 1992 International Lifeboat Conference, and involvement in the design and trialling of a prototype lifeboat which has now become the Shannon class. I have also had the privilege of being involved with the building of 2 new stations and the delivery of two new boats to these stations. The first being the Mersey class lifeboat RNLB SPIRIT OF DERBYSHIRE to Ilfracombe in 1990 which was closely followed by the construction of their new station. My move here to The Lizard in September 2010 coincided with The Station just beginning to rise out of a concrete slab and I was able to watch its construction to become the magnificent building that we now have. And finally, the delivery of RNLB ROSE to The Lizard in July 2011; a very proud moment for us all and one which will always be very special to me. However, the time is now right for me to pass on the legacy to a new Coxswain. My family and I have been through good times and some tough times whilst we have been here, and the station personnel have also had their fare share of ups and downs over the years but, through hard work and dedication, we have come through these times to become an effective team that maintains the operational readiness of the station 24 hours a day. It has been an honour and a privilege to have been the Coxswain for nearly 10 years, I thank all station personnel for your support, patience and understanding and wish the next Coxswain every success for the future. Andrew Putt The Lizard Lifeboat Coxswain 5 The Lizard Lifeboat Station OPERATIONS Once again, we’ve experienced an extremely busy year afloat, with 21 shouts, 43 exercises and several annual publicity events; the presence of RNLB ROSE and crew at Coverack Lifeboat Day and Cadgwith Regatta was enjoyed by huge numbers. All in all, another very colourful year in the life of The Lizard Lifeboat Station. The star of all events has, as ever, been our Tamar class lifeboat RNLB ROSE. The appreciation shown by everyone for the level of attention required to maintain 24/7 readiness for her primary role “saving lives at sea”, has always been strongly in evidence. It is humbling to witness stunned visitors walk into The Station for the first time and see the magnificence of our boathouse and the beauty that is RNLB ROSE. The commitment of our team is once again to be highly commended. With an ever-evolving training and development programme our crews have successfully completed a huge range of activities in preparation for their roles. These activities have included, in addition to our regular exercises afloat: competency training and assessments, training at the RNLI’s Headquarters in Poole, Casualty Care courses and Lifeboat Trainer Assessor qualifications to mention but a few. Two newer Boat Crew members have embarked on Mechanic training, and two others have commenced Yachtmaster Theory and Day Skipper courses as part of their development plans to gain qualification as Deputy Coxswain and Navigator. I am also pleased to report that I have been joined by 2 new Deputy Launch Authorities. Of particular note for The Station during the past year were two moving events. One involved the very quick actions and selflessness of our Chairman and Lifeboat Medical Advisor Dr Chris Cuff. Whilst sailing near Mylor, he found himself suddenly thrust into action, saving his friend from drowning, for which he was presented with a letter of commendation from the RNLI’s Director of Lifesaving Operations. The other event, was the return to full fitness of our Second Mechanic, Johnny Bray, rejoining the crew at sea after the awful injuries he sustained during a towing incident almost a year before. We salute Johnny and we commend the actions of the RNLI for following it all up promptly with a thorough investigation and some ground breaking improvements to towing procedures and associated equipment. 6 The Lizard Lifeboat Station Finally, as ever, on behalf of the entire team, I must highlight our eternal thanks and appreciation to all our families, friends, neighbours and the community at large for their unstinting support and encouragement for all that we do in our endeavours to maintain 24/7 readiness for the call. WE THANK YOU ALL. Ned Nuzum The Lizard Lifeboat Operations Manager Shouts Details of The Lizard Lifeboat’s 21 services in 2019 are as follows: 25 Mar Requested by the Coastguard to launch and assist a fishing vessel reported to be south of the Manacles with total engine failure. On scene, the Crew found the casualty in a more northerly position and passed a tow for a routine passage back to a mooring in St Mawes.