Editor JOHN FENTON Masthead Design NICHOLAS SHILABEER Printing KINGFISHER May 2012 Issue 14 Production JEFF COOPER been to incidents there. But how many do you think were in the river North of the Higher Ferry or to incidents out in Start Bay? Question 1. North of the Higher Ferry A: 15-20%. B: 20-25%. C: 25-30%. or D: 30-35%. Start Bay A: 15-20%. B: 20-25%. C: 25-30%. or The Spirit of the Dart out on a shout Photo by Andy Kyle Photo by D: 30-35%. Of the ninety nine vessels we have launched to assist 52% have been What have we done? motorboats, but sail craft are not far After four and a half years we have the fundraising side that it is difficult to see behind at 37%. The latter have required enough records to look back and see how we could all keep up without it and assistance for a variety of reasons. Crab how reality is different from our initial the weekly summary that follows. pot lines round the prop have entangled expectations. I for one imagined that after An observation from Dartmouth Coast three. Capsizes accounted for another the initial rush of enthusiasm the need for Guard Station Officer Andy Pound who pair. Two more sprang leaks and a third training and commitment to it would fall said that “in the two years before there ran aground. One single handed sailor away. In fact the time on the water has was a lifeboat on the Dart the land based had simply fallen asleep and was drifting remained remarkably constant. This is CG Teams would have benefited from the onto rocks. partly because some crew have left for a services of a boat on 50% of their callouts” variety of reasons and new members have was one of the pointers towards the need Question 2. What was the length of the joined and require training. Training of the for a lifeboat here. In the event 28% of our largest yacht we have been called to? current crew is an ongoing process. launches have been involved in searches, It was hard to foresee in 2007 how the almost invariably in association with land A final question – How many times pressure to find and stay in work would based coastguard teams from Dartmouth have we rescued the same boat? require even the most committed to move or Berry Head and with other Emergency away. services, such as the Police. If you want a tie breaker – how many The attendance at the weekly crew The percentage of people and boats individual inshore lifeboats have been meeting has also remained undiminished. at risk has naturally been highest in the on service from the Dart lifeboat station There is so much happening in area of the Dart estuary which includes this Century? Operations, Education, Sea Safety and on the harbour itself. 45% of our calls have For the answers see Page 7 Annual stats Crew hours at sea LB Station 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 name Services Exercise Total Services Exercise Total Services Exercise Total Services Exercise Total Services Exercise Total (proper) Dart 3.24 123.56 126.80 102.86 525.46 628.32 156.88 448.67 605.55 163.56 490.56 654.12 219.49 452.95 672.44 A charity registered in England Scotland and the Republic of Ireland www.dartlifeboat.org.uk Launches since November 2011 No. Date Assisted Location / Description Search area. 136 11/11/11 1 adult Dartmouth A middle aged holiday maker had become very short of breath whilst on a yacht Friday life saved harbour on the Kingswear trots. The condition had not responded to his own medication 19.48 and he requested medical help. The inshore lifeboat attended and he was assessed and treated by the paramedic crew member. He was given oxygen and transferred by lifeboat to a waiting ambulance on the Higher ferry slipway for onward transfer to Torbay Hospital. 141 09/03/12 3 adults Mouth of the The 31ft Moody yacht Viadante was on the final leg of a training week with a Friday Dart local skipper and two crew on board. She began to take in water through the 11.57 stern gland and propeller shaft and the lifeboat was asked to shadow her to her berth at the Darthaven Marina in case of complications. This was achieved without incident. The lifeboat was unable to launch from her usual slip next to the Higher Ferry due to the extremely low tide. The tide had fallen to less than 0.4m with half an hour to go before low water. Launching from the Lower Ferry slip was achieved without incident although the lifeboat could not be recovered for another one and a half hours after she had left the casualty. She was placed back on service whilst still on the water. Launch 141 was the second to a vessel transferred another pump from a yacht and keep a donated 2inch petrol driven pump taking on water. In October 2010 a then towed the yacht to Darthaven Marina for emergency use. 30ft yacht on the deep water moorings for a lift out. An account of all launches, along with developed a leak and the crew called for At weekends and after hours the DHNA positional data, photographs, timings and assistance. On that occasion the Dart workshop is not open and it was agreed by weather conditions can be found on the Harbour Authority salvage pump was the Divisional Inspector that, exceptionally Dart RNLI station web site whose address available and was used. The lifeboat for a station with only an ILB, Dart could is at the foot of the page. RNLI was PALM fm Charity of the year. to teach the children about safety at sea and received a visit from one of the RNLI team members. The campaign got off to a great start with over £2000 being Jennie Park raised on just one Sponsorship & Promotions Manager, day! Producer & Presenter Many sporting Photo by Andrew Park Photograhpy Photo by activities followed, we have continued our promotion of the Neil Cripps (Teignmouth),Jennie Park (Palm fm), including the Palm RNLI in South Devon with both me and Adam Fowler (Torbay) and Darren Hopley (Dart) fm Cricket and breakfast presenter Ben Moseby taking Football teams part in the RNLI SOS Day in January. Palm 105.5fm has been very pleased to taking on local teams across South Devon Through the help of Brixham Cricket Club support the RNLI in South Devon during in aid of the RNLI. This was followed we were able to donate over £1000 to the 2011 as our nominated Charity of the Year. by our annual bowling night and then on Brixham branch, which helped to meet the Our goal was to raise £5000 with the help Tuesday 4th of October seventeen local £10,000 target set to buy new life jackets of our listeners to go towards training a teams took part in a two game bowling for the crew. new member for each of the RNLI teams challenge. We look forward to continuing our in Dartmouth, Brixham and Teignmouth. We are delighted to have been able to support of this fantastic local charity in We launched the campaign in March raise in excess of the £5000 goal we set at 2012 and thank all of our local listeners 2011 with a non-uniform day in more the beginning of the year, and have been for their wonderful participation in than twenty local schools. Many of the very pleased to fund the training of Dart 2011/12 and look forward to joining in and participating schools took the opportunity crew member Darren Hopley. In 2012 organising events in the future. ● www.dartlifeboat.org.uk www.youtube.com/dartlifeboat Blue water pedigree: Local boy, 80 sets sail for the Azores in aid of the RNLI Dart Lifeboat Spirit of the Dart. Born and bred in his home port of Dartmouth, Dennis Courtney is no stranger to the sea. Starting out as a Fitter and Turner with Philip & Son, where he met local Kingswear girl and wife-to-be Thelma, Dennis moved into the drawing office as engineer draftsmen in 1947, before stepping aboard with Shell Tankers in 1952 for 4 years on the ocean wave. Another 3 years as chief engineer for Metcalf Motor Coasters saw Dennis graduate to blue water life before a growing family took him back to ship building. Dennis is proud Skipper and custodian of the fine-lined and beautifully proportioned Quadrille; an exemplar of the Camper & Nicholson stable. Her modest length of 31 feet a solid testament to the Photo by John Fenton architects who drew her back in 1975, and Fitting out at Darthaven her exceptional condition a reflection of Dennis’ own skilled hand and passion for 21, James grew his craft. With over 70,000 nautical miles up in London and registered on her log since acquiring her in moved to Devon 1984, Dennis has covered nearly as many to get closer to miles in his 31 footer as he did as an the sea; more engineer on tankers, probably more, and recently ditching certainly with a few more stories to tell! his paint brush This is Quadrille’s third visit to the and tile cutter for Azores, the last seeing Quadrille beat hard the engine bays to windward in a gale on the outward leg and gleaming only to become desperately becalmed topsides of charter and surrounded by a shoal of Whales for yachts in the Greek the best part of two days on her return islands.