Saving Lives at Sea

[SmokeAndBone]

AIBU to feel a bit emotional watching this?
I am completely in awe of these RNLI volunteers. Amazing bravery, skill and teamwork.

I'm a lowland search and rescue (everything between the mountains and the sea) volunteer if any of you fancy that.

@Janleverton - Cromer has a fab ramp and is at the end of a pier if you fancy buying two boats...

I volunteered with my local station at 17, 18 as part of my DofE, got a paher and everything, fricking loved it.

The feeling was definitely that we were better off a charity. Yachting and the water attracts a lot of wealthy people who in turn support them very well, being at the mercy of other emergency services' cuts would be awful.

@liquidrevolution Two it is!

I think if I recall correctly the last couple of padstow ones have been entirely funded from one legacy from a woman who was an heiress. I might be wrong though...

A great way to support them is sign your kids up for their junior section - stormforce. It's a brilliant quarterly magazine, with fab content (stats about boats, competitions, cartoons, stories, safety on beach or at sea etc). Plus they get great free gifts when they join.

It's aimed at u11s, but I'd def say younger than that. Only £12 per year, great Christmas gift.

shop.rnli.org/products/storm-force-membership-pack

Please subscribe - we love it! Think blue peter but all to do with rnli.

I think saving lives at sea should get a BAFTA with all the celebs in the audience making a donation to the RNLI.

I am equally in awe. I love when others take note, too.

@respectthewater
We offer that same respect to you, as well.

Ds is keen to join up when he's old enough.
Unfortunately for him we're around 50miles to the nearest sea.
He'd also have to get over his objection to saving the person first then the dog.

Agree, absolutely amazing. All the volunteers that essentially put their lives at risk to save others are the best of human nature. The rnli, mountain rescue, And the many other volunteer organisations we salute you

A senior manager somewhere I used to work was involved in RNLI, and he used to have to leave meetings every now and then to go on a rescue. He told me that the volunteers actually didn't want to be paid staff, because what they can do would be curtailed by H&S at work legislation.

A friend and I were volunteers on a big exercise, based on a scenario where a channel ferry caught fire and had to be evacuated. On the day, the weather was too bad for the ferry to go out, we were evacuated from the boat in the harbour, taken across on the lifeboat and disembarked at the other side, where we went by coach to the emergency reception centre!

They were a fantastic bunch of people, even the firefighters were in awe of them. As am I.