Independent Lifeboats UK

[IL-UK]

Show your support to Independent Lifeboats in the UK
Please visit the link in my signature.

Thank you.

Steve

[Simon Hawkins]

Steve

I can second that

Simon

[Tiffy]

Originally Posted by IL-UK

Show your support to Independent Lifeboats in the UK
Please visit the link in my signature.

Thank you.

Steve

Without Independent Lifeboats the Coastguard and
RNLI could never cope. In the Solent alone there are more than 1200
incidents a year. Most are more of a AA type breakdown which require
a tow to a safe haven . Not what Lifeboats are for . At the same time
a simple breakdown can progress to tragedy . Example engine failure
main channel , Container Ship bearing down with limited vis under 3 miles.
Independents often on patrol can offer a fast response. Lifeboats not
allowed to patrol , and crews may have to come from home. Many lives
are saved by Independents on patrol spotting boat in trouble . Quote
from card sent by Yacht Crews we rescued as their Yacht sank. " We
went overboard and you were there ". So you recreational ribbers how
about a paypal donation to Steve of Independent Lifeboats , there members
may save your life one day
Tiffy www.venturers search and rescue.org.uk

[Rogue Wave]

perhaps we could give Independent Lifeboats there own section on the forum?

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by Tiffy

Without Independent Lifeboats the Coastguard and
RNLI could never cope.

I am going to dispute that. I think a better statment might be "Without Independent Lifeboats the Coastguard and RNLI would have to deploy and manage their resources differently".

Your own statement - provides part of the reason:

Most are more of a AA type breakdown which require
a tow to a safe haven . Not what Lifeboats are for .

Perhaps if the lifeboats (RNLI or Independent) weren't quite so nice/helpful (although a cynical person might put paranoid/overzealous there) then (1) people and their boats might be a little less likely to call on them (2) the many other boats in the solent might quite happily undertake east tasks like towing. At the very least people might join SeaStart!

[whiteminiman]

Originally Posted by Polwart

Your own statement - provides part of the reason: Perhaps if the lifeboats (RNLI or Independent) weren't quite so nice/helpful (although a cynical person might put paranoid/overzealous there) then (1) people and their boats might be a little less likely to call on them

I think the RNLI logic (which I agree with) is that it's far better to respond to an "easy" rescue than for that "easy" situation to worsen to a point where it's a Mayday call, which they would then respond to anyway. It's surely a more efficient use of resources to respond early and prevent the endangering of lives, than to wait for the life to be endangered??

WMM

[whiteminiman]

Or in otherwords...

Prevention is better than cure.

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by whiteminiman

I think the RNLI logic (which I agree with) is that it's far better to respond to an "easy" rescue than for that "easy" situation to worsen to a point where it's a Mayday call, which they would then respond to anyway. It's surely a more efficient use of resources to respond early and prevent the endangering of lives, than to wait for the life to be endangered??

WMM

I am not disputing the logic nor that if I was on the crew I would much rather have a few false alarms, or incidents which could easily have avoided being called out than have a delay and then recover the bodies...

...on the otherhand I get the feeling that there is paranoia perhaps in the CG control room which means the life boat gets called out to every incident no matter how minor even when there are other boats around who could intervene. As an example one of our local RNLI boats has had 68 call outs already this year. This includes 15 official false alarms and 13 disabled vessels which could potentially have been dealt with by other boats in the area. I am not trying to knock their work or disputing that they have saved 6 lives this year - but I do wonder whether someone in the control room is a little too keen to call them out... on a fair proportion of incidents they have been stood down before ariving. Since the mid 80's they have been steadily increasing in number of shouts (its now 6x the 1980 level) but actually the number of lives saved has been pretty constant (or falling slightly).

This paranoia may actually make me LESS likely to call the CG and advise them of a minor problem (despite that being the correct, and logical thing to do). I don't want to waste the RNLI boys time unless I actually need help.

[IL-UK]

The coastguard is responsible for rescues at sea. The same as ambulance services I know i work for one, Fire services, Police at lot ofcallouts are not always an emergency, but they have a duty to respond to such calls. Sometimes a call can start off as minor and in seconds turn to a serious call where death can accure, Im sure your all aware of this, like wise a call may not be as serious as first thought. But as ex lifeboat crew myself, I volunteered for this this and never once regretted going to false alarms or even hoax calls, it was my duty to..

The coastguard have a duty to send lifeboats out, not all sea going craft owners have the knowledge to help, some cant even tie a simple bowline and a tow is a very dangerous procedure if you dont know what your doing or if the line you using to tow breaks, hence why lifeboats always use their own ropes..

anyone can get into trouble at sea even lifeboat crews...

Its all to do with the age of blame, your damned if you send a lifeboat out and your damned if you do, best to send one out and be damned for doing something then hung for not...

[Jelly]

I understand where Polwart is coming from we were out on a trip and there was a CG call to assist a dinghy with a broken mast off the eastern end of the Plymouth breakwater. We responded and were asked to proceed. Once we got there we were not the only ones tasked, we all saw the yacht at the same time, who had strapped mast on deck and was proceeding home under his outboard - bemused that a simple radio call he made to the CG that he had broken his mast and was heading in under his own power and he was just informing the CG incase they got any other calls from concerned citizens was treated as such an issue.
There was us in a 5m rib, a 5.4m MoD police searider, an arctic 24 from the Mod Police, a 30 odd foot launch from the Mod Police.
If you thought the over kill was bad enough they then launched the all weather lifeboat after MoD police said it was all in hand and only after life boat had arrived agreed that the helicopter was not needed.
I'm all for the support these teams give but at the costs incurred per launch you do wonder if a few of them are just to make the stats look good for the next funding review!