What would you have done?

[Matt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCYADeobHaI

Am sure this has been posted loads before. I'm not posting it to again to say "wow", I'm asking a question - what would you have done?

1. Could you have prevented it occurring do you think? How?
2. Once the event had occurred - would you have had the nouse to keep fighting it, as he did - or would you have bailed out?
3. Once that first "kick" happened - ie before the boat was beached, but after it was already off track - could he have done anything at that point to stop the beaching?

It seems to be that the launch was unfortunately timed - but I think that is mostly luck of the draw. But it seems like there was a pause between the boat entering the water and full power coming on - I wonder if full power much earlier would have prevented it. Was watching the bembridge lifeboat (from inside their hut) launch down their track the other day and I noticed even then that there was a few seconds after the boat hit the water before drive was engaged and the power was on - despite entering the water with the engines pre-warmed and running. So I think there's maybe a lesson there. Full power, sooner? Have drive engaged before as the bow enters the water so you can have full power, if needed, as soon as the props are submerged?

And then once beached. Amazed he got it off. I can't think of anything different he could have done at that point - the only option was full power, probably on both engines. Doing nothing would have wrecked the boat, so there was nothing to lose at that point I guess.

[Poly]

I think anyone speculating what they could have / should have done is kidding themselves unless they've ever driven an all-weather lifeboat (ideally of that class) in those sort of conditions.

[Matt]

That told me.

[Nasher]

I in no way can claim I'd do any better, but I'd give an awful lot to have a try, just to experience going through it.

[Matt]

Yeah, I think Neil thought I was saying "I could do better". Which I'm not.

But it's an extreme case of launching on a lee shore, which is a pain in the neck at the best of times even when it's only "a bit" windy.

And great example of the quality of the kit that it stood up to it.

[Jon Tallis]

Blimey, that was one hell of a recovery from a super-sketchey situation. Superb seamanship. The one curious thing is why the boat went to starboard as it left the cradle? I wonder if he had a problem with the Stbd engine?

[neil.mccrirrick]

Did well to get the crew to the bow. Reckon that provided enough buoyancy to get the stern up. Quick thinking in a crisis [emoji106]

[fastasfox]

Only in a lifeboat would you get away with pointing the stern into the waves....even a rib would have filled up with water and become a dead weight I would have thought. Me I would have fu$%ed it right up....bit the skip in this footage has picked up tips and tricks along his way...class act.

[Matt]

Well. I think lots of hull designs could handle the stern waves like that, although wouldn’t have survived the beaching.

But your point stands, most ribs or hard boats as we think of them couldn’t.

[Pikey Dave]

As soon as his bow hit the beach, the decision was made for him. He either went full astern or lost the boat. Fair play to the cox, he kept his cool & salvaged it. Fortunately he had the boat to do it. Semi tunnelled props & high rudders would’ve certainly helped.

[A1an]

It’s not about how you get yourself in the shit, it’s how you get out of it that counts.