Alarmed to see a boat which ap- peared to be in difficulties in heavy seas on I4th April, a public-spirited Blackpool shopkeeper reported the news to the life-boat station. Raising his binoculars to scan the sea, the boat- house attendant located the casualty.

It was, in fact, the Blackpool life-boat herself, out on exercise with the honor- ary secretary and district inspector.

What the well-dressed life-boatman is wearing on service in the north-east: a white shirt and black dinner jacket.

Whether or not Second Coxswain John King of Bridlington life-boat will set a new sartorial standard for life-boat wear is questionable, but what the second coxswain did not question on 25th April was the call to go out on service while attending a dinner dance of the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club. Still dinner-jacketed, he hurried away to join the crew in taking a doctor to attend an injured man on a Grimsby trawler. Comments from Mr.

M. E. Hodgson, honorary secretary, that he might be "overdressing the part a little" were met with his assur- ance that the dinner jacket would be unharmed with his "oily" over it.

Cromer life-boat station had its first visit from six Icelandic Members of Parliament in April. While in Cromer they watched a combined life-boat and helicopter display, in- spected the no. I life-boat Henry Blogg, and threw many questions to Coxswain Henry "Shrimp" Davies and other members of the crews.

Icelanders, of course, have a life-boat society of their own, with a fleet which includes motor life-boats and patrol- ling rescue cruisers.

On lyth April anxious residents telephoned the gardai. A man was shouting for help from Dalkey Island, they said. Within minutes a gardai patrol car had rushed to the shore to investigate and rockets burst over Dun Laoghaire to call the life-boat crew.

While the crew stood by at the life- boathouse ready for launching the gardai had second thoughts. They listened again. The "calls for help" came from the island's goats..