A MAJOR new boat building programme was decided upon by the Committee of Management of the R.N.L.I, at its February meeting. As anA Sister's Thanks The following is an extract from a letter received by Captain J. B. Jones, O.B.E., honorary secretary, New Quay, Cardiganshire, from Miss Anne Budgett, of Chislehurst, Kent, whose brother was lost from a yacht in Newort Bay on 15th August: 'Our admiration and deep gratitude for all you have done in the search for my brother Robert Budgett is beyond words.

We know full well the appalling conditions in which you were working and the courage and endurance of all the men involved. To go out in such a storm at very great risk to your own lives is heroism of the highest order. Our thoughts will be constantly with you in your heroic work. Will you please give this message to all the men who went out in the life-boat.' Miss Budgett gave the R.N.L.I, two substantial donations in appreciation of the efforts made by the life-boats to find her brother, the other life-boat involved in the search being from Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

Jolly Boys The Gorleston life-boat went to the aid of the Royal Navy in September—ferrying libertymen back to their ship in stormy waters off Great Yarmouth. This 'courtesy' of service began at 8 a.m. when an officer from the frigate H.M.S.Yarmouth faced the problem of trying to get 38 men who had been on shore leave back to the vessel almost two miles out in the Yarmouth Roads.

At the time there was a southerly gale blowing which made it impossible for naval boats to carry out the liberty ferry service, and H.M.S. Yarmouth—which had been paying a courtesy call on its namesake town—was due to sail at noon.

After the request for help, the R.N.L.I, lifeboat Khami was launched and in three trips successfully ferried the naval personnel to their ship.

Concert The Baron's Hall at Arundel Castle, historic home of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, was the setting for a special celebrity concert in aid of the Royal National Life-boat Institution.

Celebrated pianist, Semprini, headed the cast, which also included Mary Murane, the B.B.C.

mezzo-soprano, and the Forest Row Choir.

Annual Meeting The annual meeting of the R.N.L.I, will take place at the Royal Festival Hall, London, at 3 p.m. on 20th April. The Duchess of Kent will present the awards and the principal speaker will be Captain Hans Hansson, Director of the Swedish Life-boat Service.

Life-boat Enthusiasts The address of the correspondence secretary of the Life-boat Enthusiasts' Society is Mr. R.

Foster, 16 Wordsworth Road, Kettering, Northants, and not 14 as given on page 37 of the January issue of THE LIFE-BOAT.

Fraserburgh Relics A propeller and the emergency tiller from the Fraserburgh life-boat The Duchess of Kent, which capsized on 21st January, 1970, with the loss of all but one of her crew of six, have been acquired by Buckie Town Council for their maritime museum.

immediate action orders are being placed for nine new life-boats at an estimated cost of £652,000. This will have the effect of doubling the normal boat building programme for the next two years. It is planned to include lifeboats of the 37-foot Mk II Oakley, 44-foot steel, 48-foot 6-inch Solent classes, a new 50-foot class of steel life-boat and one 70-foot steel lifeboat.

The new 37-foot life-boats will be a development of the existing Oakley type but fitted with a covered steering position and radar. The 50-foot class is being developed from the 44-foot steel life-boat, which is much liked by the crews operating them.

The programme envisaged for the next five years could involve a capital expenditure of about £3J million. In addition to new boat construction this programme is expected to include the fitting of self-inflating buoyancy bags to certain classes of non-self-righting lifeboats, which will have the effect of giving them a once off righting capability. Development of the self-inflatable bags is being carried out for the Institution at the British Hovercraft Corbyporation laboratories at East Cowes. Modifications to the superstructure to other life-boats will give them an inherent self-righting potential.

These various modifications are expected to cost about £300,000.

NEW CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE A new technical consultative committee is to be set up to advise the Institution on different aspects of life-boat design and construction. It is hoped to have representatives from universities and industry, the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Physical Laboratory, the British Ship Research Association, Lloyd's survey department and the National Institute of Oceanography.

The R.N.L.I.'s future boat building programme is being kept flexible to allow time for the new consultative committee to express its views. Also the 52-foot life-boat with a speed of 20 knots which is planned for future construction in glass reinforced plastic, is still under development, and this life-boat, with its greater speed, could well have a radical effect on life-boat requirements and deployment in the future.GRATIFYING SURPLUS It is most gratifying to be able to record that contrary to forecasts the R.N.L.I, had a surplus of receipts over payments in 1970 of approximately £246,000. The dedication of the R.N.L.I.'s voluntary workers is clearly reflected in this result, but a number of large legacies received towards the end of the year also had a substantial effect on the final results. There was also a reduction in capital expenditure, which was partly attributable to boat building delays.

A surplus of £246,000, welcome though it is, must be regarded as only a limited advance towards the large capital sum required in the immediate years. The Institution is already expected to have to raise about £2f million in 1971, and this in itself represents an increase of between a quarter and a half a million pounds over the sum raised last year.

FRASERBURGH LIFE-BOAT At the time of going to press there are no immediate plans for the replacement of the life-boat which capsized off Fraserburgh on 20th January, 1970, with the loss of five of her crew. The Fraserburgh branch committee were offered a new 48-foot 6-inch Solent class life-boat.

Life-boats of this class are already stationed in Scottish waters at Peterhead, Longhope and Thurso. The Fraserburgh committee, however, expressed its willingness to accept a boat of this type only if limitations were imposed on its operations. In the opinion of the Committee of Management these limitations would have had the effect of preventing the life-boat from fulfilling its proper role.

As there is no alternative life-boat available which meets the wishes of the Fraserburgh committee, the station had regretfully to be considered temporarily non-operational.

NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS A former Director of Naval Construction, a Member of Parliament with a distinguished career in the Royal Navy and a Head Office Manager of a Scottish bank have recently joined the Institution's Committee of Management.

They are respectively Mr. John Chapman, C.B., Rear Admiral M. C. Morgan-Giles, D.S.O., O.B.E., G.M. and Mr. W. F. G. Lord.

Mr. Lord has had a long association with the R.N.L.I, having been vice-chairman of the executive committee of the Scottish Life-boat Council as well as secretary of the Edinburgh branch of the R.N.L.I. for the past 21 years.LAUNCHES AND LIVES SAVED BY LIFE-BOATS AND IRBs 1st September 1970 to 30th November, 1970: Launches 581, lives saved 257 THE ACTIVE FLEET (as at 30/11/70) 133 station life-boats 36 inshore rescue boats LIVES RESCUED 93,169 from the Institution's foundation in 1824 to 30th November 1970.