Lifeboats less then 10 metres long (C and D class inflatables and 21 ft Atlantic rigid inflatables) now carry out more than 55 per cent of all the RNLI's service calls, and with more than 135 boats of these classes now on station, and a number in reserve, the fleet can only operate efficiently if it has an efficient back-up service - and that is exactly what the RNLI's Cowes Base on the Isle of Wight is designed to provide.Over the entrance to the base is a sign pro- claiming 'Royal National Lifeboat Institution Inflatable and Rigid Inflatable Lifeboat Test, Maintenance and Development Depot'.

Hardly a snappy title, but one which does sum up the work of Cowes Base.

The RNLI's connection with Cowes is a long one, dating back to 1913, when J. E.

Saunder's yard was first contracted to build a number of pulling and sailing lifeboats.

By the end of the 1920s lifeboats were being built at several yards on the river Medina, and the Institution first opened its Minerva Yard at East Cowes in 1930, to act as stores and offices for the overseers responsible for the boats being built nearby.

New role The importance of the Cowes office had declined by 1966, as the pattern of lifeboat building changed, but the yard found a new and most important role as the old one waned.

The RNLI had introduced its first inflatable in June 1963, to cope with the growing number of people getting into difficulties close to the shore, and the number of 'inshore lifeboats', as they were then known, grew rapidly.

In early 1967 extra space was obtained at the Minerva Yard as the first step in establishing a centre to look after this new breed of lifeboat, and Cowes Base began to repair and maintain the new boats.

The site was enlarged and facilities added piecemeal as the volume of work increased, and until December 1988 a large number of buildings, both permanent and temporary, were dotted about the yard to carry out almost every aspect of work on the growing fleet.

A modern workshop unit was built in 1969, and subsequently extended to house the outboard engine section and Atlantic 21 construction work, and in December 1988 many of the other facilities were brought under one roof when a new, purpose-built building came into use.This provides stores and other facilities for the staff at the base and includes classrooms and drying rooms for crews on training courses at the centre - which will free the lifeboatmen from treks from one training Portakabin to another.

Many of the portable buildings will now be removed to give much-needed extra working space at the yard.

Specialised The work at the base has expanded steadily from the early days when it was responsible for repair and maintenance, and many of the C and D class inflatables now first see the light of day as a lifeboat at the Cowes base.

All of the twin-engine, 17ft 6in C class boats are bought from Zodiac as bare hulls and delivered to Cowes to be fitted out and equipped fortheirspecialised role, and many of the 16ft 3in D class boats are supplied by Avon Inflatables in the same form for completion at Cowes.

Major items like engines, radios and flexible fuel tanks have to be fitted, and a host of minor items from fire extinguishers to knivesand spare propellers have to be fitted in tailor-made stowage pockets, so that they are held securely until needed, and then available for use in the minimum time.

The work carried out at Cowes is exacting, and quality control has to be high to ensure the reliability of the boats and equipment in the demanding conditions they experience.

Facilities range from engine and equipment workshops to temperature- and humiditycontrolled rooms for moulding GRP and gluing the rubberised fabric.

All of the larger Atlantic 21 class rigid inflatables are also assembled and maintained at the base. The inflatable sponson is provided by Avon Inflatables and the GRP section of the hull and centre console are moulded by Halmatic before the parts are brought together and assembled at Cowes to form the basic hull.

Essential Additional mouldings are either bought-in from outside suppliers or manufactured in the base's own GRP moulding shops, and fitted to the boats as they take shape.

The console on which the three-man crew sits and and the special 'roll-bar' for the selfrighting system are two of the major components, but floors and fuel tanks also have to be installed, and there is a host of smaller mouldings and many small but essential items of equipment to be fitted.

The outboard engines which power all inflatable and rigid inflatable boats are also maintained and installed at the Cowes base.

The 40hp Mariner engines for the smaller boats have been modified to provide an enhanced re-start capability if the engine is swamped or inverted, and the twin 50hp Evinrude outboards fitted to the Atlantic 21 are inversion-proofed at Cowes before being fitted to the boats.

This complex inversion-proofing system was designed and developed by the staff at the base, and provides the crew with instant re-starting ability in the event of a capsize.The system ensures that when the boat reaches a 90 degree angle of heel the air and fuel inlets are sealed, and do not re-open until the lifeboat is upright again.

The gas-inflated righting bag on the roll bar which brings the boat back upright is another feature designed and developed at the Cowes base.

'The site was enlarged and facilities added piecemeal' Apart from the design, development and building Cowes base also undertakes the annual surveys of the smaller boats and the three- or four-yearly surveys of the Atlantics, undertaking any repair and replacement needed.

Alongside the work on the boats the training section runs regular courses for Atlantic 21 crews, training them in every aspect of boat operation and maintenance and tipping them into the chilly waters of the Medina twice during their course to familiarise them with the righting system and procedures.

Among the boat-handling aspects which come in for scrutiny and practice is the spectacular emergency beaching procedure which is sometimes needed on service. This involves driving the boat up a beach at speed - travelling across the sand or shingle for some distance to clear the breakers - and needs split-second co-ordination between crew members.

" Timing and complete harmony between the crew members is crucial in a lifeboat capable of nearly 30 knots, and the training courses at the base involve practising everything from anchoring and veering down to a casualty to righting a capsized boat.

A large stock of spares is held at the base, from small parts to a complete emergency replacement boat, and another fleet, this time of Land-Rovers and trailers, is always on call for these duties. A replacement boat can be despatched almost immediately whenever there is an emergency call, and recently a replacement Atlantic was on station and ready for service just four hours after such a call - and on a Sunday.

Important For less major incidents, where repairs can be carried out at the station, a small van, equipped as a travelling workshop and loaded with the necessary materials, can be despatched with a boat builder, engine fitter or 'solutionist' (the people who build and repair the inflatable sections) to carry out the repair on site.

Cdr Peter Gladwin, the superintendent at the base for the last 7 years, now has some 60 staff spread among the various sections and looking after every aspect of the Institution's fleet of high speed inflatable and rigid inflatable lifeboats. With the growing call on the services of these lifeboats Cowes Base will continue to be a most important part of the RNLI's back-up and support for the many inflatable boats and their crews..