New Chairman visits Poole headquarters The new Chairman of the RNLI, Mr Michael Vernon, visited the Institution's headquarters and depot at Poole on 31 August, to meet members of staff and talk to a number of station honorary secretaries. Mr Vernon was elected Chairman of the RNLI at a meeting of the Committee of Management held on 29 June 1989, and succeeds the Duke of Atholl who retired after ten years as the Institution's Chairman.Mr Vernon brings to the position of Chairman a wealth of business experience, in addition to many years practical experience at sea as a well-known yachtsman.

After service in the Royal Marines, and subsequently obtaining a degree in Law at Trinity College, Cambridge, Michael Vernon joined Spillers Ltd as a trainee in 1948.

He became Chairman and Chief Executive of the company in 1968, and held those positions until 1980 - the year in which he became a Deputy Chairman of the RNLI after 17 years on the Committee of Management and five years as a Vice President.

Since that time he has held various directorships but has reduced his business activities as his work for the RNLI has increased.

Mr Vernon was President of the British Food Export Council from 1977 to 1980, a Member of the CBI Council from 1977 to 1980 and is a Companion of the British Institute of Management. Somewhat appropriately perhaps he was in 1956 awarded the Royal Humane Society's Bronze Medal for saving life from drowning.

Michael Vernon is a keen sailor and was Vice Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club for three years and Commodore for four years in the 1960s. He took up ocean racing in 1947, and has owned a series of yachts named Assegai over a 30 year period from 1959 to the present day. Earlier Assegais were well known in ocean racing circles and in 1966 Mr Vernon captained the threeboat British team which won the American 'Onion Patch Trophy' a series of races in American waters, including the Newport to Bermuda race - the only time a British team has taken the trophy. Following this event Assegai II raced from Bermuda to Copenhagen.In the mid 1970s Mr Vernon turned from ocean racing to cruising and he and his wife now sail a 40ft sloop, Assegai VI, which was launched this year.

Taking up his position as Chairman Mr Vernon said: 'Under the dedicated leadership of the Duke of Atholl the past decade has been a period of significant technical progress and income growth for the RNLI.

I feel sure that this will be maintained in the years ahead.

' There is however still much to be achieved: in particular, I believe we must further increase the speed of response to casualties around the coast, and also that we must strive to improve the overall efficiency of the Institution so that we continue fully to justify the splendid public support we now enjoy.' The Duke of Atholl His Grace the Duke of Atholl was presented with two mementos of his ten year period as Chairman of the RNLI during June. At the meeting of the Committee of Management of 29 June the director of the Institution, Lt Cdr Brian Miles, presented the Duke with a book containing messages of goodwill from many lifeboat stations.

The messages included photographs taken during visits His Grace has made to various stations, poems and letters wishing the Duke well for the future.

On the previous day the director had also presented the Duke with a mounted linethrowing gun as a token of appreciation from the staff of the RNLI.The Duke of Atholl had agreed to stand for re-election as Chairman for a maximum of ten years when he was first elected in July 1979, and was standing down after overseeing a period of enormous change in the Institution.

Since 1979 there has been a 60 per cent increase in the workload of lifeboats, and the programme to have a new-generation fast lifeboat at every station around the coast was also instigated during the Duke's term of office.

His Grace joined the RNLI's Committee of Management in 1959, served as Vice President and Deputy Chairman for seven years, and was also the Convenor of the Scottish Lifeboat Council for some years.

The Duke continues to play an active part in the Institution as a member of the Committee of Management.States of the art The RNLI's Public Relations Officer, Edward Wake-Walker, has been awarded a Churchill Travelling Fellowship to study how American charities promote their activities and to report back for the benefit of similar UK organisations.

Edward will spend seven weeks in the USA, with all expenses met by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, visiting charities, media and advertising agencies and the US Coastguard.

Perhaps appropriately he arrived in America on 9 October-Columbus Day!Newspoint Television advertising The Independent Broadcasting Authority has decided that charities are now free to appeal for funds and to promote their objectives in advertisements on television and radio.

The RNLI has no immediate plans to use the broadcast media, and has always been concerned that the availability of TV advertising might mean less free coverage if charities were perceived to be able to pay for their own air-time. There are also fears that we may be drawn into the expense of TV advertising merely to maintain our profile at a level as high as those charities who are more willing to use the medium. The Institution must, of course, review its advertising policy in the light of any developments along these lines, and it remains to be seen whether these fears are justified.

Some of the wilder statements in the press, suggesting that TV advertising will replace traditional methods of fund raising are patently fanciful, certainly as far as the RNLI is concerned.

However, advertising on local radio is far less expensive than on television, and there may be opportunities for RNLI promotions which coincide with branch events. Also, if a commercial company were to incorporate an RNLI message in a TV advertisement, paid for by them, it may well be worth considering.

One thing is certain, supporters need have no fear that the Institution is about to embark on an extravagant television advertising campaign - funds are best spent on the RNLI's prime objective, saving life at sea.Centre stage In one of his final duties as Chairman of the RNLI before retiring the Duke of Atholl officially opened a new Coastguard Maritime Rescue Sub Centre on the quayside in Weymouth, Dorset on 27 June 1989. The Duke, who was accompanied by the RNLFs director, Brian Miles and the chief of operations Commodore George Cooper, arrived at the centre aboard Weymouth's Arun class lifeboat Tony Vandervell.

During 1988 92 per cent of all RNLI services were co-ordinated by HM Coastguard.

On the cards The 'affinity' Access card, from which the RNLI benefits when it is taken out and whenever it is used, is now much more readily identified with the Institution. The front of all new cards now bears a picture of an Arun class lifeboat, and all existing cardholders will be contacted by the bank shortly and sent the latest version of the card.

In addition all RNLI Access affinity cardholders on the books at 30 November 1989 will be eligible for a free draw. There are three prizes, all with a nautical connection, and the draw will be held at the London Boat Show in January 1990.

Three awards for lifeboatmen Three awards to lifeboatmen were announced by the RNLI recently.

The Maud Smith Award provides a small sum of money from a legacy left in 1943 by Miss Maud Smith in memory of John, Seventh Earl of Hardwicke. The award is presented to the lifeboatmen who, in the opinion of the Committee of Management, performed the bravest act of lifesaving during the year. Coxswain John Catchpole of Lowestoft will receive the 1988 award for his part in the rescue of the crew of five from the coaster Medina D on 19 October 1988.

In 1968 an anonymous donor provided a sum of money to provide a reward for the crew of a lifeboat under 10m which, again in the opinion of the Committee of Management, carried out the most meritorious rescue during the year. The 1988 award, known as the Ralph Glister Award, has gone to Helmsman Frank Dunster and Crew Members Graham Raines and Rod James for their service to the yacht Dingaling when the lifeboat rescued a man who had fallen overboard.

A similar award is made each year from the William James and Hannah Mateley Reward Fund for medal services carried out on the Lancashire coast, including Liverpool Bay. The Helmsmen of both Blackpool lifeboats received Bronze medals for their part in a service on 6 January 1988 and additional rewards under the terms of the fund have been made to them and the Crew Members involved.An ambitious scheme finally came to fruition earlier this year when the 83-year old exlifeboat John and Naomi Beattie proudly returned to her original station of Aberystwyth under sail and oar - some 57 years after last leaving.

The ex-lifeboat had made an historic passage from Swansea, via Tenby, Milford Haven, Fishguard and New Quay to return to her home of 26 years during the August Bank Holiday.

The story began some years ago, when Swansea Maritime Museum's search for an old pulling and sailing lifeboat resulted in the remarkable discovery of an ex-lifeboat lying nearby in Port Talbot. She was inreasonable condition, complete with end boxes and was to be burned if the museum was not interested in taking her! The mark'T K100', discovered under layers of paint on her stem, identified her as John and Naomi Beattie, built in 1906 by Thames Ironworks as ON 562. She had served at Aberystwyth from 1906 until 1932, the last pulling and sailing lifeboat at the station, before being sold out of service.

During her painstaking restoration the museum staff became friendly with crew of the inflatable lifeboat now stationed at Aberystwyth, and as work progressed plans to visit the old lifeboat's original home began to take shape, at first by road and then, much more ambitiously, by sea and under her original power.

Escorted throughout by Aberystwyth University College's research vessel, and at various times by other lifeboats stationed along the route, the veteran sailing and pulling boat made most of the passage under her own power, taking an occasional tow just to keep up with her busy schedule, and was sailing at more then six knots as she made her triumphal approach to Aberystwyth.

More than 500 people were waiting to greet her as she entered the harbour, escorted by the station's C class inflatable, furled her sails and rowed smartly up to the quay. Local honorary secretary David Jenkins, who had been on the support vessel throughout the trip said: 'It was as if her crew had years of practice rather then one week! The passage home to Aberystwyth was an experience that none of us will forget'.

Her crew for the trip consisted of lifeboatmen from Mumbles (Peter Algie, Paul Leleu, Carl Thomas and Ritchie Webern) and Aberystwyth (David S. Davies, David Davies, Alex James, Maldwyn Jenkins, Brian Pugh-Jones, Peter Norrington Davies and Lyn Rees). Soon in action The RNLF s latest lifeboat station, opened for a year's evaluation at Ballyglass (see RNLI News, Spring 1989 issue), welcomed its new lifeboat in tumultuous fashion on 26 August 1989.

Pipe bands, fog horns and fire engine sirens greeted City of Bradford IV as she arrived at the isolated station near Belmullet in Co. Mayo, for what is usually an emotional but relatively low-key event.

However, the enthusiasm of the local population was such that hordes of spectators packed the small community for a blessing.

Although the station was not yet designated as fully operational the Arun class lifeboat was soon in action. On 4 September the Second Coxswain heard that a fishing vessel had fouled her propeller four miles north of the station. City of Bradford IV soon found the casualty, close to rocks in a SW Force 5-6 wind, and towed her to safety.Medex 89 A major medical emergency exercise called Medex 89, involving four lifeboats and coordinated by HM Coastguard, was held in the Firth of Clyde on 5 July 1989.

Largs' Atlantic 21, Troon's Arun, Girvan's Brede and Arran's C class lifeboats responded to a scenario which involved an imaginary passenger aircraft ditching off Ardrossan and striking a fishing vessel during its descent. Two further subsidiary incidents were also staged, diverting one of the lifeboats and dealing with divers suffering from decompression problems and mild radio-active contamination.

A wide range of imaginary casualties tested the skills of all concerned in the day-long exercise, which was followed by a meeting of the RNLI's Medical and Survival Committee the following day.

In the picture, now...

Photographs which capture the true nature of conditions in which lifeboats and their crews sometimes have to operate are rare, and those that do succeed deserve acclaim.

It is all the more unfortunate therefore that a misunderstanding robbed the photographer of his credit for the magnificent photograph of the Portrush lifeboat putting to sea in extreme conditions which was published in our Summer issue. Rarely has a single photograph generated such interest from readers, and many have ordered copies from the photographer, Ian Watson.

Ian is willing to supply further colour prints of the photograph to readers of THE LIFEBOAT and can be contacted at Portrush Photographic, 80 Main Street, Portrush, Co.

Antrim, telephone (0265) 824588.

... and in the future Minolta UK has donated six waterproof cameras to the RNLI, which are to be used in a pilot scheme to see whether good action photographs can be obtained from lifeboat crews during a service.

The cameras have been sent to various stations around the coast and the aim is to provide newspapers, THE LIFEBOAT and the Institution's public relations department with the kind of action picture which brings home the real work of the RNLI.

The Minolta 35DL cameras are designed to be simple to use. Operational requirements must always come first, but the Institution hopes that the crews will be able to snatch photographs which will help with all aspects of publicising the work of the RNLI and raising funds.Enthusiastic support Members of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society visited the RNLI's headquarters in Poole during June as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.

More than 60 members, the biggest turnout ever for a Society visit, from throughout the country toured the offices and depot and attended the handing-over ceremony for a relief fleet D-class inflatable.

During the Enthusiast's day-long visit the archivist of the society, and one of the founding members, Jeff Morris presented the Institution with the historic Gordon Campbell collection of postcards, which had been purchased by the society, renovated and mounted in new albums.

At the same time the society also presented the Institution with a cheque for £2,600 to be used to refurbish old and valuable records in the Institution's library - partly the proceeds of a sale of items and partly a donation.

The members of the Society showed their appreciation of their secretary, John Francis's, hard work on their behalf over the 25 years by taking the opportunity to present him and his wife with a splendid decanter and glasses, engraved with lifeboat designs, to commemorate the anniversary.

Lifeboat changes The RNLI is studying the possibility of establishing a slipway launched lifeboat at Kilkeel, Co. Down.

At present the station operates a 16ft D class inflatable, but following an agreement in May with the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority to allocate a site for a slipway launched lifeboat plans to operate a 47ft Tyne class lifeboat can be progressed.

Commodore George Cooper, the RNLI's chief of operations said: 'There is a high concentration of fishing and other traffic at Kilkeel, and if we can successfully establish an all-weather station at this location it will markedly improve the lifeboat cover in the area.' A decision to operate a 21ft Atlantic 21 class rigid inflatable lifeboat from Kirkcudbright was also taken in May. Trials to evaluate the Atlantic 21 at the station had been under way for some months.

The high speed, 29 knot Atlantic 21 will, for the time being, be located in the boat house previously used for the 8 knot Oakley class Mary Pullman.

The decision to introduce an Atlantic 21 at the station was brought forward by the unexpected early withdrawal of Mary Pullman..