Thank you...for saving our lives Received by Hastings and St Leonards branch following a service to three men aboard the yacht Martina on 13-14 July 1991: Gentlemen, Having had the chance to collect my thoughts on the events of last Saturday night and Sunday morning, I feel compelled to write and express my gratitude (and that of my crew) for the help which you all provided. I found the whole experience humbling in the extreme, especially on reflecting upon the number of you involved and the enormous resources employed purely for our well-being.

Regardless of all the reassurances that I have received to the effect that I made the right decision in accepting the offer of assistance, I still cannot help feeling an element of embarrassment and keep asking myself what we would have done if no help had been at hand, i will, of course, never know, but I do hope that I never have need of your services again! We certainly learned some useful lessons.

1 have supported THE LIFEBOAT for as long as I can remember and always will, but on this occasion, I am enclosing a cheque for your station as a token of my appreciation. I intend to write an account of what happened to us and, if it is published, I will of course see that any proceeds go to the RNLI.

Once again, many thanks.

Lawrence Phillips New Barnet, Herts A tribute - from the grandson of a hero My father died in April this year. When his father, Thomas Moore Horn, coxswain of the Exmouth lifeboat, died in the 1950s, I was unable to attend the funeral as I was serving in H.M. Forces and being posted.

My father wrote to me about my grandad in the only letter I remember him writing which was more than about two sentences long. I feel others in the service might be comforted to know that they are appreciated so very much by those who can only wait and hope for their safe return.

He wrote: 'I thought you would find it difficult to get to Devon as it came just as you moved. I know you would have liked to have been there.

'He is buried with your grandmother in a little country churchyard. The sun was shining right down the coast to Dartmouth and he is in sight of the sea.

'You only knew him when he was older, but he was a very fine man and a real man. 1 remember him best when I was a boy and he was a big muscular man with thick black curly hair.

'In those days, boats, the lifeboat included, were all rowing and sailing. A big diesel engine helps a man to be brave in a tight corner, but in those days it was just guts and sheer strength. I have seen them put off the beach in a gale that crashed the boat time after time on the beach. I have seen men walk out in the waves submerged nearly all the time, to force the boat into deeper water for a start.

'Then they used to disappear in the dark, no searchlight or power, just the strength behind those oars. I used to stay up all night at the docks to take any news home to mother.

'And after perhaps 12 hours of wind and rain, grandad's moustache would be thick with salt and all their clothes would be white.

'When they stopped rowing, they used to sit there fast asleep with sheer fatigue.

Their's was a cold-blooded courage and I think of him as a very brave man indeed. You can be as proud of him as I am and I hope you will always think kindly of him.

T would like you to tell Michael of him some day.

Aunt Win is giving me the Vellum he had for bravery and it will be yours some day. I hope you will treasure it because they were not given out lightly.

T never knew him flinch from going out, even in weather when big ships were sheltering.

'I am afraid this is a rather prosey letter, but you have knocked about enough now to be able to respect real courage. The lifeboatmen lowered the coffin and it was draped in the lifeboat flag.' Don Horn Old Coulsdon, Surrey Grandson of a hero Jewel purpose As most readers will be aware, the lifeboat service relies solely upon voluntary contributions and legacies. To support the service at its present level and to be able to fund the purchase and testing of new boats and equipment, the RNLI need £44 million in 1991.

To assist in raising this sum, the RNLI is currently running a jewellery appeal and invites donations of unwanted, old or damaged jewellery, watches, silver items and small 'objets d'art'.

Items we would welcome are rings, brooches, bracelets, earrings, watches and watch chains, jet, ivory and amber items, and so on.

It is our intention to repair the items where necessary and then offer them for re-sale. The Institution would also welcome the gift of unwanted war medals and war memorabilia of all kinds.

Items should be sent to RNLI Headquarters, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ marked for my attention.

Roy E. Norgrove JP Appeal Organiser Visit leads to greater understanding I have been a member of Shoreline for some years now and in a very small way a fund raiser. I was therefore delighted when the Institution of Civil Engineers (of which my husband is a member) arranged a half-day visit to RNLI Headquarters in July. The lifeboatmen have long been my favourite men (after my husband, son and grandson, of course). Speaking as one who can be sick on an Isle of Wight ferry, I have the greatest respect for those who face gales and storms.

We enjoyed our visit tremendously. The guides were so courteous and friendly. I was interested to see the drawing office and the plans of FABs 3 and 4. I now read THE LIFEBOAT with greater understanding and am aware of the significance of the numbers painted on the superstructure of the boats.

Congratulations to all concerned for the wonderful work done at Headquarters (and at such low admin costs) and in the boats.

J.M. Maber Waterlooville Hants Well done, boys! Visiting Teignmouth during our holiday in July, my family called at the new lifeboat station a few times.

On Sunday 14 July, after spending the day on the front taking in the sun (very rare this year), we were about to leave when the maroons went off. It was 1557 as we immediately hurried to the front of the station to find the Atlantic 21 already crewed and on the move down to the harbour with Bill Burton as helmsman. By 1600, the boat was afloat and on her way down the channel and out to sea, heading northwards towards Dawlish.

Thirty minutes later, she was on her way back, towing a broken-down speedboat with a crew of two and a dog, to be beached at the far end of Teignmouth harbour.

Returning to the cradle (already in the water) she was towed back to the station where at once the hose was played on the hull before the wheels of the tractor were duly washed down.

When the washing down was completed, she was refuelled and at 1654 one of the crew, using a mobile phone, reported her cleaned, refuelled and ready for service.

Having seen our first "shout" from start to finish, we came away determined that our branch would not relax efforts to raise money for the lifeboat service.

Well done to the new boys at Teignmouth.

K.C. Chaplin Honorary treasurer "Clattersea" Branch Open Day success I would like to say how much my husband and I enjoyed the RNLI Open Days on 2 and 3 August.

We learned so much and were very impressed by the drawing office and the machine shop. The wonderful weather made ours a perfect day, which will long be remembered.

Mrs R. Eyles Box, Wilts AH credit to the RNLI I was interested and amused by the credit-worthiness of Mrs Titley's RNLI card (THE LIFEBOAT, Spring 1991).

On holiday in America last year, I had a similar experience while at a museum in Connecticut.

Having made some purchases in the gift shop, I produced my usual flexible friend but the elderly assistant spotted my Shoreline card and we started a long and meaningful discussion on all things nautical. His son was serving in the US Coastguards.

I had to confess to being a true landlubber, my only experience of sailing being up and down the Thames in two steamers. This did not deter him, however, from taking me to see some of the behind-the-scenes work of the museum.

You could say our membership cards were also international passports - of goodwill, certainly! Muriel Clark Bromley, Kent Memories are made of this My father was a supporter of the RNLI for many years before he died. His favourite RNLI possession was a leather belt with the RNLI motif on it. I later owned and cherished the belt, but unfortunately have now lost it.

I have spent months searching the stations for this RNLI product but have not been successful. While I was at your Eastbourne station, it was suggested that I write to THE LIFEBOAT for help. If any reader knows where I can purchase such a belt, perhaps they would be kind enough to contact me.

Mr E.G. Duncan 14 Mayfield Avenue, Peacehaven, Sussex BN108PB Engine failure could be a thing of the past! I would like to draw your attention to the Diesel Maintenance Training Courses for Yacht and Boat Owners, which we operate from Kidderminster College of Further Education during the autumn and winter. This is a hands-on course designed to take the mystery out of running and maintaining modern marine diesel installations.

They may be of interest to THE LIFEBOAT readers, especially as the RNLI is often called out to yachtsmen with engine failures.

I have no doubt a fair percentage of these could have been dealt with on board with a little prior knowledge.

Two courses are scheduled for October and the cost is £58.

Keith Plester Cover House, 113 Bewdley Road Kidderminster, Worcs DY11 6RX Setting the record straight I read with interest Mr H.

Gosling's letter in the Summer issue under the heading "The North West Passage - who was first?".

I agree with Mr Gosling that it is important 'that one should ensure as far as possible that reports are written correctly1.

I still maintain my voyage through the North West Passage was the first singlehanded transit and the first ever circumnavigation via the North West Passage.

The three people mentioned in Mr Gosling's letter transited the North West Passage, but not singlehanded.

To take the first one, Willy de Roos. I take it that Mr Gosling has read his book entitled "The North West Passage" and, having also met him, would be fully aware that Willy de Roos was not alone on board his vessel, but rather had a companion by the name of Jean-Louis who jumped ship at Gjoa Haven. Therefore, the hardest part of the passage was completed with crew and this nullifies a singlehanded transit. He was also fortunate in having one of the best ice years since records were started.

Mr Gosling then refers to Roald Amundsen as being the first person to transit the North West Passage. This is undisputed. But he had a crew of six on board his 70ft vessel of 47 tons called the Gjoa, which again means his voyage was not a singlehanded one.

The third person Mr Gosling mentions, Sergeant Henry Larsen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on his 104ft police schooner St Roche, had a crew of nine and two eskimo families on board. Again, this could not be described as being a singlehanded passage.

On my transit, I was totally alone. There was no one to share the responsibilities, help with hand steering when I was tired or to alleviate the fear when totally surrounded and under pressure from pack ice.

I hope Mr Gosling will concede the above points and agree that the report written in THE LIFEBOAT is correct.

David Scott Cowper Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.