Dial 999 - Emergency Services in Action by John Creighton ISBN 1-85058-297-1 published by Sigma Leisure at £9.95 John Creighton has spent some time as an operational firefighter and in the maritime rescue services, so is well qualified to compile this mainly pictorial account of the various emergency services in action.

Although marine rescue is but one section of the 130-plus page book it does occupy a respectable 38 pages, with lifeboats appearing on almost every one, plus two more appearances in the separate colour section.

The book looks at the emergency services across the years, so in the case of lifeboats the photographs range from Liverpools to Aruns, Tynes and Merseys. The wide time scale also provides glimpses of 1960s Ford Zephyr police patrol cars and splendidly vintage fire appliances.

Many of the photographs are quite dramatic, and although bereft of much technical detail £9.95 is goodvalue for this well-produced softback book - and will probably be considered worth the price for the lifeboat content alone.A History of Happisburgh Lifeboat Station by Nicholas Leach ISBN 0 9522799 0 8 published by the Norfolk and Suffolk Research Group at £2.00£2.00 Happisburgh (pronounced locally Hazebro) is a lifeboat station which has been much affected by the changing pattern of casualties around the coasts and changes in lifeboat design.

The off-lying Happisburgh Sands had been a source of considerable danger for many years, and attempts were made to provide some sort of life saving equipment as far back as 1813 and leading lights, lighthouses and lightvessels used to guard it.

However it was not until 1866 that the lifeboat station was first established - with a 32ft boat which had to be hauled up a steep incline behind the beach.

However, although the boat and her successors carried out many services, the advent of motor lifeboats with their greater speed and range meant that less lifeboats were needed to provide adequate cover. The number of calls reduced - the last launch being in 1923 - and by 1926 the RNLI decided to close the station, cover being provided by the motor lifeboat atCromer.

However times change, and by the 1960s the increase in leisure activity and the availability of high speed inflatables led to the re-opening of the station, operating a summer-only D class from a new boathouse built on thesite of the original building which had become neglected and had been demolished ten years before.

Nicholas Leach's look at the station and its history makes interesting reading and is available from Mark Roberts, the Honorary Secretary of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society's Norfolk and Suffolk Research Group, at 23 Wellcroft Court, Ivinghoe, Bedfordshire LU7 9EF at £2.00 including postage.Using GPS by Conrad Dixon ISBNO-7136-3952-0 published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £8.99 Major advances in navigation at sea have been made over the past few years, but perhaps the most spectacular has been the development of satellitebased navigation systems, the latest of which is the Global Positioning System or the 'GPS' of this book's title.

A 'cage' of orbiting satellites communicate with an onboard receiver which then decodes the signals to give a continuously updated position with an accuracy unheard of only a few years ago. Typically a civilian receiver will provide a position within a 100m radius of the true position 95% of the time, and military receivers - GPS is an American military system - and specially equipped civilian ones will provide an accuracy within a few metres.

Lifeboats now carry this navigation system, and with receivers less than the size of a car radio and available for as little as £300 a growing number of fishing vessels and yachts are similarly equipped.

Of course it is not quite as simple as it seems and Conrad Dixon's slim paperback (90 pages) will be an invaluable aid to anyone thinking of buying and then installing and using a GPS receiver. Certainly not just for general interest reading, but a very good investment prior to a major purchase.

Practical, simple to understand and recommended for its purpose.The Story of the Hoylake and West Kirby Lifeboats by Jeff Morris The Story of the Aldeburgh Lifeboats by Jeff Morris published by the author at £2.50 Once again the prolific Honorary Archivist of the Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society has provided a detailed and fascinating account of the history of three lifeboat stations - two of them grouped into one volume as Hoylake and West Kirby are very close to one another and their history somewhat intertwined.

The stations were originally established before the RNLI was formed - Hoylake in 1803 and Aldeburgh in 1826 (although the lifeboat was then kept four miles down the coast at Sizewell) and have a long, distinguished and interesting history.

West Kirby may be a relative newcomer - being established as an inshore lifeboat station in 1966, initially under the auspices of Hoylake - but what it lacks in history it has made up for in the number and quality of the services carried out.

Both books are right up-to- date, recording the latest Mersey class allocated to them, with Aldeburgh in particular recording the replacement of the last traditional double-ended lifeboat in RNLI service with her fast Mersey replacement last November.

Both books are in the author's usual paperback style, now resplendent in full-colour card covers - and well illustrated with both historic and contemporary photographs.

One pleasant feature of this series is the attention given to the station's boathouses, in addition to the lifeboats themselves, with old and new buildings featuring in the Hoylake and West Kirby story.

Aldeburgh's lifeboats were kept in the open on the beach until the Mersey class arrived, but the interesting architecture and story behind the funding of the building are recounted.

The Story of the Hoylake and West Kirby Lifeboats can be obtained from Nigel Robinson at 14 Sea View, Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside L47 2DD and The Story of the Aldeburgh Lifeboats from Mrs B. Grayburn at 12 Lee Road, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5HG.

Both books cost £2.50 including post and packing.Two eminently sensible and practical books for the small boat owner - or potential owner - which will enable them to safely embark on the subjects of their title. Both are paperbacks with adequate photographic and line drawing illustrations.

How to Install a New Diesel by Peter Cumberlidge ISBN 0-7136-3777-3 published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £9.99 A good straightforward guide to re-engining a small yacht for the practical owner. Biased towards auxiliaries in sailing yachts, but covering many of the initial calculations, decisions, problems and installation details of most applications.

Based on personal experience this practical and pragmatic volume covers everything from initial considerations, through installation, transmission, propeller choice and soundproofing to auxiliaries such as power take-offs and hot water systems.

Trailer Sailing by J. C. Winters ISBN 0-713'6-3779-X published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £9.99 Trailer sailing is a way of getting afloat with much to recommend it - and some drawbacks which its supporters often forget to mention! Mr Winters' book is a fair and comprehensive overview of the whole subject, although this reviewer's experience suggests that the physical labour and abuse of the towing vehicle may be slightly played down! Entirely concerned with trailer-sm/ers (no motor boats) the volume is nonetheless a good primer for anyone thinking of buying a roadtransportable sailing boat.Hearts of Oak A Collection of Royal Naval Anecdotes edited by P. McLaren ISBN 0-906754-98-4 published by Fernhurst Books at £9.95 A collection of stories, many funny some poignant, from all sections of the Royal Navy which admirably illustrate the service's ability to retain a sense of humour and to laugh at itself if needs be.

An easy book to 'dip into' as it is broken down into sections and then again into idividual short items - but beware, once dipped into it is hard to put down! Sailor of Fortune by Ian Jackson ISBN 1 85821 022 4 published by The Pentland Press at £15.95 An account of the life of the author's uncle, Jack Arnot, through a lifetime of seagoing starting in the 1920s and culminating in becoming the Master of a tanker.

Along the way Jack Arnot took in a win in the Irish Sweepstake a yacht voyage to New Zealand and a long spell as the Master of tiny ships in the Pacific Islands.

In one chapter Jack Arnot is rescued by the RNLI in the early 1950s.First Aid at Sea by Dr Douglas Justins and Dr Colin Berry ISBN 0-7136-3826-5 published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £8.99 There are many first aid handbooks available, and several aimed specifically for use at sea, but this particular book - now available in a second edition - caught our eye largely because of its presentation.

Spiral bound and with a quick-reference thumb-index First Aid at Sea should be an easy book to refer to in difficult circumstances, which is precisely the time when accidents are most likely to happen.

Tossed around in a small boat, wet and uncomfortable is not the time to delve into a medical tome, no matter how authoritative it may be! The text is simple, the illustrations clear and the type of injury included is clearly aimed at those likely to be encountered aboard a small boat.

This reviewer is not qualified to comment on the medical information provided, but both of the authors have impeccable credentials. Both are doctors with considerable sailing experience in small boats and, viewed from the potential users standpoint, the volume has much to offer.Tales of Time and Tide by Brian Martin ISBN 07153 0050 4 published by David and Charles at £16.99 A delightful book which sets - and traces his career both out 'to provide an insight into Britain's coastal heritage' and which succeeds in its aim by tracing the story of 16 characters with various links with the sea, often using their own words and dialect.

One of these raconteurs is Tommy Knott, Merchant Seaman and later, from 1968, mechanic and coxswain of the Lowestoft lifeboat. The chapter is entitled By Compass, Guess and by God - referring to the lifeboat's more interesting trips before modern aids to navigation were developed ashore and at sea, including the Bronze Medal he was awarded in 1974.

Like the other 15 contributor's Tommy's recollections are poignant and humorous and evoke the feeling and spirit of the tasks they undertook.

Many of their callings no longer exist, and the author's ability to coax their stories from them in a colourful style and to locate suitable photographs and commission delicate watercolours is to be applauded.The Right Way To Conduct Meetings by H. M. Taylor and A. G. Mears ISBN 0-7160-2160-5 The Honorary Treasurer by Roderick Boucher ISBN 0-7160-2015-7 published by Elliot Right Way Books at £3.99 each Not, this reviewer thought at first, books which would interest readers of THE LIFEBOAT.

But, on reflection, with more than 2,000 RNLI branches and guilds and countless RNLI members who are officers in the many hundreds of sailing and other boating clubs, perhaps these two slim paperbacks are worth bringing to the notice of the journal's wide readership.

Both books are aimed squarely at those involved with voluntary organisations, clubs and societies and although the RNLI's methods may differ in some respects from those outlined (particularly so for the Treasurer's task) these easy to assimilate handbooks could prove to be worthwhile reading for those involved in voluntary work.

Simple, commonsense guides which take much of the mystique (or terror) out of the running of a small club or society and well worth their modest price..