The RNLI's Annual General Meeting and Presentation of Awards were held once again on London's South Bank on Tuesday 10 May 1994. Once again both meetings attracted a large and interested assembly to hear of the Institution's work in the past year and its plans for the future and to honour lifeboatmen for their gallantry and voluntary workers for their dedication.In recent years another tradition has manifested itself warm spring weather, and this year 10 May obliged with pleasant conditions greeting those attending, many of whom had travelled quite considerable distances.

The relief Mersey class lifeboat Her Majesty the Queen was on hand to provide a platform for the four medallists' photo call in the morning and then to lie alongside for visitors to see in more detail. A new Atlantic 75 on show outside the concourse flew the flag for the Institution's inshore lifeboat fleet.

Addressing the morning's Annual General Meeting in the Queen Elizabeth Hall the Chairman, Michael Vernon, began by remarking that the year's Annual Report again made impressive reading, showing yet another record of calls answered, at 5,568, and also a record income of £61.9m.

'Neither of these statistics,' remarked Mr Vernon, 'have any meaning if they cannot be related to what the RNLI is basically setting out to achieve - to preserve life from disaster at sea by the most effective means available. The 1,308 people whose lives were saved last year will surely agree that our aim is being met.

1993's Bronze Medals and Thanks on Vellum show that whether the casualty is a factory ship, a yacht, a fishing vessel, a stranded climber or a man drowning in the surf, the RNLI has the boats, the technology and the crews for the situation.

The Chairman stressed that this ability to cope was not achieved by accident, and that providing the most effective service meant keeping abreast of casualty trends, keeping pace with modern technology and knowing how to raise the funds.

All three had been in mind, he reported, when the target was set to complete the introduction of fast lifeboats by the end of 1993, a target which had been met in November when the 34th Mersey arrived at Aldeburgh.But the RNLI cannot stand still and the Chairman went on: 'Now we are looking further ahead. By the year 2000 our aim is to be able to reach a casualty at virtually any point 50 miles off the coast in two-and-a-half hours-a 33% improvement on today's declared speed of response.' Every new Severn and Trent class lifeboat moves the Institution nearer that target and, if Aldeburgh witnessed the end of the eight-knot era, Alderney, as the first Trent station, heralded the age of the 25 knot all-weather lifeboat.

With eight Trents and three Severns currently under construction, at a cost of some £12.3m, the RNLI is well on its way towards the second target for the year 2000 - to have a 25 knot replacement at half the all-weather stations where the lifeboat lies afloat. By the same year at least half the Atlantic rigid inflatable stations would have new, 34 knot Atlantic 75s - and two have already entered service at Sheringham and Flamborough, with six more scheduled for 1994.

The Chairman also announced that work is to begin this year on a design to replace the Tyne class slipway boats. The first Tyne entered service in 1982 and, with a twenty year planned life for all-weather lifeboats, a successor must be ready by 2002.

The Institution is increasingly well equipped for these new projects, and computer aided design is now an important tool which will be of great value in developing Fast Slipway Boat 2.

Research and experiment continues on current designs, the Chairman went on, illustrating this with the trials aboard the prototype Severn which will lead to electrically operated throttle controls on future Severns and Trents. Successful research and development depends on technicians and operators working side-by-side, and Mr Vernon referred to the new trials team - made up of experts from both disciplines.

Reorganisation of divisional boundaries has given lifeboat inspectors and coastal technical staff the same areas to cover which, together with the establishment of divisional workshops, was bound to lead to a more systematic approach to manning, running and maintaining a fleet of 374 high technology lifeboats.

Moving on from the lifeboats to their stations Mr Vernon reported: 'Fast lifeboats are only part of the answer to being in theright place at the right time to save life at sea. Our constant review of the disposition of lifeboat stations has led to the decision to open stations at Kilrush and at Fenit on the west coast of Ireland and at Rock in Cornwall. By the same process of review, the infrequency of calls on the D class inflatable at Crimdon Dene led to the station's closure in 1993.' The establishment of stations and the introduction of new classes of lifeboat, especially the carriage-launched Mersey, has led to a huge increase in work to provide the right facilities ashore. Thirty capital projects were completed in 1993 with another 20 in progress, representing £6.3m expenditure.

Many lifeboats are stationed in extremely attractive locations, and a pretty place attracts more visitors,visitors, which increases the casualty potential.

But when a new boathouse is needed, as at St Ives and Aldeburgh, the RNLI goes to enormous lengths to ensure the design is in accord with the surrounding architecture or landscape; even so, it is always difficult to please everyone.

Turning to the manning of the lifeboats the Chairman said: 'New lifeboats and shoreworks are part of fulfilling our search and rescue commitment but ultimately, the responsibility for saving lives rests with the lifeboat crews themselves. We must therefore be equally dedicated to providing the most effective equipment and training facilities for them.'These have to be tailored to fit the crews' requirements, not the other way round. A small but important step in that direction has been the successful development of a new, less bulky lifejacket which has proved very popular among crews of all-weather boats.' Mr Vernon was also encouraged that crew members gave up precious time to attend RNLI courses in such large numbers, a sign that the RNLI is providing what the crews want.

The Chairman then referred to a newspaper article which had astonished some supporters by implying that with the advent of new technology the RNLI no longer valued seamanship as an important skill aboard a lifeboat. Mr Vernon was unequivocal: 'This could not be further from the truth, and you only have to hear today's medal citations to realise how crucial good seamanship and local knowledge are to the success of sea rescue. Every lifeboat coxswain will, nevertheless, tell you how important it is to understand the modern equipment at his disposal designed to make the job that much simpler.' However, lives can be saved without having to put to sea, said Mr Vernon, adding that the Institution had appointed a sea safety liaison officer to promote safe practices at sea in liaison with other national organisations. The RNLI's experience of seafaring accidents was a valuable resource and should be better harnessed to help prevent them - and minimise the demands on lifeboat crews.

The Chairman then moved on to the fundraising aspects of the Institution: 'Judging by the accounts, our supporters are still determined to see that the crews get what they deserve. Subscriptions and donations are up by 8% thanks substantially to the efforts of our branches and guilds. Congratulations to them for yet another splendid year. Legacies were also up to arecord £46.3m and the figure includes our largest single bequest of £6.3m from the estate of Mr Roy Barker.

'The terms of his bequest tell an interesting story. He made his money over to the RNLI in the form of an endowment which would ensure lifeboats bearing his name would be built for many years to come. Here was a man who wanted his gift to provide not just for the present lifeboat service but for a future one as well.' The lifeboat service is certain to be required for as long as people take to the sea, and as it is so dependent on capital investment for its success Mr Vernon made it clear that the RNLI would be ill-advised to hold only slender reserves. The current level, equivalent to about three years' annual expenditure,expenditure, was by no means excessive, he said, especially taking into account the unpre- dictable nature of legacy income and the Institution's substantial capital commitment.

In spite of the success of our branches and guilds and the £61.8m income figure for 1993, there were some warning signs in the accounts, added the Chairman.

'Leaving out legacies, overall income was the same as the year before. Expenditure was not, it increased by about 11%. This year, because of the Severn and Trent building programme, total expenditure is expected to rise by a further 21%. Overall income is not.

'Obviously our plans allow for such a dis- crepancyand as long as legacy income holds up,we can stay on course. But all our voluntary income ultimately relies upon the efforts of fundraisers and there is clearly no let-up for them in the foreseeable future.' Mr Vernon then drew the meeting's attention to an apparently modest entry in the Notes to the Accounts headed Value Added Tax. In 1993 the RNLI paid nearly Elm to the government in VAT. Surely, the Chairman remarked, it was enough for RNLI supporters to be providing the nation's lifeboat service without expecting them to contribute to the Exchequer as well.

He added that the RNLI would continue to make its feelings known on this subject at appropriate opportunities.

He then took the opportunity to thank the local branches and guilds for their co-operation in implementing recent changes, and reported that the new system of branch accounting with quarterly reports is working very well. Regional staff had been equally grateful for their support in the recent boundary alterations, and larger regions with branches receiving better attention from area organisers undoubtedly improved the use of our resources.

Mr Vernon went on to say that the RNLI believes it is fairer to review membership rates regularly, to avoid drastic rises. HeThe 1994 Annual Meetings continued therefore announced that in September Shoreline membership would increase from £9pa to £10pa, joint Shoreline from £15 to £17 and the annual governor's rate from £30 to £33. Life governorship will remain unchanged at £500 as would the junior membership, Storm Force, at £3.

Remarking on the RNLI's effort to attract the attention of young people, of which Storm Force was part, the Chairman referred to the boost given by the BBC's Blue Peter programme, which held another appeal on the RNLI's behalf. Besides a phenomenal amount of audience coverage, the appeal had brought in enough 'treasure' to pay for the replacement of all six Blue Peter inshore lifeboats and fund at least half the cost of the Trent for Fishguard.

On the subject of television coverage Mr Vernon mentioned the unprecedented exposure on television received over the past year. Up to 10 million people had watched the six-part ITV documentary series about Salcombe lifeboat station in which Coxswain Frank Smith and his crew did the Institution proud.

At least as many have been watching the recent '999' series, featuring two graphic reconstructions of services, and there was also the BBC's current drama series, The Lifeboat'.' Finally, the Chairman noted that the meeting was the last to be held on the South Bank. Next year the AGM and awards ceremony would be at the Barbican Centre, where facilities are better suited to providing an enjoyable and worthwhile day, remarking that: 'In many ways it is a fitting time to break with tradition.

We are at the end of an era with the passing of the doubleended wooden boats and are now steaming proudly into the future at 25 knots. If we can continue to rely upon the generosity of all those who support the work of the RNLI, we can guarantee that a lifeboat suitably equipped for the job will launch whenever the call comes now and in the years that lie ahead.' The meeting closed with questions from the floor on a variety of operational and fundraising subjects before the Governors were invited to view a special compilation video of some of the RNLI's television coverage over the past year..