It is hard to believe that a year has passed since I concluded my editorial circumnavigation of the RNLI's operational realm. In one respect time has passed quickly, with plenty still going on around the coasts and new, exciting challenges arising from initiatives such as Beach Rescue, the move into the tidal waters of the Thames and the inland waters of Loch Erne and the Broads.

In another respect though, the year has given cause for reflection upon how the buildings that house the lifeboat fleet and support the crews are created. It takes the efforts of countless individuals, some of whose involvement is transitory, just delivering materials to a site or working for short period as a labourer or craftsman on an individual contract. Others make a career with the RNLI supervising boathouse and slipway maintenance and construction.

Like their colleagues who support the lifeboat fleet itself, they can be called out in all weathers and at any time to deal with problems. At the time of writing, blizzards have just swept down many parts of the east coast of Scotland and England, causing at least one case of serious damage to a lifeboat berth requiring urgent action in marrow chilling conditions.

As is so often the case, this reflective mood was brought on by a sad loss. After 25 years of dedicated service, the RNLl's shoreworks supervisor for the north division, Jim Tate, died a few years short of what would have been a well-earned retirement. Jim had tended to the needs of over 60 lifeboat stations during his time with the Institution. He often turned out at unsocial hours to sort out problems which threatened to obstruct lifeboat operations: the loss of the main doors from the Cromer slipway station one stormy night; the periodic emergency works to repair damage to the tenuous road link to the Number station on Spurn Head, constantly under unrelenting attack from the North Sea.

Jim's role and those of his colleagues in the other five divisions grew out of an earlier era. The RNLI had direct labour gangs who travelled the country undertaking construction works under the direction of a foreman. The foreman transformed into a supervisor, but still needed a hands-on approach and a highly practical competence at getting things done. Diplomacy is also called for when juggling the urgent needs of several stations, each of which considers theirs to be the most important. Jim combined the necessary attributes and extended his talents to assisting his colleagues by representing them on the RNLI's staff association. It is not just within the RNLI that many individuals work quietly to maintain the essential infrastructure upon which we all rely to support our everyday lives. I would not have been able to report the major achievements around the coast in modernising boathouses, slipways and berths without Jim and his colleagues One of the first stations visited in my earlier articles was Amble. By coincidence it was also one of the last projects that Jim Tate saw safely under way. The previous, rather exposed berth was replaced with a purpose built sheltered pen in 2002. Recently, the station's new shore facility building was finished, completing the station's makeover.

On the other side of the north division, Jim also played an important role in the setting up and supervision of the early stages of the construction of the new Lytham St Annes boathouse and slipway, which should be operational by the time this edition of the Lifeboat hits the streets.

As with Blackpool, its neighbour to the north, it will feature a green copper roof.Here the similarity ends, however. Whereas Blackpool's location beneath the Victorian ambience of the tower dictated a traditional design, a more contemporary approach involving glass blocks and curvy lines has been adopted at St Annes.

Visitors will also note another reflection here in the form of a much smaller building of similar style at the far end of the boating lake. This houses a new cafe1 and boat store, all part of a joint effort with the local authority and the franchisee of the boating lake to renovate and improve the amenities of the area.

Improvements include the boating lake itself, some 16% of which was sacrificed to provide a site for the new lifeboat house.

Innovation of a different kind has been taken place further north at Morecambe.

Christmas 2002 saw the first RNLI hovercraft go on service. Initially operating from temporary facilities at the local yacht club, this should be the first of several similar craft.They will improve the RNLI's capability to respond effectively to callouts in areas with extensive inter-tidal sand bars and mudflats such as Morecambe Bay, the Wash and some major river estuaries. As with conventional lifeboats, these new craft will need to be housed and supported and will no doubt pose their own special challenges to the shoreworks team.

Of alt the divisions it is probably Ireland that saw the greatest changes in 2002. A large crowd assembled in September to witness the formal opening of the new boathouse at Crosshaven, on the shores of Cork Harbour. At the same time the finishing touches were being put to the completely rebuilt boat houses at nearby Ballycotton and Youghai, the latter also finished in natural stone to reflect the appearance of the building that it replaced.

Ballycotton, on the other hand, is finished in a bright yellow colour wash to match the tradition of other buildings in the area.

Earlier in the year a new pontoon berth had been commissioned at Dunmore East completing the modernisation of the station that had been started in 2000. Just up the coast the conversion of a bungalow at Fethard is now complete and the station installed in their new permanent home. As 2003 dawned so the activity switched to the opposite corner of the country, with a contract being awarded for the construction of permanent facilities for the new station at Achill Island. The immediate future will see no let up in the activity in Ireland - a major project to replace the berthing facilities destroyed by the wayward ferry at Rosslare should be under construction by mid-2003 with other projects pending at Casttetownbere, Kinsale and Portrush.

Across the Irish Sea another memorable gathering saw the official opening of the new boathouse at Rhyl, with heavy showers sportingly leaving the ceremony in bright sunshine whilst teasing the organising committee. The proceedings were nicely rounded off with the D class lifeboat being called out just as the main ceremony was completed. Around the corner and down to the south, Barmouth will be hoping to see a similar ceremony in the not too distant future. Work on their new boathouse started just before Christmas. Despite some early delays, work is proceeding against a deadline to get completed ahead of the main summer season.

The southern half of England has been seeing action too: major dredging works were completed at Sennen Cove, Looe's new boathouse is under construction; a new pontoon berth was installed at Weymouth; Littlehampton's new inshore boathouse was completed; work finally started on Mudeford's new boathouse; and a contract is under way for a newboathouse and berth at Newhaven.

The most notable achievement was, undoubtedly, the completion of the long awaited new boathouse at Bude, on the north Cornish coast. This project started life in 1986 and went through many variations of design and location before a solution acceptable to all concerned was found.

The biggest project in 2001/02 involved the construction of a new boathouse and berth providing combined facilities for the inshore and all-weather lifeboats at Harwich. Early construction problems delayed the project but the new facility was opened in 2002. Severe northerly storms in January 2003 caused damage to the new pontoon system, bringing a sharp reminder of the power of the elements that lifeboat crews regularly face.

Aith, in Shetland, is no stranger to strong winds. A few have swept the site of the new shore facility building over the past nine months but work has continued right through the winter. The planned works at Lerwick have not faired so well, falling foul of the liquidation of the chosen contractor before work could even start. Although there was no financial loss to the RNLI, the weather window was lost and we hope to start afresh this spring.

What of the future? Very few stations now lack the acceptable modern support facilities that the RNLI considers necessary for the men and women who make up the lifeboat crews. There are still, however, a number of major projects to come. St Agnes, Cromer (inshore), Whitby, Borth, Fleetwood, Hoylake, Walton and Frinton, and Exmouth are all places to watch, as are the key slipway stations where the newTamar class fast slipway lifeboat will be arriving from 2005.

Similar standards of supporting facilities are being given to the beach lifeguards operating under the RNLI Beach Rescue banner. Visitors to beaches in the south west of England will see increasing evidence of this in the form of small RNLI lifeguard stations. Many of the current 45 are situated in areas only accessible on foot by mountain goats and surfers, so give a thought to those who have to erect and dismantle the buildings each season. Please don't forget the Jim Tales of this world..