Many colleges have their own sports teams, but how many can claim to have their own lifeboat crew? At Atlantic College, a crew made up of teachers and students is on call, ready to swap the classrooms and quarters at St Donat's Castle for the rough and tumble of the Bristol Channel.

Since a lifeboat station first opened at Atlantic College's shore-side campus more than 40 years ago, rescue boats have been crewed by students and staff. The arrangement provides enthusiastic crew members, and a rewarding experience for students.

The college, with its seaside location, castle and picturesque grounds, is the founding member of the United World Colleges movement and around 350 students from 70 different countries live and learn there. A key part of their twoyear syllabus is spent learning and providing 'community services' - including saving lives at sea.

'The idea is that the older students trainthe younger ones whilst also manning the lifeboat,' says Gareth Rees, Lifeboat Operations Manager and Vice Principal of the college. 'Giving such a responsibility to 17 and 18-year-olds is character forming to put it mildly.' One such student, Ella Du Breuil, has remained on the crew since finishing her studies, and is now the youngest B class helmsman in the RNLI.

Ella says: 'I have stayed part of the crew because I feel I want to try and help as many people as possible. The pagers often went off during classes, but you just carry on with it and catch up with what you've missed later. It is a special crew because most of us are young, and also only a quarter are British.

'You learn a lot about yourself and each other,' adds Ella, who will soon be working as an outdoor pursuits instructor at the college during a summer camp for disadvantaged and disabled children.

History lesson Offering lifeboating as a course is not the only special link that Atlantic College haswith the RNLI - it is also the birthplace of a lifeboat class. The inshore lifeboat station was one of nine set up experimentally in 1963 by the RNLI. Initially, college teachers and students worked together to design boats that could pick up walkers stranded by the tides on the rugged coastline.

The founding headmaster, Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare, began to develop the concept of rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) at the college. As the capabilities of such a vessel became clear, the RNLI adopted the idea and began to develop the RIB further for its own requirements.

In the meantime, the crew continued to train and launch on services and, in 1968, letters of appreciation signed by the RNLI's Secretary were sent to three Atlantic College crew members after they rescued four men from a wrecked dredger. A year later, student Elisabeth Hostvedt from Norway became the first female crew member - and first female helmsman - in the RNLI.

In 1970, the RNLI adopted the RIB design and developed it for its own requirements. The lifeboat X-1 AC was placed on service on 1 January 1970 as the Atlantic College boat.

In 1972, the RNLI produced a new 21-foot rigid inflatable boat, named after its birthplace and length: the Atlantic 21.With a plywood hull, it was powered by two 40hp engines - examples still exist at some lifeboat stations. Rear Admiral Hoare died in 1988 but developments continued. By 1994, a new 7.5m version of the lifeboat, the Atlantic 75, had been developed, this time made of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and powered by 75hp engines. Atlantic College took delivery of one in 2000. 'The station and the college are particularly proud to have been the birth place of the Atlantic series of boats, which now give service around the British Isles,' says Gareth.

(See the cover for a notable example and page 20 for the rescue service.) The class of 2005 This year will be another important chapter in the story of the Atlantic lifeboats. The RNLI has been developing and testing a new version, the faster and larger Atlantic 85.

As the Lifeboat went to press, production of the new lifeboat was nearing completion.

Macduff in Grampian is due be the first station to receive an Atlantic 85, in late summer.

But how do you improve a lifeboat that has been a tried and tested lifesaver for more than a decade? Rob Cantrill, the RNLI's principal engineer on the project, explains: 'New demands have meant we need to stow more and more equipment, which has made the existing boats heavier and slower, plus there is often a requirement for another crew member and radar capability.' The Atlantic 85 therefore allows room for four crew members, more survivors and more kit. Powered by two 115hp engines and with a stronger fibre reinforced composite (FRC) hull, it has a top speed of 35 knots. The added radar will allow crews to operate more effectively in poor visibility and locate stricken vessels faster.

And who better to test the next generation of Atlantic lifeboats than RNLI crew members themselves? A handpicked group of 15 experienced Atlantic helmsmen have been involved in every level of the project, while two crew members from every B class lifeboat station were involved in testing-that's 190 people in all.

There has been a deliberate policy to involve the end user as much as possible/ says Rob. 'News has got back to their stations around the coast, and everybody has been happy with what we are doing.' So, hopefully, would be Rear Admiral Hoare..