spirit Incredible journey The RNLI’s Chief Executive spent an especially productive Summer last year. Carol Waterkeyn finds out how A senior manager takes a cycle ride. Quite unremarkable until you realise that the man in question is the RNLI’s 63-year-old Chief Executive, Andrew Freemantle cbe, and that the ride took in 1,230 spectacular but gruelling miles from Headquarters in Dorset to Rome. Andrew was raising funds for the memorial and garden newly planned for the home of the RNLI in Poole. They will be a celebration of all the RNLI people who have made such an impact on the charity and its work through its 184- year history – especially those who have lost their lives saving others.

Andrew explains: ‘We realised that, although there are memorials around the coast dedicated to individuals or particular crews, there is no one, single place to remember and record the names of them all. When I discussed this with my colleagues, the Trustees and the RNLI Council, everyone agreed it was a good idea but we knew we couldn’t use our regular funds, which are given for saving lives. We would need to raise the money separately. And so it was that three ex-service friends and I planned an epic cycle ride. Unlike the others I hadn’t done much cycling before, so the training and subsequent ride were a bit hard on the old bottom – even though I was the bambino of the group!’ Their preparation over, the intrepid four set off on 31 August. The Chief Executive had booked 3 weeks’ annual leave in which to complete the trip. The task was to cover at least 60 miles a day, a goal they met with an average of 64 a day, at around 12.8 miles per hour.

This was despite the challenges of the Massif Central and the Alps. With the Mistral, the infamous icy wind behind them, they even managed to take a day off.

One thing the friends did not have to worry about was eating too many calories – frequent meals and snacks were all exercised off while the group worked to keep up their water intake. ‘The weather was very kind to us. When we reached Siena, we found a beautiful mediaeval city with cobbled streets and a marvellous piazza, gorgeous historic churches and fantastic ice cream,’ enthuses Andrew: ‘We wanted to stop.’ With a French and Italian speaker among them, lodgings were usually arranged a day or so ahead by mobile phone.

The laundry routine became to wash their cycling gear each evening and hang it to dry where they could.

The legendary warm welcome offered to cyclists on tour in France and Italy proved true: hotel managers happily secured their bikes, and other road users were generally considerate. There were some rather scary moments in the road tunnels with enormous lorries rushing past. But Andrew’s worst moment was when one of his tyres blew out on the Alps. ‘Luckily I was not travelling fast downhill at the time. It went “bang” like a shotgun and the tyre and inner tube completely split.’ He used an emergency replacement for a couple of days until he could find a suitable new tyre. Kicking his bike in frustration, threatening to throw it in the Tiber and other Basil Fawlty behaviour was fortunately rare.

Reaching Rome was a particularly special experience.

The sight of the Coliseum after the daily slog up mountains, down narrow tracks and across cobbles was an emotional moment. The night before, all four adventurers had met up with their wives 25 miles north of their destination.

The ladies then drove ahead to meet the jubilant but tired cyclists as they made their grand entrance onto St Peter’s Square in front of the Vatican. It was very moving for them all at the end of such an unusual and taxing ‘holiday’.

So far the Chief Executive’s efforts have raised almost £50,000 in sponsorship, with several thousand more being raised by his friends. What would he think to doing it all again? ‘I would be happy to do something else worthwhile to raise money for this project. Our crews and lifeguards do difficult and uncomfortable things every day so I feel it is the least I can do to repay them. Lance Armstrong, the cyclist who won the Tour de France seven times having conquered cancer, wrote in his autobiography that: “cycling is uncomfortable; your butt and everything else hurts.” I can certainly identify with that …’ As he has already completed the London Marathon on behalf of the RNLI, we can be sure that Andrew’s next challenge will be pretty spectacular! ‘Our crews and lifeguards do difficult and uncomfortable things everyday so I feel it is the least I can do ...’ If you would like to join Andrew in his fundraising for the RNLI memorial and garden, you can make a donation via the RNLI Supporter Care team (see contact details on page 1), the JustGiving websites, or buy an RNLI first-day stamp cover (see page 52). For more about the project itself see page 9. cLose up meet the family Building a strong and happy family can be a tough task for anyone but this is exactly what The Lifeboat College is attempting to do for the RNLI. Four members of this charity ‘family’ tell Liz Cook and Carol Waterkeyn what it means to them The Principal sue Hennessy ‘When I heard the first tentative ideas about a college for the RNLI, I knew exactly what the potential was,’ says Sue Hennessy, glowing with the remembered excitement. ‘Yes, it should be a centre of excellence for training our crews and lifeguards – of course! – but there was so much more.

Perhaps it would be the place where everyone who has any connection with the RNLI could come, share the same space and some of the same experiences.’ Sue explains further: ‘My vision was that a crew from the west of Ireland might bump into a fundraising branch from the east of England. Or a couple of Shoreline members eating lunch would see kitted-up crews joining their training boats for exercises. Staff from a corporate donor might meet the RNLI’s sea survival experts face to face … How inspiring and strengthening that would be to the whole RNLI family.’ But this was no pipe dream – Sue is now both Head of Training and College Principal in Poole, living every working day (and sometimes night) the reality of The Lifeboat College. She sees the building and all that it offers as a powerful tool in distance management: ‘The RNLI is literally a peripheral service – it is largely coastal, on the edge. Even our Headquarters is by the sea. How do you hold that all together?’ The Principal is a hands-on woman, personally hosting tours of the site and inducting new staff. Being part of the College and thence the wider RNLI is ‘so compelling and a constant thrill,’enthuses Sue.

‘From the beginning we were going to be world leading. ‘The RNLI is literally a peripheral service … on the edge ... How do you hold that all together? I researched the very best in conference centres and agonised over the right furniture, lighting, beds … It would all have to stand up to heavy use but still be attractive and comfortable for a wide range of people.

‘Now we strive every day to perfect everything we do, whether that be training, the food, the reception or the technical services that visitors receive – if any of those aren’t right, the family just won’t want to come and stay!’ The Crew Member tim edwards For 37 weeks of the year, The Lifeboat College is teeming with volunteer lifeboat crew members from all over the UK and RoI. With courses ranging from basic boathandling to command and control, the diversity of trainees is extraordinary. Probationers routinely rub shoulders with crew of many years’ standing and everyone is stretched by the expert tuition.

Just one of several courses underway in October last year was D class Helm – a chance for existing helms to both brush up their skills and learn new techniques and for others to gain relevant knowledge from scratch. Five students had travelled from afar, taking time off from their ‘day jobs’ to live and breathe lifeboats for a week. Classroom work and practical ? exercises went hand-in-hand, in both the indoor survival pool and the open waters of Poole Harbour and beyond.

Volunteer Tim Edwards from Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, explains: ‘We’ve worked on handling the lifeboat itself and towing other craft. Practising recovering weighted dummies from the water simulates rescuing casualties but also prepares us for any “man overboard” emergency. We’ve carried out complex searches and improved our teamwork and leadership.’ The trainees certainly gain high-level knowledge and skills from their time in Poole but living and working so closely together also builds confidence and an increased sense of belonging to the wider RNLI family. ‘It’s hard work but the instructors are top notch!’ Tim and his fellow trainees sum up: ‘It’s been a very satisfying week.’ The Customer John Green Nowadays, only 10% of lifeboat volunteers have had a professional maritime occupation so training is even more important if they are to fulfil their lifesaving roles and keep safe themselves. Training is expensive but The Lifeboat College offsets the expense in two ways. Large savings are made through providing catering and accommodation on site. Income is generated by marketing the building’s facilities to other organisations.

The latest string to this commercial bow is the RNLI Sea Survival Experience. This corporate team-building event comprises some components of the real-life training the charity’s volunteers go through and can genuinely be said to offer something unique.

There is surely no better environment in which to demonstrate the importance of working well together, trying to survive ‘the elements’.

Starting with a thorough briefing from instructors and dressing in RNLI kit, these novice ‘crew’ undergo poolside drills and then gain skills in the survival pool that RNLI crew members rely on every day. Clambering into liferafts in a powerful swell and ‘rain’, ‘thunder’ and ‘lightning’ before rescue by ‘helicopter’ form the heart of the event, all under the watchful eye of RNLI trainers.

Participants recover with a hearty meal before returning to their workplace with a new understanding of the RNLI’s work. PLEASE SIMPLY John Green, Vice President of Telesoft Technologies, and 11 colleagues were the first to try out the Sea Survival Experience.

They were bowled over. ‘It was an awesome experience,’ he reports. ‘It was totally different and revitalising in comparison with other corporate days we’ve tried. The RNLI has tremendous staff, great communicators and fabulous facilities.’ ‘It was an awesome experience ... revitalising.’ The Member tony Holkham When the College has spare accommodation, it is open to members to sample. RNLI supporter Tony Holkham and his wife weren’t sure what to expect. Tony explains: ‘Would it be a hotel? Exclusive club? Campus? Each conjures different, not necessarily positive, images. We found something else. ‘Greeted by friendly staff, the peaceful atmosphere impressed us. Our room was spotless, spacious, and warm; you could open the window for fresh air; and the view of Holes Bay was lovely, especially early morning and evening. Dinner on Friday was so tasty, and the service so good, that we looked no further THESE PAGES ARE NOT THE FINAL LAYOUT.

CHECK TEXT on Saturday, despite Poole being awash with eating places. It was home-cooked food at its best, with plenty of variety (and quantity!).

‘After a superb breakfast on Saturday we ventured further into Dorset and visited Monkey World, then returned to stroll round Poole town (just a few minutes from the College) with its shops and entertainment to suit every possible taste; on Sunday, we found the Old Lifeboat Station Museum and other attractions on the quayside.

‘If we had any criticism, it was the unnecessary background music in the restaurant, and the cigarette butts outside (stub bins being few and full). But I nit-pick – we had a lovely, relaxed weekend, and we must congratulate the approachable, helpful and happy staff for making it so, and the unobtrusive way they kept it immaculate without being sterile, as hotels can be.

Everyone was chatty and complimentary, whether there for work, training or leisure, and it was lovely to see people of all ages enjoying the facility.

‘So, hotel, club or campus? To its credit, the College tries to be none of these. It has found the perfect balance, a home-fromhome that we were delighted to visit, and certainly will do again; these few words aren’t enough to do it justice.

‘Value for money? Certainly. Tell your friends – if they aren’t RNLI members, or haven’t yet stayed at the College, they don’t know what they’re missing.’ ‘It’s a home-from-home.’ coAstAL LiFe Red sky in the morning In the 1979 Fastnet race, 15 lives were lost when yachts were caught in hurricane force winds and what the weathermen called ‘phenomenal’ seas. Bethany Hope investigates how 21st century weather forecasting helped prevent a similar tragedy in 2007 On Saturday 11 August 1979, conditions were perfect for the start of the Fastnet race at Cowes, Isle of Wight. As the race progressed, the BBC’s early evening shipping forecast on 13 August predicted winds of force 7 or 8 – it would be an exhilarating ride. No further information was available to seafarers until midnight but meanwhile the weather system deepened rapidly. Three hundred yachts were far from land, spread across the 150-mile stretch between Land’s End and the Fastnet Rock. Overnight, and to everyone’s surprise, force 10–12 winds hit and 15 souls were lost.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, there was a wide-ranging review of general ocean-racing safety. Some of the crews in the storm hadn’t known sea safety basics: they didn’t have a radio to call for help or made the fatal decision to abandon the bigger vessel prematurely for a liferaft.

With an update in Fastnet regulations, VHF radios became mandatory, qualifications for competing were introduced and the number of starters limited to 300.

Most of all, getting accurate and timely weather warnings out to mariners had never seemed so important. What followed meant that offshore weather forecasting was never the same again. ‘We not only know more about impending bad weather but it’s possible for us to give earlier warning of it.’ Jonathan Stanford, Met Office Winds of change The Met Office provided sea current information for sailors from its foundation in 1854. Five years later a tempest off Anglesey wrecked the passenger vessel Royal Charter, with the loss of 459 people. In response, the then head of the Met Office, Admiral Robert FitzRoy rn, created the first gale-warning service. The Met Office now provides a variety of weather services for the UK and rest of the world and the Irish Meteorological Service provides weather information in the RoI.

The first offshore forecast relied on a network of 15 coastal stations, with canvascovered wooden frames in the shape of cones or drums, lit up by lanterns at night.

Crews at sea could tell by the arrangement of the shapes the direction from which gales could be expected.

The invention of the electric telegraph in the 1870s and wireless telegraphy in 1901 were huge advances for the communication of forecasts. In the 1950s, practical use of numerical weather prediction began, with computers fast enough to make calculations from data to produce a useable forecast.

In the late 20th century, technology transformed the world of weather forecasting. Satellite imagery became far more detailed, providing useful information from otherwise inaccessible ocean areas.

Automatic observations of the atmosphere became much more common, while manual observations from ships, aircraft, buoys and balloons are still vital.

Supercomputers at Met Office headquarters in Exeter collect data continually from all these sources and use it to simulate the world’s atmosphere mathematically, going on to predict what will happen next. Although the mathematical model used can never fully represent the complexity of the real atmosphere, it is based on a well-founded understanding of the laws of physics. A 3-day forecast from the Met Office is as accurate now as the 1-day forecast was 20 years ago. The Met Office can model the entire globe’s atmosphere and provide a forecast within 3 hours.

And now the Shipping Forecast The best predictions in the world are useless unless they reach the people who need them. Many of us regularly watch BBC weather presenters, who are Met Office staff and trained meteorologists. Some will also be familiar with the Shipping Forecast, transmitted four times a day on BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. A specialist forecast is necessary because winds behave differently at sea from on land. They also tend to be stronger, as the relatively smooth sea surface does little to reduce their speed.

The broadcasting institution that is the Shipping Forecast follows a strict if poetic format, giving a summary of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and a forecast to specified sea areas around the UK and RoI.

The Forecast is easy to follow, if you know the code and Beaufort scale (see overleaf).

The area-specific forecasts cover in turn: wind direction and speed, sea state, weather and visibility. For example: Dogger, Fisher, German Bight: Northwest 5–7, occasionally gale 8 in Fisher and German Bight, becoming variable 3 or 4. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough. Showers. Good. ? FASTNET 1979 Unexpected force 10–12 winds hit the fastnet race in 1979 and 15 lives were lost.

Between 6pm 13 august and 6pm 16 august 1979, 13 lifeboats and their crews from both sides of the irish Sea gave 334.8 hours’ service and saved the lives of 96 people.

it was the biggest peacetime rescue operation in history.

here, Courtmacsherry harbour’s Solent class lifeboat offers one of the competitors a lifeline.

Photo: Ambrose Greenway There are now many ways for sea-goers to receive information on the weather, from different forecasters worldwide, by radio, telephone, fax, SMS and internet. Some sailors who race or who travel around the world even have their own private meteorologists and weather routers.

Never has the weather forecast been more accurate or accessible. Sea-goers, whether they’re in a canoe or a superyacht, have up-to-date, accurate information at the touch of a button and can then make decisions about whether to set to sea or seek safe haven when at sea. Checking the weather before you go out can be a lifesaver – and is now a legal requirement. Practise what you preach Weather and sea state information is, of course, essential for the RNLI. The Training team at The Lifeboat College in Poole check the Met Offi ce and Marinecall websites before every exercise. Unlike an operational station, the trainers can choose when and where to go out. In a real-life ‘shout’, the Coastguard contacts the station to request the launch of a lifeboat, but they may not be aware of local sea conditions. Beaufort wind force scale Beaufort wind force scale Beaufort Wind speed Wind descriptive Probable wave Sea descriptive wind scale (knots) terms height (m) terms 0 0 Calm - Calm (glassy) 1 1–3 Light air 0.1 Calm (rippled) 2 4–6 Light breeze 0.2 Smooth (wavelets) 3 7–10 Gentle breeze 0.6 Slight 4 11–16 Moderate breeze 1.0 Slight–moderate 5 17–21 Fresh breeze 2.0 Moderate 6 22–27 Strong breeze 3.0 Rough 7 28–33 Near gale 4.0 Rough–very rough 8 34–40 Gale 5.5 Very rough–high 9 41–47 Severe/Strong gale 7.0 High 10 48–55 Storm 9.0 Very high 11 56–63 Violent storm 11.5 Very high 12 64+ Hurricane force 14+ Phenomenal It is ultimately up to the local RNLI launching authority, usually the Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM), to decide whether to launch.

The term ‘all-weather lifeboat’ is to be taken literally. All-weather lifeboats really are designed for saving lives whatever the weather. Stornoway lifeboat station has a Severn class all-weather and they use the forecaster Metcheck.com on a daily basis, for short and long-range forecasts, so the crews know what they’re heading into. Angus MacLeod, Stornoway launching authority, has granted permission for the launch of the Tom Sanderson in a severe gale force 9, gusting storm force10: ‘Sometimes you are extremely worried that you have sent seven men into danger.’ The RNLI gives its lifeboat stations guidelines for the operational limitations of inshore lifeboats. Beyond these, an inshore lifeboat station may decline to launch and perhaps recommend a fl ank station’s all-weather lifeboat for the job instead. Sometimes a pair of lifeboats will launch – an inshore to search in shallower waters and an all-weather to provide safety cover.

Nigel Roper, LOM at Hayling Island, similarly recognises the responsibility of giving permission for the crew to risk their lives for others: ‘As launching authority, it’s important to have in-depth knowledge of your patch and an intimate knowledge of local tides. This, coupled with the information from our local weather stations, will give me a pretty good idea of what the sea state will be.’ In 17 years, Nigel estimates he has refused to launch due to the weather only once. RNLI lifeguards too have to be ready for sudden changes in the weather and sea state.

Their red fl ag warns visitors to keep out of the water in dangerous conditions but, in contrast, forecasts of good weather help the RNLI prepare for busy periods on the beach.

The long view It’s not just shortterm weather forecasts that prove useful. The Met Offi ce makes long-term predictions on climate change. A possible increase in sea levels and the severity of cyclonic winter storms may mean more work for the RNLI. Demands for lifeguarding may also increase if average temperatures rise.

Long-term weather predictions have already had an impact on designs for lifeboat stations. Sometimes new boathouses are built with raised fl oor levels and in others the RNLI accepts the increased fl ood risk and instead designs the building to accept occasional fl ooding.

? coMe rAin or sHine Hardy rnLi fundraisers will run for the rnLi whatever the weather, but area- and date-specifi c weather forecasts can help them prepare. the Met offi ce offers a talk to a Forecaster service and bespoke forecasts for individual events, so organisers can plan accordingly. Rolex Fastnet Race 2007 In 2007 there was a severe weather warning issued by the Met Offi ce for the Fastnet so, in sharp contrast to 1979, race organisers the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) knew exactly what conditions the competitors would be sailing into. Some of the bigger boats were thrilled at the thought of force 7 or 8 winds and went on to break records but the conditions would pose a problem for some, particularly the smaller competitors.

The race starts at Cowes, Isle of Wight, runs to the Fastnet Rock, County Cork, and fi nishes at Plymouth, Devon. The RORC chose to delay the start for 25 hours, meaning that the predicted bad weather would challenge the boats sooner rather than later. In 1979, racers were caught on the way out in the exposed Irish Sea, far from shelter. RORC Racing Manager Janet Grosvenor well remembers the damage caused. She explains that in 2007, because of the delay, winds gusting to 40 knots hit the boats in the Channel, near safe ports rather than when they were past Land’s End, ‘with nowhere to run to’.

However, some believe that race organisers should have delayed the start another 24 hours, to avoid the bad weather completely. Many small boats were damaged and a few competitors were injured.

Emergency services including lifeboats from Salcombe, Torbay and Falmouth sprang into action. Peter Hodges, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Salcombe, stresses that the RNLI will rescue anybody in trouble without question, but argues that boats shouldn’t set out with such bad weather predicted: ‘The fact that no one was killed was more chance than precaution.’ Cancelling the race was not an option, according to Janet Grosvenor. The RORC fi rmly believes: ‘It’s up to the individual to make a decision on whether to start a race or whether to retire.’ In the 2007 Rolex Fastnet race, 271 boats started the race and 211 retired. But, unlike in 1979, no lives were lost. Most cited seasickness and the state of the sea as major reasons for pulling out but crucial to the decision-making process for each boat was the weather forecast: crews knew that there would be no let up in conditions.

World-class sailor and RNLI Offshore member Dee Caffari’s experience was typical. This extract from her diary at www.deecaffari.co.uk shows how she made a sensible and informed decision to withdraw.

‘I checked the boat and found some areas of chafe on the mainsail that had resulted in some holes and the extra pressure had a knock on effect. While I was repairing what I could of the damage, Mike checked the weather ahead. I had to ask myself if I really wanted to put my seasick crew and Aviva through another hard night to reach the rock? ‘After a chat we all decided unanimously that we could repair the damage now and still enjoy a sail home with reduced stress levels rather than risk severe damage that would be expensive and put us all at risk in the Irish Sea.’ The future There is no doubt that increasingly accurate forecasts will reach more and more people, helping to save lives at sea but, just as surely, the seas and weather around the British Isles remain notoriously treacherous. Furthermore, however hi-tech forecasting is, some humans will inevitably make ill-judged decisions about when and where to go to sea. Lifeboat crews, prepared to risk their lives for the sake of others and equipped with the best of lifeboats, kit and training, will always be called for, whatever the weather. (See page 31 for a review of Left for dead, a graphic account of one man’s Fastnet 1979. Offshore members can fi nd more on weather forecasting and how it affects seagoers in their specialist supplement to the Lifeboat.) .