Meet the men and women flying the lifesaving flag on the Isle of Man 190 years on ...

Norman Quillin
Ex-Coxswain/Mechanic, Port St Mary

‘I’ve lived next door to the station for over 40 years. The most memorable rescue when I was coxswain took place at Darbyhaven. There was a hefty sea running. A yacht broke its mooring and started to get smashed up in the weather. Two of our lads tried to get close on the Y boat but it capsized – they swam to the breakwater with one of the sailors and got pulled to safety with a boat hook. That left two on the yacht. The only way to get close was to risk it with the all-weather lifeboat.

'Somehow, in the shallow water and rocks, I got alongside. By now, there was only one still aboard and we rescued him. A helicopter searched for the other fellow, who had got washed away. ‘I’m afraid it was too late for him.’

Jenni Kneale
Sailing Instructor and Port St Mary lifeboat Crew Member

‘The Manx [Isle of Man] identity is important and it’s being held together by a handful of groups. To me it’s about the language, the history, the music. I play folk music on the whistle with my dad, who is also on the lifeboat crew. He plays fiddle and guitar. At the sailing school we do a project with schoolchildren where we show them the lifeboat and talk about Sir William Hillary.’

Kevin Christian
Lifeboat Operations Manager, Ramsey

‘Quite a lot of people leave the island when they are younger, for college or jobs. But something brings them back. It’s a great place to bring up kids – a relaxed way of life. It’s a strong community, and everyone knows about the RNLI. The RNLI is one of the things that brings people together. When I page the crew to launch, I’m paging electricians, builders, teachers, and a refuse collector.’

Mary Corran
Lifeboat Operations Manager, Douglas

‘My husband Robert was Coxswain for 27 years, and his brother is Coxswain now. One of my first roles was when everyone started to have phones – it was quicker for me to ring the volunteers up than to fire a maroon. It was very rare for a woman to be involved in the lifeboat – for superstitious reasons. Fishermen wouldn’t let women on their boats. It’s a very superstitious place. Whenever we go over the Fairy Bridge, we both say hello to the fairies. Otherwise you get bad luck.’