How do you keep a 24/7 search-and-rescue service running when a coxswain is taking a well-earned holiday? What about when a family emergency arises for the station mechanic? Or illness strikes? Meet the team who answer the call for cover There are 238 RNLI lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland – and at the beating heart of every one of them is a volunteer crew who are willing to drop all commitments
to help save a life. Leading our all-weather lifeboat crews through difficult rescues, guiding them through vigorous training sessions and keeping their lifeboats in top working condition are RNLI coxswains and mechanics. And when coxswains and mechanics need time off, it’s essential that their positions are covered at a lifeboat station – so our volunteers can keep providing round-the clock cover to their community. That’s where volunteers from other stations, and the RNLI fleet staff, step in. These coxswains and mechanics can be called at a moment’s notice to fill in at any lifeboat station around the UK and Ireland – and they stay for as long as needed, until the full-time coxswain or mechanic returns. So what’s it like to be called out to a station hundreds of miles away from home? Coxswain Andrew McHaffie and volunteer Mechanic Jimmy Quinn walk us through what happens when duty calls – and what it’s like to step into a new crew, and a new community. ‘I’m a volunteer third mechanic at Rhyl Lifeboat Station,’ explains Jimmy. ‘I spoke to an RNLI engineer one day and said: “If you need any help with cover, let me know,” and that was it!’ ‘When I’m called to a lifeboat station, my role will depend on the lifeboat they have and where they keep her. She might be afloat, on a carriage, or in a boathouse … that helps guide the work I do, from carrying out maintenance to specific station duties.’ As for Andrew: ‘I was the first member of my family to join the RNLI and eventually became coxswain at Tobermory Lifeboat Station. My brother soon followed, and now he’s coxswain there! We always had a love/hate relationship growing up, but the RNLI brought us closer together. ‘I wanted to help other stations stay on service whenever their coxswain required time away. It means a lot to me. I can be delivering specific training, trialling new lifeboats or assessing a lifeboat crew, to name just a few responsibilities.’ Home away from home. ‘The longest I’m generally away for is 3 weeks at a time,’ says Andrew. ‘When fleet staff provide cover, we stay in a hostel, a room in a pub, a crew member’s house, a caravan … wherever we need to. It’s hard being away from friends and family for that long, but the job is massively rewarding. We are on the front line, making a difference every day.’ Jimmy adds: ‘I can be called to cover anytime from over a weekend to 6 weeks. Last October, I
was called to cover the Hebrides in Scotland for a whole month.’ Special stations ‘A lifeboat station that I always remember is The Mumbles in South Wales,’ Jimmy reflects. ‘It was my first time being called out to provide cover. It was the end of the season so we were fairly quiet in terms of rescues, but I helped carry out essential maintenance on their lifeboats.’ ‘One that sticks in my mind is Penlee,’ Andrew adds. ‘It’s a special thing to be coxswain at any lifeboat station, but when any volunteer hears “Penlee” it tugs on the heartstrings. To be coxswain for any amount of time there is an honour.’ Rewards and challenges ‘The most rewarding thing about providing cover at a lifeboat station is knowing that you’re helping people,’ Andrew says. ‘From being the coxswain on a rescue to training crews on a new Shannon class lifeboat, we’re helping to save lives. ‘Being away from family is the most challenging thing about being called out – missing birthdays, Christmases or school plays. Sometimes, the lifeboat stations closest to home can feel the furthest away.’ Jimmy recalls: ‘The furthest station I’ve been called to is Aith on Shetland. It’s very quiet there, hardly any people at all. It can be quite challenging coming out to areas like these, because they’re so remote – if the weather is foggy, for
example, you’re stuck! ‘My favourite thing about providing cover as a mechanic is being able to keep our lifeboats in service. People might need our help and a crew need to be able to reach them – they can’t do that without reliable lifeboats. Each class is different and they all have particular needs. We have an all-weather Mersey class in Rhyl, which is totally different to the Tamar class lifeboat at the Lizard.’ ‘Because I’m from a station with an all-weather Severn class lifeboat, she used to be my favourite in the fleet,’ Andrew says. ‘But in recent years, the Shannon class has stolen the top spot for me. She’s a phenomenal lifeboat – I still smile every time I step aboard one.’ ‘I like the Tamar,’ says Jimmy. ‘The Shannon’s design was based on it and it’s a really good lifeboat – everyone can stay in their seats during a launch and a lot of the commands are controlled through computers.’ Taking the reins So what’s it like arriving in a new town and joining a new crew? ‘When I get to a lifeboat station, sometimes I’ll recognise someone from a training course I’ve done at the RNLI College in Poole, Dorset,’ Jimmy says. ‘That’s great because they’ll recognise you too and introduce you to the rest of the crew.’ ‘Absolutely,’ agrees Andrew. ‘I always get a warm welcome around the coast. ‘As a coxswain, you don’t just arrive at a station and start telling people what to do. You have to gain the crew’s trust, learn their names and understand their abilities. I was a volunteer who progressed to second coxswain, to mechanic, to full-time coxswain to fleet staff, so crews always find common ground with me.’ 
Words: Jasmin Downs. Photos: Nicholas Leach, RNLI/(Sam Jones, Nigel Millard, Stacie Nicoll, Nathan Williams)

‘I was on exercise with Selsey lifeboat crew recently, when we were paged to someone in the water. Luckily, a local angling crew had spotted the casualty and pulled him aboard their vessel – so when we arrived, we transferred him onto our lifeboat. ‘The man had been in the water for around an hour, had sustained various injuries and was hypothermic so we gave him a medical assessment while a paramedic was winched down to us from the Coastguard helicopter. Our crew powered the casualty back to shore where he could be taken into an ambulance – then we continued with our training exercise and the crew went back to their day jobs. Being a coxswain is something I’m immensely proud of, but a coxswain is nothing without the crew.’
ANDREW McHAFFIE
FLEET STAFF COXSWAIN

VIEW FROM THE CREW MEET THE RELIEF FLEET
‘Getting a coxswain or mechanic to provide cover add heaps of value to a lifeboat station, because they give you a different perspective on how to handle a situation. We’ve had some amazing coxswains stand in at Tobermory – like Mark Criddle from Torbay. ‘To this day, our crew still talk about him because his insight was fantastic. After we’d trained with him, I thought to myself: “What did I learn tonight?” and realised I took away so much. Angus Budge from Longhope was the same. He’s been at sea all his life but understands we haven’t all had the same experience, so he explained things incredibly well. ‘The bottom line is that a lifeboat has to go out if someone is in danger – and you need a coxswain to take a crew out. It would be the worst feeling if we couldn’t launch because we didn’t have a coxswain and something really bad happened.’
TONY ‘KIWI’ SPILLANE
CREW MEMBER | TOBERMORY

MEET THE RELIEF FLEET

It’s not just crew members who provide essential cover. Regular rescues and rough seas take their toll on lifeboats too – and it is vital that they receive regular maintenance and upgrades so they can carry on saving lives. That’s why we have a relief lifeboat fleet. At the time of writing, we have 36 all-weather relief lifeboats and 40 inshore relief lifeboats in our fleet. Our relief fleet are always ready to stand in at any lifeboat station around the UK and Ireland to power our lifesavers out to the rescue.