Coxswain of Penlee RNLI lifeboat praised for 25 years long service
No stranger to the sea, Patch Harvey had been working as a fisherman out of Newlyn Harbour when he was asked to join Penlee RNLI as a volunteer crew member by then coxswain Neil Brockman.
‘Strong, reliable, willing, determined, and well-liked by all the crew, it was an absolute pleasure to serve with him on the Mabel Alice and Ivan Ellen lifeboats.’
Following in the path of his grandfather and great grandfather who both volunteered on the crew, Patch joined the team and 25 years in, and around 600 lifeboat shouts later, he has no plans to hang up his yellow wellies.
‘It doesn’t get any better than being responsible for saving a life at sea and rescuing others,’ he says.
‘I do still get the same feeling as my first shout when the pager goes off and I don’t think that will ever change.’
‘I have stayed with the RNLI because the job is so rewarding. I feel quite proud to reach 25 years but it seems to have gone very quick. I can remember my first shout as if it was last week. It was a baptism of fire.’
The shout was to a small aircraft that had crashed into the sea. The Penlee lifeboat crew responded onboard the reserve lifeboat Duke of Atholl.
Since his first callout Patch’s dedication to saving lives at sea has been unwavering. Alongside the volunteer crew, he’s on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help those who find themselves in trouble at sea.
‘It’s a huge honour to be coxswain at Penlee, especially because of its history and following in the footsteps of many fine coxswains here.’ says Patch.
There have been many memorable callouts for the lifeboatman, including the night time rescue of a surfer missing for six hours after paddling out to sea on his surf board. The two lifeboats at Penlee were involved in a multi-agency search and found him a mile from land, extremely hypothermic, but alive.
In December 1999 Patch was even rescued himself by the RNLI from a sinking fishing vessel.
Neil recalls: ‘It was his first trip on the MFV PENROSE, which sunk after hauling in a huge catch of Pilchards. Only the masthead was showing above the water when we arrived on scene. The three crew, including Patch, had taken to the life raft - he was certainly pleased to see the Mabel Alice steaming towards him!’
Patch recalls another shout where the crew were tasked to search for a fishing vessel. On board were three very good friends of his.
‘Sadly the boat sunk and only two of the crew managed to get to the life raft,’ recalls Patch.
‘The other crewman didn’t make it. We searched all day not knowing which one was missing. That was very hard for me personally. It was my friend who was lost and I had worked with him for 10 years. He had a young child and was never found.’
Penlee Lifeboat Station is home to two lifeboats, the Ivan Ellen, an all-weather Severn class, and The Mollie and Ivor Dent, an inshore B class Atlantic 85.
During the good and bad times Patch has worked alongside many different crew members.
‘Lifeboat crew are very special people,’ says Patch who became deputy coxswain in 2001 and coxswain / mechanic in 2008.
You become good friends with them. There are some crew here with me that have served over 20 years.’
They all give up valuable time with their families throughout the year. Their families spare them at times when other families come together and for Patch it’s no different.
‘I have to say a big thank you to my wife Nina because being the wife of a full-time lifeboat crew member is not easy,’ he says.
‘Being on call means you miss out on so much as you are limited to one mile of the lifeboat station every day unless you are on leave. This has a big impact on your family, but Nina has supported me throughout.’
Neil added: ‘Patch and I are still close friends and I’m absolutely thrilled that he’s reached such an important milestone in his long and distinguished career. He’s an absolute credit to the RNLI, it couldn’t have happened to a better person.’
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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