RNLI Aith gets new coxswain!

Adam, who has come to Shetland from the Isle of Wight, has been welcomed to the lifeboat station by the crew of volunteers, and has already started to find his feet in the local community.

Adam has a background in sailing, his career started on tall ships but in fact, he has spent his life working on boats of some kind, and he is also a fully qualified boat builder.

All of this made him an ideal candidate for the position, and the time he has spent working with various charities, including the Jubilee Sailing Trust, (which enables disabled people to sail as a fully integrated crew member) made him the best choice for the post.

Adam has also been involved with building the boats, ranging from modern racing yachts to motor boats, and even the largest wooden tall ship built in the UK for over a century. This gives him the breadth of knowledge to understand most types of boats, and assess the situation more easily, when a vessel is in danger

Although not from an RNLI background, Adam previously lived almost next door to the inshore lifeboat station in Cowes, and has friends on the crew. With a lifelong connection to the water he has always respected the RNLI’s work and had a keen interest in what they do.

He was persuaded to apply for the role by these friends, who told him it would be ‘ideal for him’, but he never thought he would be successful in his application, given that at the time he lived in Cowes, and the vacancy advertised was in Aith.

However, he immediately found himself attracted to the job, as he felt it posed a challenge, and he had always been interested in coming to Shetland. Although the interview process was hard, Adam was delighted when he was offered the position. He has then had to go through intensive RNLI training and testing, before being confirmed in post.

Since Adam has arrived in Shetland, he has managed to see some of the local scenery, and he finds the views astonishing. He has found the locals very friendly, and says he is ‘looking forward to buying a house, settling down into the local community, and getting on with the job!’

The voluntary crew at RNLI Aith Lifeboat Station are delighted that Adam has accepted the position and look forward to having him ‘on board’ as part of the crew.

Key facts about the RNLI

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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