Row, Row, Row Your Boat - RNLI volunteer crews in Norfolk receive Easter treats

In December 2020 the intrepid rowers will embark on the longest and toughest row of their lives (to date). They are Sandra Squire, Helen Hogan and Kate Palmer, all members of the Kings Lynn Coastal Rowing Club (KLCRC) who will be taking part in the, Talisker Atlantic Challenge.

In order to take part in this mammoth event a serious amount of training will be necessary. To this end the trio ably assisted by Carol Noding, Tim Hogan, Bob Panrucker, Karen Nicklin and photographer Pete Jousiffe set out on Saturday 20 April, in their St Ayles Skiff, the Lynn Rewet to row from Kings Lynn and visit all the lifeboat stations along the coast as far as Great Yarmouth, presenting Easter Eggs to all the stations along the way.

All coastal rowing is governed by the winds and the tides and timing is therefore of the essence. The team was seriously hampered at the outset by a 45-minute delay with the arrival into The Great Ouse of a Container Ship. This put their timing all awry which meant that they arrived at Old Hunstanton later than planned and as the tide was on the turn.

As they departed from Old Hunstanton they were met with the incoming tide and an Easterly wind of about 15-20 knots and, as they were not making any headway, it was decreed that, with the wind being from that quarter for the proposed duration of the row (i.e. over the Easter weekend), that it would not be possible to complete the row in the allotted time.

However, the KLCRC members were determined not to disappoint the RNLI stations they had planned to visit and took it upon themselves to journey by road to all the lifeboat stations between Hunstanton and Great Yarmouth to deliver their Easter wishes and chocolates aplenty.

The rowers were obviously very disappointed not to complete the journey but were very grateful for the input from the RNLI, especially Hunstanton RNLI, and Skipper Sandra Squire said: 'Throughout the next three days, we continued to visit all of Norfolk’s lifeboat stations on schedule. We have spent a great deal of time talking to the crews, learning about their stations and the work they do and of course, delivering Easter Eggs to them!

'What has come from this weekend, is a deeper understanding of the work each station undertakes, how invaluable it is and how much support it requires to keep those stations open. We are completely in awe of the fabulous lifeboat crews at all of the stations and are now working on plans to get them involved with some rows around the coast.'

Sheringham RNLI is very grateful for their best wishes and gifts and wish them well in their endeavours to row across the Atlantic Ocean in December next year.

To find out more about the row, please visit: http://www.trovi.com/Results.aspx?CTID=CT3314321&SearchType=web&searchsource=58&UM=8&D=010918&N=1234&q=talisker+atlantivc+challenge

RNLI Media contacts

For more information please contact Dick Grieve, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Sheringham RNLI on: 07884 495155.

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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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