Falmouth RNLI volunteer crew members qualify as all-weather lifeboat mechanics
After twelve months of intensive training, Jonathan Hackwell and Andy Edwards have just passed their final assessment to become fully qualified ALB mechanics.
Jonathan has been a volunteer crew member for 15 years and is also a navigator on the all-weather lifeboat as well as an inshore lifeboat helm.
He said: ‘It was a team effort and I am grateful to the station coxswains, mechanics, navigators, crew and shore crew for getting us afloat for the training and also to Andy as my fellow trainee mechanic during the period of training.’
Andy has been on the crew for just under three years and agreed that it had been a whole crew effort to get them through the training.
He said: ‘We have had tremendous support from all the crew. They have put up with and helped with all the training and drills that we had to do to qualify.’
Falmouth RNLI Coxswain Jonathon Blakeston said: ‘Jonathan and Andy coped brilliantly with the mechanics programme which included intensive training on the water and residential courses at The RNLI College at Poole. They have given up their time on every Wednesday evening for the last 12 months. This is a big commitment and it is on top of the Sunday morning exercises and call outs they have been involved with. Well done to them.’
Falmouth RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Nick Lewis said: ‘Having two new mechanics is going to make a massive difference to the station. We’ve been a bit stretched for cover in this area, especially during the busy summer months. We will now have five mechanics on the station which will ease on call duties giving our volunteers more time to spend with their families.’
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