Oban lifeboat marks a century of coxswains

Each of the five spent several years on the crew before embarking on months of additional training to gain the necessary qualifications and experience to take command of the lifeboat and lead the volunteer crew at sea.

Oban's full-time coxswain, Ally Cerexhe, says it means the crew and lifeboat are always in safe hands:

'It's great having this amount of experience around you at sea; colleagues who really know these waters who you can bounce ideas off. It's also brilliant knowing that, when I'm not on duty, the station is in safe and capable hands whichever of the deputies is on duty.'

With more than 23 years’ experience, David Isaac, a local fishing boat skipper, is the longest serving of the deputy coxswains:

'What makes it so rewarding is being part of a crew of volunteers. We are here because we want to be. Whatever role we are in, and often one of the others is taking the lead, we are all simply here to do a job and to help when someone needs us.'

Finlo Cottier, until recently a professor of oceanography at SAMS and now moving to head up the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) in Scotland, says he first met the crew of the Oban lifeboat before even setting foot in the town:

'I was sailing here, and I ended up getting towed in by the Oban lifeboat. I have been doing my bit to pay them back ever since.'

In his day job, Captain Mark Scott is in charge of a rather larger vessel. The Master of CalMac’s Isle of Lewis, he serves on Oban lifeboat during his time off:

'I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to train and progress to becoming a coxswain. It’s a rewarding role made so much easier by being part of such a great crew.'

Yachtmaster instructor James Hardie settled in Oban after many years working abroad:

'The RYA qualifications are the basis for coxswain training, with additional specific lifeboat and RNLI command training. One thing we all learn though, however experienced we are, is to prepare for the unexpected. Anybody and everybody can get into trouble, and you can't rely on experience alone.'

Ally Cerexhe had no seagoing experience when he began volunteering for the RNLI at Portpatrick in 2001. He trained and qualified as a mechanic and deputy coxswain there before moving to become Oban's full-time coxswain:

'Between all the different roles on the crew, there are many, many years of experience. People have dedicated years of their lives to responding when the pager goes off and have made a lot of sacrifices along the way. Each one is a credit to this lifeboat station and to the Institution as a whole.'

Oban's lifeboat crew will soon begin the process of developing their skills to operate a new Shannon class lifeboat due to be stationed in the town later this year. As one of the coxswains put it: 'we salty old sea dogs are going to be learning some new tricks'.

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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