
Meet Cowes RNLI volunteers Harry and Olivia ahead of Round the Island Race
A safe race is a good race: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has a long-standing relationship with the Island Sailing Club’s Round the Island Race, providing safety cover and assistance, and this year’s race on Saturday 15 June pays tribute to that.
The RNLI has been named the Official Race Charity for 2024, an honour that comes as the institution celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea and 146,000 lives saved from its combined lifeboats and lifeguarding services.
The charity will work closely with the Island Sailing Club to raise funds which will go to the seven stations involved in the race and specifically for the training of their volunteer crews. On race day, and every other day of the year, the crews’ lifesaving work is essential, often difficult and sometimes dangerous and with only 1 in 10 volunteers joining the RNLI from a professional maritime occupation, training is especially important.
With just one week to go until the starting guns sounds, we’re profiling a volunteer from each of the RNLI’s seven partnering lifeboat stations as crews prepare to provide safety cover for the event and ensure this year’s race is memorable for all the right reasons.
As the race starts and ends at Cowes, we decided to feature two profiles to showcase the work volunteers at Cowes Lifeboat Station do for the Round the Island Race and its competitors. Meet volunteers Harry Leslie and Olivia Manser:
Name: Harry Leslie
Age: 66
Day job: Retired Coastguard Officer
Crew role: Launch Authority
Why did you join the RNLI? As a former Coastguard Officer I had extensive experience in Search and Rescue and am an experienced yachtsman. I sought to put my experience to good use.
What do you like most about volunteering for the RNLI? Cowes Lifeboat Station is a remarkably diverse place. I am constantly surprised by the backgrounds of the volunteers here. I have learnt so much about different lifestyles and attitudes from the people here. It is really nice the way they respect and care for each other and the tremendous effort they put into training. The courage and skill they all put into keeping people safe and saving life is humbling. As they say ‘behaviour breeds behaviour’ and we seem to go from strength to strength, and I am proud to be part of that.
How do you feel about being the Round the Island Race charity partner and how will it impact lifeboat stations? With the race starting and ending here we are an integral part of the race. It affects the town in a positive way. Being the charity partner for the race does of course help the institution financially but it also gives the crew a lift to know that their considerable efforts locally are appreciated.
Have you ever taken part in the race or provided safety cover as RNLI crew before? Over the years I have taken part in the race four times and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is great to see so many people enjoying themselves both afloat and ashore. When I was working I acted as Coastguard senior officer and co-ordinated the overall Coastguard mission. Latterly I have on occasion been duty Launch Authority here at Cowes and helped to put together our local plan for the day and authorised Cowes mission tasking.
What’s your message to competitors on the day? I remember the words of my old Sargeant Major – Have fun but be safe and take it seriously. Still works for me!
Name: Olivia Manser
Age: 37
Day job: Investor relations & Communications at a cell therapy company called Autolus
Crew role: Shore crew
Why did you join the RNLI? I’ve always wanted to get involved in a local volunteering programme, and having sailed all my life, the RNLI was the obvious choice.
What do you like most about volunteering for the RNLI? It’s been so nice to feel more part of the community and meet so many people I haven’t come across before. You think you know everyone on a tiny island, but you join an institution like the RNLI and not only do you feel like you’re giving back to the community, but you get to meet and learn from people in totally different spheres of life, who all have a different relationship to the coastal waters in this area.
How do you feel about being the Round the Island Race charity partner and how will it impact lifeboat stations? I think it’s fantastic. It’s easy to underestimate what a big deal the Round the Island race is when you’ve grown up sailing around Cowes, and it’ll be great to experience it from the other side of the race. As Mark Southwell (Cowes Lifeboat Operations Manager) says, there are so many people that make an event happen, not just the competitors, and those people are on the water before the race, and the last to come in after a long old day.
Have you ever taken part in the race or provided safety cover as RNLI crew before? I’ve taken part in the race a number of times. I always regret agreeing to it the night before the race, as I consider the early start and the long day of racing, but the minute you get up on the day and all the crews are getting ready to race, you can’t help but feel the buzz. Going around the needles is magical, and the usual pile up at St Catherine’s provides a bit of light entertainment, before you start tacking up the Bembridge shoreline (depending on the conditions). You’d think 8 hours of racing and doing the same course would be boring, but each year it’s different – the weather, the other competitors, and your friends at the needles trying to spot your boat in the mist!
What’s your message to competitors on the day? Prioritise snacks. I once sailed with my cousin who warmed pastries in the oven as we crossed the finish line which made for a round the island race to remember! Any boat with Libby Deegan on will be well covered. And of course, to quote my old sailing friend Gareth Fowler: safety first, safety second.
Organisers The Island Sailing Club and the Race Team chose the RNLI as the official charity because of its involvement in safety planning for the past 93 years.
Dave Atkinson, Race Director said: ‘The Race Team, RNLI and Coastguard have worked closely together since the first Round the Island Race in 1931 to operate a safe race for all the competitors.
‘We are incredibly grateful for the safety cover and assistance that the RNLI station teams provide on race day and so we are especially pleased to announce that all the donations raised will go to the seven stations involved in the race and specifically for the training of their volunteer crews.’
Safety of all the participants is integral to the smooth running of the race. RNLI lifeboats from Cowes, Calshot, Bembridge, Mudeford, Lymington, Portsmouth and Yarmouth have been involved in the running of the event for many years and are strategically positioned around the course. For example, Bembridge RNLI will be positioned with their all-weather Tamar lifeboat on the furthest eastern side of the Isle of Wight and will provide cover for the final leg of the race, whereas Yarmouth RNLI will be positioned with their all-weather Severn class lifeboat at The Needles, the Isle of Wight’s most western point and where the sea conditions can change drastically without warning.
To donate, please visit our Just Giving Page here –
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/rnli-round-the-island-race-2024
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Regional Communications Manager(Bicentenary) Beth Robson [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
RNLI online
For more information, please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the RNLI News Centre.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.