Ramsgate RNLI Water Safety Team and volunteer crew share their skills
Ramsgate RNLI volunteer crew and members of the Ramsgate’s RNLI Community Education, Water Safety and Visits Team recently welcomed twenty six students from Royal Temple Yacht Club Ramsgate to the Lifeboat station.
This is the fourth year that students attending the Day Skipper and Yacht Master courses at the local Yacht Club have been invited to the Lifeboat Station to have the experts teach them about Life Saving at sea.
Split into three different rotating groups, they were taken onboard the Tamar class Lifeboat, Diamond Jubilee for a talk on fire fighting onboard, man overboard recovery as well as a tour of the Lifeboat.
In the classroom RNLI crew talked them through Mayday procedures and when you should use it, the reasons why the information is gathered by the Coastguard , what to put in a grab bag when abandoning ship, how to deal with a man overboard situation and how to prepare for a helicopter recovery.
In the crews changing area they demonstrated how to correctly wear a life jacket and talked through the difference between the RNLI offshore and inshore kit as well as the different life jackets that are used. The inshore is more of a buoyancy aid as they cannot use a life jacket that automatically inflates when it gets wet as they are often swamped by waves. Whilst the offshore is a life jacket with auto inflation, as the intention is not to get wet.
The RNLI Ramsgate Community Safety Team were on hand with advise on how to choose a life jacket, how to fit it and drilled home the message that a life jacket is useless unless worn.
They talked about floating to live and suggested having a means of communication such as a phone or radio, and the importance of keeping track of where you are at all times.
The volunteers from the Ramsgate RNLI Shop were also in attendance and the students were happy to support them.
Navigation School Principal Andrew Beaumont-Hope from the RTYC said, “ This is a huge subject, but having a member of the RNLI crew talking you through their experiences enables you to relate to a situation in a way that’s not possible in a classroom situation. They brought the subject to life with their stories , after all, they are the experts.
We were so privileged to have this opportunity to interact with our volunteer RNLI crew.”
Karen Cox Ramsgate Lifeboat Press Officer Tel 07779848431 Email
[email protected]
Hatti Mellor RNLI National Media Manager Tel 07724801305 Email
[email protected]
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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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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