Leonie qualifies as Oban lifeboat’s first female coxswain
An experienced member of the crew of Oban lifeboat has passed out as a coxswain and is now qualified to lead the six-strong crew on The Campbell Watson.
Leonie Woolf joins five other women volunteer coxswains across Scotland’s 29 all-weather lifeboat stations and is the first on a Shannon class vessel in Scotland.
After more than a year of additional training, Leonie’s final hurdle, after completing a written exam, was an assessment exercise overseen by an independent assessor that included dealing with a simulated fire on board, operating on a single engine while undertaking a man overboard exercise and conducting a search in strong winds and rough seas.
Leonie said:
“I could not have done any of this without the support of the rest of the crew – those who were out on the lifeboat with me on the pass out exercise and everyone else at the station who has encouraged me to keep going through the long training process. It has genuinely been a team effort, and I am very grateful.”
Leonie has taken part in over 200 shouts since joining the seagoing crew in 2017. A graphic designer, she first joined Oban Lifeboat as volunteer press officer.
Oban has a seagoing crew of 23, including a full time coxswain, now six deputy coxswains, a senior station technician and four deputy mechanics. They are supported by a shore crew of launch authorities and fundraisers.
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