Features
and Reviews
Exercise at Breakwater
This year the RNLI
Search and Rescue event on Sunday 12th August
was eagerly awaited by thousands of people all hoping to watch
the HM Coastguard Sikorsky Helicopter 'Victor Alpha' from Portland
link up with the Torbay Lifeboats. |
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Even with a delay at the start, the helicopter
set to join the RNLI Lifeboats in these exercises was unable
to attend, as it had to go out from Portland to a real May Day
call out! Operations Manager for Torbay Life Boat, David Ham
said, ”It's out doing what it's meant to do,” as he co-presented
the event from the Breakwater Beach. |
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| Co- host Eddie Weller from the HM Coastguard
Service explained the movements of the vessels to the audience
and relayed instructions amongst the Coastguard Rescue Service
and the Torbay Lifeboats Crews, as they continued with the adjusted
programme, demonstrating their skills in handling a series of
staged callouts. |
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| With three men in a blue boat, two went
overboard and flares were let off by the Coastguard Mobile Unit
spotting them from land. Then the old familiar sound of the maroons
being let off (no longer used for calling the lifeboat crew to
the station) saw the Lifeboats, with men already on board, speed
into action to pick up the drifting men. |
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The Torbay
Inshore Lifeboat completed the manoeuvre of hauling the men
to safety and later the blue boat was used again in an exercise
where an invented fire on board a vessel at sea showed the Torbay
All Weather Lifeboat this time attending as it hosed it down
with water. |
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The Torbay All Weather vessel capable
of 250 miles at 25 knots in the final exercise launched the
small inflatable Y boat it carries on board. This allows the
RNLI crew to get in close to the shore to this assist wind surfer
Simon who had got himself stranded on the rocks for demonstration
purposes. |
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| The Brixham Lifeboat Guild joined in
collecting for the RNLI with the event raising over a £1000
for the charity. Last year the number of call outs for the Torbay
Lifeboat was 136 and it remains one in the top five busiest stations
in the country, of which there are over 230. |
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The
crowds showed their appreciation of the RLNI crew and Coastguard
Service as they powered past the beach at the end of the session.
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Features
and Reviews 
