Stuart Clark, designate helm at RNLI Harbour, experienced an intensive boat-handling course in Poole
RNLI College at Poole is the home of lifeboat training. There are over forty different courses each year with 1,200 lifeboat crew members taking part in one or more. The facilities are first-class with a well-equipped learning resource centre, training rooms, live-engine workshops and a state-of-the-art survival centre. This centre features a wave tank and a lifeboat bridge simulator.
The centre gave Stuart practical experience in sea-safety and survival techniques. The boat-handling course included towing, helicopter-operations, anchoring and berthing.
Upon his return to the station Stuart commented, “The best part of the course, apart from being in a boat for eight hours a day, was being put through your paces for four days by our phenomenal instructors (Will, Dougie, Nick, Bernie and Pete) and meeting crews from other stations all around the UK and swapping stories (some taller than others).
“The training is of the highest standard, as are the college facilities and particular thanks to the catering team who kept us fed and watered. It really does feel that, wherever we may be based, we are ‘one crew’ with a single mission. I’ll be back there again in July for my search and rescue (SAR) command course and I can’t wait.”
The course brought together crews from Portaferry, Brighton, Teddington, Torbay, Jersey, Margate, Newcastle and Rye Harbour and new friendships were forged within the RNLI wider family.
Image Credits: RNLI .