There is no off duty for newbie recruits at Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station over the festive season. Whether they are unwrapping presents or peeling the sprouts their pagers are at the ready hand in case of a “shout”.
Since last December we have recruited fourteen new shore and boat crew and this will be their first taste of Christmas on alert. Many a Christmas lunch or snoozing in front of the television in the afternoon afternoon in the past has been interrupted by the pagers going off requesting for the boat to be launched.
Our crew both old and new willingly rush to the station and launch the boat in order to save lives at sea, so it is important to remind ourselves that these gallant people are all volunteers who train hard throughout the year and are willing to be on call 24/7.
Image Credits: Kt Bruce .