The crew at Poole lifeboat station

The present crew

It takes a special kind of person to cope with the risks. There are currently 27 volunteer crew members, including trainees, and one full-time mechanic at Poole lifeboat station. The full-time mechanic is the cornerstone of the station, keeping the boats, equipment, and the station buildings, in immaculate condition.
The volunteers come from all walks of life: many of the crew have connections with the sea through their regular jobs but it’s not a prerequisite. Included within the crew are six who work for the super-yacht builders Sunseekers, an ironmonger, five RNLI Headquarters staff, a tug skipper, a fisherman, a sailmaker, a diver, one who runs a small boat school, a crane driver and an HGV fitter. All of them are committed to providing the local community with a high quality rescue service on the water – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The station also has a lifeboat operations manager (LOM), who is in charge of deciding whether to launch the lifeboats and there are also three deputy launching authorities (DLAs). There is also a PR officer and a visits and education officer.

Everybody involved at the station has an important part to play. You have to have a real commitment to the job and also be prepared for a lot of training and unsociable hours – so your family needs to be very understanding. It also takes an understanding employer to let you leave your job at a moment’s notice so you will need to make sure your employer is happy for to drop everything as soon as the pager goes off.

All the lifeboat crew and LOM and DLAs carry a pager but you never know when the pager is going to go off and interrupt your everyday life. All of the crew devote a lot of time to the station and are ‘on call’ for as much time as possible.

Training

Traditionally lifeboat crew were from local fishing families and the RNLI utilised their seafaring skills. Today training is provided to ensure that the same high standards are achieved. Our Divisional Inspector, from Divisional Base South at Saltash, regularly visits the Station to check that we are up to scratch. The RNLI and Poole lifeboat station provides first class training and equipment, guidance and support. You can read more about the experience of being a trainee here

The shouts

Poole lifeboat station is one of the busiest lifeboat stations in the UK and Republic of Ireland, launching on average three times each week. In 2005, it was the busiest coastal lifeboat station, launching 153 times.

The Coastguard initiate an assembly by setting off the crews' pagers. When the pagers go off you may be at home, out shopping, at work or even asleep; whatever you’re doing you need to rush to the lifeboat station as quickly, but as safely, as possible. You may jump into your car or even run down to the station but bikes and boats have all been used to get crew and shore helpers to the station. Although the mode of transport may be different for every crew member there’s one thing that’s always the same – the butterflies and the adrenalin start pumping and the question that’s asked is: ‘I wonder what the shout will be this time?’
All available crew respond as quickly as possible, whatever the time of day. Normally we can get the boats under way within eight minutes, but mid-summer traffic jams can cause delays. The coxswain of the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) or the helmsman of the inshore lifeboat (ILB) selects their crew from those that turn up. Six crew are needed for the ALB and three for the ILB. The coxswain or helmsman will know what is required for the particular rescue and will pick his, or her, crew accordingly. If possible the shouts are shared out so that all of the crew grow in experience.
After a shout you'll see the crew back at the boat house, buzzing with adrenalin, discussing what they did, and what they could have done better. On arrival back alongside the boats will be hosed down, the fuel checked, and everything made sure that the boats are ready for the next service.

	Crew: Jonathan Clark Role: Coxswain Joined: 1985 Facts:Marine Manager - Sunseekers Jonathan is from a well known Poole family and has been in and around the water all his life. It’s a fact that he hates going inland as his skin dries up! He joined the crew at 17 years old following in his father’s footsteps, John Clark Snr, who was the second coxswain and started his service at what is now the old lifeboat museum. Jonathan has been the coxswain since 1998 and was one of the youngest coxswains in the country. His house is strategically positioned 100m from the lifeboat station and 100m from Sunseekers where he works in his ‘spare time’. In 2005 Jon received his long service medal for 20 years’ volunteer service. Jon did 33 shouts in 2005.
	Crew: Andrew Elton Role: Second Coxswain Joined: 1990 Facts: Engineering Coxswain at RNLI Headquarters Andy now works at the RNLI headquarters after 6 years being the full-time mechanic here at the station. He decided that he needed a change of scene and new challenges but just being down the road still makes sure that he is usually one of the first on the shouts and as involved as ever. He has been on the crew since 1990. In February 2006 Andy became the second coxswain. Andy did 30 shouts in 2005.
	Crew: Paul Taylor Role: Mechanic Joined: 1991 Facts: Full-time mechanic at Poole lifeboat station looking after the boats and the boathouse. Paul is a relatively new addition to the station, becoming our full-time mechanic in September 2005. Coming from St Davids in Wales, he doubled our Welsh contingent on the crew! He is the cornerstone of the station, keeping the boats, equipment, and the buildings in immaculate condition. Before coming to Poole he was a crew member at St Davids for nearly 15 years. His claim to fame is that he was the youngest councillor at the age of 23 and the youngest mayor in St Davids and Wales at the age of 28. Paul was a milkman so is used to unsociable hours. He's already making his mark at the station, if only we could understand him!
	Crew: Mark Cole Role: Crew Joined: 1992 Facts: Marine Engineer Another employee of Sunseekers, Mark is a Marine Engineer by trade. He has been on the crew since 1992 and recently stood down from his role as second coxswain due to his new job at Sunseekers, doing warranty repairs which takes him all over the world for long periods of time. If you require cheap cigarettes and booze the speak to Mark ‘Alan Wicker’ Cole. Most widely known for his ability to collide with one of the biggest buoys in Poole harbour, Mark is a cheerful and enthusiastic RNLI volunteer. Mark did 22 shouts in 2005.
	Crew: Paul "Flipper" Singleton Role: Senior ILB Helmsman and Deputy Second Coxswain Joined: 1982 Facts: Tug Skipper Flipper joined the crew in 1982 and is now the longest serving crew member. He received his long service medal in 2005 – a bit late! He also met The Queen at St James' Palace, when she viewed the new Atlantic 85 lifeboat which Flipper has been trialling in and around Poole Harbour. He is the senior ILB helmsman and the skipper of Poole Harbour Commissioner's tug Herbert Ballam. He is a family man, but his family have got used to Flipper responding to the pager at a moment’s notice. A natural comedian, Flipper's cheerful remarks have put quite a few seafarers at ease in difficult situations. A bit of a party animal, his wife only lets him out occasionally and only if well supervised! In 2005 he was the crew member who went on the most shouts – 84 in total!
	Crew: Geoff Barfoot Role: ALB Crew Member Joined: 1987 Facts: Ironmonger Geoff is the CE of Boone's, a very fine ironmonger’s store in Poole High Street. He has been on the crew since 1987. Geoff runs the crew coffee fund and is our entertainments officer. Short of wearing a red coat he is instrumental in ensuring that there are enough social events in the calendar. He is always ready for a laugh and a party and is known to get his guitar out if you ask him nicely. He makes a mean paella!
	Crew: Gavin McGuinness Role: ILB Helmsman and ALB Crew Member Joined: 1994 Facts: Yard Hand /Boatman Gav is a Yard Hand/Boatman at Poole Yacht Club. He joined the crew in 1994 and is an ILB Helmsman. He is slight in build and looks like a strong wind would blow him away! Gav was the helmsman on the ILB on 5 May 2001 when they carried out a difficult rescue up against the Sandbanks chain ferry. An enthusiastic crew member he is often seen on his day off, polishing the brass! His image is also often seen at boatshows on the RNLI stand – he’s the one drowning! He is one of the hardest working crew members, having been on 46 shouts in 2005.

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