On Friday 2 May, at the Royal Motor
Yacht Club (RMYC) in Poole, Pete Goss and Liam McKenna teamed up
with Talisker Single Malt Scotch whisky to raise money for the RNLI.
Pete, a West Countryman and former Royal Marine, is perhaps best
known for his heroic rescue in horrendous conditions of a fellow
competitor in the 1996/7 Vendée Globe round the world yacht
race. Liam is one of Poole lifeboat station’s deputy launching
authorities (DLAs) and has also played an active part with the RNLI’s
Flood rescue team.
The event at the RMYC, called Talisker Tales, is part of a formal
partnership between Talisker whisky distillery and the RNLI and
is one of several evenings where the audience is invited to gather
round with a dram of whisky to listen to tales from the sea.
Members of the RMYC, along with crew members from Poole lifeboat
station and staff at RNLI Headquarters also had the opportunity
to expand their whisky knowledge with a tasting of Talisker, including
(as voted recently) the world's best single malt – Talisker
18-year-old – where they were guided through the sea-like
properties of Talisker, which is distilled on the shoreline of the
Isle of Skye.
Talking about his time at sea and with the RNLI,
Liam McKenna regaled accounts of his role as DLA and also as Principal
Relief Fleet Manager at the RNLI in Poole. RMYC members heard about
the decisions that launching authorities and lifeboat crew have
to make when the pagers go off in Poole Harbour and the 38 rescues
to motorboats locally, which formed 33% of the 113 rescues carried
out by Poole lifeboat in 2007.
Some humorous incidents (which were nevertheless treated seriously
by the crew) included red flares near Wareham that the Senior Helmsman
described as ‘shooting stars in the sky’ (in a very
broad Dorset accent!) and that turned out to be rocket tracers fired
from Bovington camp, and the rescue of the penguin and snowman when
Father Christmas was onboard.
More challenging rescues included the chain ferry incident in 2001,
which involved some members of the RMYC, and led to Poole lifeboat
crew being awarded Framed Letters of Thanks from the RNLI’s
Chairman and Letters of Appreciation from the Chief Executive and
Director of Operations. (Check out http://poolelifeboat.co.uk/content/shouts/shout_20010505.shtml
for more details.)
The recent RNLI Silver Medal rescue in January 2008 by Torbay lifeboat
also illustrated the bravery and outstanding seamanship of the coxswain
and crew when eight men were rescued from the Ice Prince after almost
2 hours of constant manoeuvring in close proximity to a listing,
rolling, powerless, cargo ship at night in atrocious conditions.
(See http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/news/news_detail?articleid=312147.)
A less well-known part of lifeboat crews’ work is with the
RNLI’s Flood Rescue team, formed in 2000 to travel to assist
in flood relief work at home and across the globe. Liam explained
its first official foreign deployment in 2005, when weeks of heavy
rain caused severe flooding in parts of Guyana, South America, making
250,000 people homeless.
..
A team of 20 lifeboat crew and staff, including Liam, arrived on
2 February with six inshore lifeboats and helped to get personnel
from aid agencies like the Red Cross to some of the more inaccessible
areas. Before returning home, the Flood Rescue team trained members
of the Guyanese Coastguard in rescue techniques. The lifeboats were
handed over to the Coastguard to help in future flood relief and
rescue operations.
Pete Goss’s route to sailing started from a young age as
he and his siblings were always encouraged to try new things. His
first job was in farming, then on the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service
tugs (he was on Robust when she was called to help during the ill-fated
1979 Fastnet Race in which 15 yachtsmen died) and this was followed
by the Royal Marines for 9 years. It was during this time, when
an opportunity arose for him to sail in a two-handed transatlantic
race from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island, that he knew ‘that
this was the best thing he had ever done ... and he knew what he
had been put on this earth for’.
His sailing exploits are now well-known both in sailing circles
and around the world – his rescue of a Frenchman during the
Vendée Globe round the world yacht race, when he turned round
and beat back into the teeth of a hurricane (a venture he modestly
described as ‘setting off on a single-handed yacht race and
coming back with a best friend’), earned him the MBE by HM
The Queen and the Legion d’Honneur by the French President.
 ..
 ..
But not only did he selflessly rescue a fellow competitor but he
has also been rescued by the RNLI. This came about during sail trials
of the world’s biggest catamaran Team Philips in 2000, when,
north of the Isles of Scilly, they lost the port bow. Aided by St
Mary’s lifeboat crew, Pete said: ‘they were fantastic
and there in our time of need and it’s now been great to be
able to help with Talisker Tales and put something back in.’
The world-famous giant catamaran Team Philips was built for The
Race, a non-stop dash round the world. The 5-year project ended
with the sad loss of the boat – but thankfully not the crew
– in a freak mid-Atlantic storm in December 2000. Just before
this, the yacht had no sails up, 30 tons of drag out the back and
was still doing 32 knots under bare poles! As Pete described: ‘It
was dark, the waves were huge and it was a case of steer for your
life. To look down the face of a wave that is three times the length
of your 36.5m craft, and start to accelerate into it, is a frightening
and at the same time exhilarating moment.’
 ..
 ..
In his talk, Pete stressed that every venture he undertakes is
taken with all the risks weighed up. In his book Close to the wind,
he stated: ‘No passage should be undertaken with rescue being
considered as an option. Modern equipment and methods do not replace
basic seamanship skills, they are simply aids – albeit very
good ones.’
He added: ‘To me the definition of an adventure is that it
has an unknown outcome, we have our aspirations but you never know
until you live it.‘
His next adventure is to build an 11.3m lugger to follow in the
wake of the Mystery, which sailed from Cornwall to Australia in
1854. In so doing he relishes the challenge of sailing such a small
vessel to Melbourne and to spotlight the amazing crew and their
outstanding achievement.
.. ..
Pete’s determination and seemingly limitless courage were
evident during the truly enjoyable, stimulating and inspiring evening
as part of Talisker Tales.
He also inspired members of the yacht club and the RNLI to raise
over £2,100 from the evening’s entertainment through
ticket sales, a raffle and an auction.
Thank you Talisker, Pete and Liam.
We wish Pete safe sailings on his next venture on the Spirit of
Mystery.
Check out www.petegoss.com
for more details and also www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIZf7o_ZNAQ
for a video of Pete Goss talking about Talisker Tales.
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