Poole and District branch trip overseas to the Inshore Lifeboat Centre

We were, however, taking the most expensive £ per mile sea crossing in the world and going to see the newest lifeboat in the RNLI under construction.

The lifeboat in question is B-826 Sgt. Bob Martin (Civil Service No. 50) and, when complete, will be Poole lifeboat station’s new Atlantic 85. She has been generously funded by the Lifeboat Fund and is due to arrive in Poole in the Autumn and will replace B-710 Friendly Forester after almost 12 years’ loyal service.

The expedition arrived in Southampton for the 55-minute cruise to Cowes in good time, which provided plenty of time for a chin wag and a coffee, catching up on branch matters, how everyone was, Summer plans and many other things. The setting at the Lifeboat pub was very cosmopolitan with views over one of the many marinas along the River Medina. It could have been the south of Spain!

The group met Glyn Ellis, ILC Operations Manager for an overview of what the ILC was responsible for and how it fitted nto the RNLI jigsaw. It soon became obvious that the scale of operation was beyond initial preconceptions by the branch.

We moved into the walking tour and explored the D class rubber bay where the standard D class inflatable hulls are turned into operational lifeboats. Past visitors had commented that this area looked like a ‘lifeboat hospital’. It was interesting to see the new Youth activity scheme boats (red) under construction, which will soon be used in the new pilot scheme to encourage young people to get involved with the RNLI.

As Glyn was presenting to the branch, curiosity took over and the group dispersed into the workshop to speak with the staff and touch and feel the various lifeboats that were in various states of build and refit. A head count ensured we were all together before we moved into the engine workshop where the RNLI’s outboard engines are maintained and, for the engines on the Atlantics, inversion proofed. This clever design by ILC staff ensures that the engines don’t fill with water if the lifeboat capsizes and that they’ll start each time. Each inversion proof costs £2,500 per engine!

Then, before our eyes, there she was: B-826, or at least part of her. The hull had not yet been delivered but the ILC staff had already made the console where the electronics, seating and storage are located on the lifeboat. Tagged up, it was a great sight to see part of our lifeboat. Glyn explained that the electronics are all programmed through a laptop computer to ensure all the connections and switches are working correctly.

We moved from the engine workshop to one of the stores for the Atlantic sponsons where the main part of B-826 was located. Typically, she was at the bottom of three sponsons so prevented us from getting a better look but all the same it was good to see her ready to be fitted to the hull when it was delivered.

As with the D class rubber bay, the branch dispersed into the workshop to see the staff refitting some Atlantic 75s and some old Atlantic 21s, which have been leased to Dorset Police who are based next to where B-826 will be stationed.

Glyn explained that the refits bring the boat to such a high standard that, when purchasing a refitted boat, the KNRM’s CEO (the Dutch SAR organisation) commented that he thought there was a mistake and that a new boat has been delivered instead. The quality is revered throughout the lifeboat world and many of the ILC production methods are being tried in other SAR organisations around the world.

The tour was almost at a close but we managed a quick peek inside the new Atlantic workshops that were being built. A new £2.5M two-storey facility will facilitate new Atlantic 85 construction, Atlantic 75 refits and new build for the Dutch KNRM SAR organisation.

This new building will take the ILC forward, incorporating new lean manufacturing techniques that will make production of new lifeboats and the refit of older ones more efficient and, more importantly, cheaper. Music to the branch’s ears! It helped us all to see just some of the many support functions and projects that are just as important as the direct saving lives at sea.

Our tour of the ILC closed with our thanks to Glyn and his staff for being on hand to answer all the tricky questions the branch had and we left with a better understanding of the professionalism and commitment of all at the ILC but also of the wider RNLI picture.

After a quick pint back in the Lifeboat pub overlooking the moored boats in the marina, it was time to draw a close to our visit to the Isle of Wight. Marge commented that she hadn’t realised that the ILC did so much engineering and that she had previously thought that the RNLI stuck the transfers and added the nameplate! Brian managed to sneak into the ILC shop to chat with their staff but was adamant that the Poole museum was much better stocked and laid out! Well he would say that!

We boarded the ferry back to Southampton and as we entered the approaches to the port, the giant Grand Princess cruise ship passed us, dwarfing the ferry and, considering our company with small inshore lifeboats, looked positively massive.

The journey back to the College was non-stop chattering among the group who had thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the Isle of Wight and seeing B-826 under construction. We are all now looking forward to the Autumn when we hope she’ll arrive complete and ready for service to mark a new era in saving lives at sea around Poole.

Tim Corke
Poole and District branch committee member

These latest pictures were taken on 28th August as the construction of the Atlantic 85 continues.