Always there for those in peril
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THE "SHOUT" came, and within minutes the lifeboat William Blannin was powering out through the entrance to Buckie harbour and heading east.
A man in his 20s had been reported missing – last seen walking along the shoreline to the west of Cullen.
Thankfully, this was just a training exercise; but the voluntary crew who man the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) all-weather vessel treated it as they would an emergency.
Safely out of the harbour, the twin Caterpillar diesel engines got to work, overseen by station mechanic Gordon Lawtie – the only full-time employee of the RNLI to be based at Buckie.
At the helm was Alan Robertson (37), who first volunteered with the RNLI when he was just 17 and took over as Coxswain six years ago following training at the RNLI College at Poole.
Although Alan, a self-employed joiner, knows this stretch of water like the back of his hand; the lifeboat covers a huge area taking in the whole of the Moray coast and up to 50 miles out.
With many emergencies happening at night, on board navigation tools – including laser chart plotters, radar, and echo sounders – are essential.
Having safely navigated a reef close to the harbour entrance, we arrived in the search area where the crew launched the Y boat – an inflatable tender carried on board and used to access shallow waters or enclosed spaces.
The Buckie RNLI currently has about 20 volunteers – many of whom work offshore – from which a crew of seven is required.
Last Sunday, nine men and women, aged 17 and up and with varying lengths of service and seamanship experience, attended for training.
Two of the team boarded the Y boat and sped off to search the rocky coastline, while the rest of us – thankful for our warm all-weather clothing – watched as volunteer Sean Mair leapt into the sea to await rescue. He didn’t wait long.
Squinting into the Sunday morning sun, the crew quickly had him in sight and the lifeboat was manoeuvred within reach before he was winched to safety.
While the crew craned the Y boat back into place, an opportunity arose to tour the vessel, which cost £2 million to build seven years ago.
The Severn class lifeboat is the largest operated by the (RNLI), with a length of 17 metres.
Capable of 25 knots, its hull is made up of seven watertight compartments and the deckhouse contains seating for six crew and a doctor, together with stretcher positions. There is also a toilet and an area for food and drink down below.
Upstairs, the main control panel includes communication, navigation and operational equipment, and of course a wheel at which the Coxswain pilots the boat.
A second control is situated on the open top deck, and it is from there that the William Blannin’s manouverability is best witnessed.
A "man overboard" scenario, using a fender to represent the missing mariner, was successfully completed in the blink of an eye, thanks to the boat’s ability to turn 180 degrees in seconds.
That level of performance is essential in some of the conditions in which the lifeboat operates. Through wild seas, they have towed to safety drifting vessels, rescued the crews of sinking ships, helped swimmers in distress, carried out missing person searches and more over the past 12 months alone.
All the while, they trust in both their own combined abilities and the ability of the boat.
I would have happily stayed out all day; enjoying her capabilities, the sunshine, the spray, the camaraderie, and the chance to see Moray’s exceptional coastline from sea.
However, I learned as we headed back to harbour to fuel up the vessel’s 5,500 litre tank that even training can be expensive. It costs more than £3,000 to fill up, which would power 12 hours at full speed.
Anyone who lives within three miles of Buckie Harbour, is reasonably fit, willing to learn the required skills and enjoys working as part of a team is welcome to volunteer with the RNLI crew. Training takes place on Sunday mornings and Thursdsay nights, with sessions covering boat handling, radio communications, first aid, navigation and seamanship.
The lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour was soon in view; a sight that must have brought great comfort to all those found at the mercy of the sea and rescued by Buckie lifeboat crews over the past 150 years.
