300 drowned up to now this year in Spain!

[greeny]

In UK, there are 400 per year, plus 200 suicide. The unfortunate truth is, that’s normal human behaviour and difficult to reduce. Good news: boat sailing is safe.

You need to buy that boat to be safe Wansy.

 

[Wansworth]

You need to buy that boat to be safe Wansy.

 

[Juan Twothree]

Am I right in believing that in the UK, the RNLI get an income from hiring lifeguards to LAs, or is it just for training them

The RNLI quotes the local authority a price to provide the lifeguards, which includes wages, training and equipment etc.

Or to be precise, the local authority "makes a donation to the RNLI equivalent to the running costs of the lifeguard services provided".
There's some reason for dressing it up in those terms, but I can't remember what it is. That phrase may not even be used now, but it was when the service first launched.

There have been a couple of instances of a LA deciding not to renew the contract, and more or less daring the RNLI to withdraw their lifeguards, and take the flack for doing so.

I don't know what the outcome was.

 

[Juan Twothree]

Some years ago I was walking on the pier in Ostend. I noticed 2 young boys in difficulty drifting towards the pier. The pier was busy & I grabbed a passer by & tried to get him to use his phone to call the emergency services. He could not speak english & I dragged him to the edge of the pier struggling. But when I pointed to the kids he got the message & rang the emergency services.
People started rubber necking as the 2 kids gradually got to the pier & one was hysterical as the waves tried to push him under the wooden framework. The other brave lad was trying to keep him afload & stop him screaming.
I moved to the lifebelt housing & opened it & a chap grabbed it & dropped it down. I was pushed back by the crowd all looking over the edge.
Then I saw 2 more kids drifting to the pier. One was struggling to stay afloat & the other was just a white body of the childs back. I could also see his swiming trunks. It was just a floating body. Head under water. On the other side of the pier a commercial vessel went by & several of us shouted to it to drop its RIB & come to the kids aid. But they seemed not to know how to release it so carried on.
I went back to the other side & one of the childs mothers turned up standing on the groin exposed by the tide.Screaming for her child.
I could not stand this so I took my jacket off & started to climb over the rail as I got on to the first cross bar a much younger chap pulled me back & in english said leave it to me mate & promptly jumped in to help the first 2 kids. A couple of seconds later a policeman came & immediately climbed over the rail & down to the body which had just drifted to the pier
A helicopter landed on the beach. The harbour RIB arrived & the place was covered with rescuers. All 4 were taken to hospital

I went back to my boat which was locked as the wife & daughter were out drinking. I sat in the cockpit & burst in to tears . I could not help looking so stupid but I had just watched a small boy drown without being able to help when I could have swum to him as that time I was also a dinghy sailor & used to falling in water for some time.
I later spoke to a policeman who said all kids survived. But somehow I think that he was not telling me the truth
I will never forget that experience. Kids do not deserve to drown

Thanks for sharing that sad tale. You told it well.

People often forget the effect of something like that on bystanders.

I once had to give CPR to a swimmer, who sadly didn't make it. We were aboard the ILB, nosed onto the beach, awaiting the ambulance.
Not only was it distressing for his family, who were there watching, but when I cycled home later I noticed that entire section of beach was completely deserted, despite it being the middle of a hot afternoon.

I think people had been so upset by what they had witnessed, they had packed up early and gone home.

 

[Daydream believer]

Thanks for sharing that sad tale. You told it well.

People often forget the effect of something like that on bystanders.

I once had to give CPR to a swimmer, who sadly didn't make it. We were aboard the ILB, nosed onto the beach, awaiting the ambulance.
Not only was it distressing for his family, who were there watching, but when I cycled home later I noticed that entire section of beach was completely deserted, despite it being the middle of a hot afternoon.

I think people had been so upset by what they had witnessed, they had packed up early and gone home.

Something that also upset me was that I could not go below in my boat as the wife had gone off without leaving the key & I just sat in sight of everyone & burst into tears in spite of being a grown man. It is so upsetting watching a child drown. I have tears in my eyes typing this

 

[DownWest]

About 200 on the west here in June and July, up 45% from last year. Mostly coastal, but also in rivers and lakes.

 

[Ray Purchase]

2 more in a plane crash over this way

 

[DownWest]

Way back, by our school rowing club at Walton. We were wandering around the bank and saw something in the water.. Expecting a dead dog, we were shocked to see it was a young girl. Apparently, she had fallen off a boat two weeks before... The sight still haunts me a bit.

On the other side.. Spent a week white water canoeing on the Spey in '66. Organised by the college I was at. After a bit of training, we spent three days going down the river. Last day we bounced down the final stretch of rapids and arrived at the point where the truck would collect us and return to Avimore.
Except, we were one short. Quick check on who had last seen him, resulted in a guess that he had probably gone the other side of an island. I asked the instructor if that was practical. No, not passable. Four of us legged it up the bank to the island, where I thought we might be able to get across. at a shallow part of the rapids. I and a friend linked arms and crabbed it across, not easy and the other two got swept away, but bruised not injured.
Crossed the island and found Wally (yes, really was his name..) jammed under a fallen tree, still in the capsized canoe and hanging on to a branch to keep his mouth above water.
Lets say he was quite pleased to see us...
Later that evening, he sought us out and thanked us, as he was at the point of loosing his grip and going under.

 

[Wansworth]

Way back, by our school rowing club at Walton. We were wandering around the bank and saw something in the water.. Expecting a dead dog, we were shocked to see it was a young girl. Apparently, she had fallen off a boat two weeks before... The sight still haunts me a bit.

On the other side.. Spent a week white water canoeing on the Spey in '66. Organised by the college I was at. After a bit of training, we spent three days going down the river. Last day we bounced down the final stretch of rapids and arrived at the point where the truck would collect us and return to Avimore.
Except, we were one short. Quick check on who had last seen him, resulted in a guess that he had probably gone the other side of an island. I asked the instructor if that was practical. No, not passable. Four of us legged it up the bank to the island, where I thought we might be able to get across. at a shallow part of the rapids. I and a friend linked arms and crabbed it across, not easy and the other two got swept away, but bruised not injured.
Crossed the island and found Wally (yes, really was his name..) jammed under a fallen tree, still in the capsized canoe and hanging on to a branch to keep his mouth above water.
Lets say he was quite pleased to see us...
Later that evening, he sought us out and thanked us, as he was at the point of loosing his grip and going under.

Well done!

 

[Daydream believer]

Way back, by our school rowing club at Walton. We were wandering around the bank and saw something in the water.. Expecting a dead dog, we were shocked to see it was a young girl. Apparently, she had fallen off a boat two weeks before... The sight still haunts me a bit.

On the other side.. Spent a week white water canoeing on the Spey in '66. Organised by the college I was at. After a bit of training, we spent three days going down the river. Last day we bounced down the final stretch of rapids and arrived at the point where the truck would collect us and return to Avimore.
Except, we were one short. Quick check on who had last seen him, resulted in a guess that he had probably gone the other side of an island. I asked the instructor if that was practical. No, not passable. Four of us legged it up the bank to the island, where I thought we might be able to get across. at a shallow part of the rapids. I and a friend linked arms and crabbed it across, not easy and the other two got swept away, but bruised not injured.
Crossed the island and found Wally (yes, really was his name..) jammed under a fallen tree, still in the capsized canoe and hanging on to a branch to keep his mouth above water.
Lets say he was quite pleased to see us...
Later that evening, he sought us out and thanked us, as he was at the point of loosing his grip and going under.

An awful experience in both cases
Mine sometimes wakes me up in the night for no reason. I cannot get back to sleep wondering what might have been

 

[mikefleetwood]

The RNLI quotes the local authority a price to provide the lifeguards, which includes wages, training and equipment etc.

Or to be precise, the local authority "makes a donation to the RNLI equivalent to the running costs of the lifeguard services provided".
There's some reason for dressing it up in those terms, but I can't remember what it is. That phrase may not even be used now, but it was when the service first launched.

I rather think this will be down to VAT. If the RNLI perform a service for a fee, they need to add VAT, which the local authority cannot reclaim. Donations are exempt from VAT.

 

[bikedaft]

Being involved in, and/or witnessing CPR can be very upsetting. It must have been really hard sharing some of the posts above.

Support is available here, worth a look.

Cardiac arrest co-survivor support in the UK

 

[[194497]]

I rather think this will be down to VAT. If the RNLI perform a service for a fee, they need to add VAT, which the local authority cannot reclaim. Donations are exempt from VAT.

A charity can't categorise something as a donation for tax purposes if they're giving something of value in return.
I'd also be surprised if LAs couldn't reclaim the VAT as the purchase of a service from another organisation is a business transaction and therefore within the scope of VAT. But I'm prepared to be corrected on that!

 

[Daydream believer]

Not sure I would want to donate to something to save an LA (not even mine) some VAT