Is the RLNI a breakdown service?

ColdFusion

ColdFusion

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Seven adults have been rescued after their boat broke down at sea off the coast of north Wales.

The five men and two women were near the end of the Conwy Channel on Easter Sunday, when their boat's engine failed.

Coastguards alerted the lifeboat charity RNLI at about 1400 BST.

Volunteer crew on Conwy's inshore lifeboat located the boat, which was drifting seaward, within 15 minutes, a spokesman for RNLI Conwy said.

The boat was towed back to Conwy marina and safely secured to its berth.

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So the question is, do motorboaters consider the RLNI to be a breakdown service? And as the RNLI is a charity, should breakdown incidents like this be chargeable?
 
We do not,as yet,know the full story. IE 'were the occupants in grave and imminent danger?'They may well have been considering the area where the engine failed.The Lifeboats priority is to save lives not salvage boats but in this situation it may have been the best option to tow the stricken vessel to safety, with the occupants still on board, rather than attempt to transfer 7 people onto the inshore rescue craft.
 
I suppose it is in a way. If you break down at sea you can't lock it up and hitch a lift can you?
It seems that the occupants were potentially in a very dangerous situation so I can't see what alternative there could have been. Conwy was the nearest obvious place to tow it to so why not. Had they been further away I would have thought the RNLI would have just towed them to the nearest safe haven.
 
Sorry, but I'm not sure his point is obvious! Nor does your comment seem to add anything to the debate. In many respects, the RNLI is, in my opinion anyway, a breakdown service. Without checking the RNLI's constitution I assume it's something along the lines of 'to rescue those in peril on the sea'. I would imagine that most rescue's at sea are caused by some sort of boaty breakdown or failure of equipment. Without knowing the full facts, what were the RNLI to do, wait until the boat had drifted 30 miles offshore & the winds had increased to a force 8?
 
I suppose they could have waited untill they were in real trouble and then rescued them, or not, as the case me be.

Anyway I think the RNLI enjoy the practice.

However I'm surprised there were no other boats about, to give them a tow. We nearly recued a boat yesterday, but he made it back under his own steam.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry, but I'm not sure his point is obvious! Nor does your comment seem to add anything to the debate. In many respects, the RNLI is, in my opinion anyway, a breakdown service. Without checking the RNLI's constitution I assume it's something along the lines of 'to rescue those in peril on the sea'. I would imagine that most rescue's at sea are caused by some sort of boaty breakdown or failure of equipment. Without knowing the full facts, what were the RNLI to do, wait until the boat had drifted 30 miles offshore & the winds had increased to a force 8?

[/ QUOTE ]

The question was........"Is the RNLI a break down service"

Well no it is not, it's primary role is to save lives at sea. I am sure that there is a significant number of pleasure boaters, both sail and mobo, that do think of the RNLI as a break down service, and are quite happy to use it as such.

These people do none of us any good, and surely it behoves all of us to have a contingency plan of action should a break down occur at sea, I am making no judgements about the incident mentioned by the OP, I wasn't there. However I do see a lot of people, mostly motor boaters of one sort or another, heading out of the estuary without even a back up outboard. No single engined mobo should put to sea without some sort of back up propulsion, either an outboard or a wing engine.

let the barrage commence! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Well it seems the boat contacted the coastguard to say they had broken down, and the coastguard decided the best course of action was to call the RNLI. Maybe because it was very close, so they knew it was a quick jaunt for the RNLI, or maybe because there were no other boats around to offer a tow. Sensible actions on the part of the boat and the costaguard, do you think they should have done something differently?
 
It's the coast guard that makes the decision to send a life boat or not. The casualty merely makes the coast guard aware of the situation. Like yesterday for instance. A boat was having gear box problems, so informed the coast guard. I was passing at the time, so followed him in.

If anyone can suggest a better way. I'm all ears.
 
I'm not sure the original post was meant in a critical tone. If it was then I'd be careful because you're going to look pretty bloody stupid the day you have to rely on the RNLI's services assuming you venture out of the confines of the marina!

The question is a valid one and one I ask myself. We cross the channel, recently made a return trip accross Lyme Bay 20 miles or so off shore and whilst we take as many precautions as possible are vulnerable as lone cruisers not travelling in company. Indeed heading out of Portland this week we witnessed the Weymouth lifeboat being dispatched to collect a boat with mechanical failure 30 miles out into the channel. It was a lovely day and no "mistake" had been made in setting off. Unfortunately something broke.

We also have come close to rescuing boats with a tow. On the last occasion a sailor refused my offer of a tow mid channel from St Vaast to Portsmouth. He was making way under power but only just and thought he had mechanical issues. I would feel very embarassed in having to call on the RNLI's services but ultimately they are our safety net.

I probably do what many on here do and support them with a monthly donation akin to that which the AA receives to cover my cars.

I'm sure the boys and girls would much rather go out on a shout in bright flat sunny conditions than in a worsening force 8 at night!

Henry /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Having had to be recued by the RNLI back in the 90's, all I can say is that these wonderful people are only human and do get upset when treated as the RAC or whatever. Two quotes from crews recued by the Newhaven Lifeboat were:
1) Don't want to go to Newhaven, we are going to Brighton.
2) Don't want rescueing, just bring me some petrol.

Yes, they may be one of the wealthiest charities but I firmly believe that you should pay for the service. You have to pay for an ambulance on the continent so why not a lifesaver here?
 
[ QUOTE ]
It's the coast guard that makes the decision to send a life boat or not. The casualty merely makes the coast guard aware of the situation. Like yesterday for instance. A boat was having gear box problems, so informed the coast guard. I was passing at the time, so followed him in.

If anyone can suggest a better way. I'm all ears.

[/ QUOTE ]


OK big ears! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Like I said, I wasn't there, so I was not making any judgements about it, but seeing as you were there, what size boat? Twin or single engine? If single engine, was there an outboard bracket with or without an outboard on the stern for an auxilory?

As has been said, it is the MCA's call once they have been informed of a situation.

However the question was, "Is the RNLI a breakdown service?"

Answer, no it is not.
 
Sorry Chrusty (& we may be going around in circles here) but if the RNLI isn't a breakdown service, what exactly do you see it as?
 
Let me ask you a couple of questions Lawsy........

What is the RNLI's primary purpose?

What is the RAC's, and the AA's primary purpose?
 
The RNLI's founding purpose was to save the lives of mariners, that is folks who made their living from the sea be they merchant seamen, naval personal or fishermen. It was not concieved as a breakdown service to assist lazy nonprofessional incompetant leisure boaters, however today most RNLI shouts are spent assisting leisure boaters who seem to get into trouble at an alarming rate due to their lack of maritime skills, and poor attitude. Bad decisions, poor planning, poor maintenance, weather, weather, weather. IMHO crews who are rescued due to mechanical breakdown should be charged for rescue, despite the fear that this will discourage early call outs. I'm sure some insurers would rather pay a few thousand quid for a rescue that replace a total write off. It's nuts that rescues are FOC - what the heck is insurance for? The AA and RAC are NOT free, nor is the fire bridage, why so for leisure boaters?

RNLI is NOT a break down service, it's purely for saving lives at sea. I'm sure insurers would take a different view if RNLI started taking crews off casualty vessels and abandon said vessels to their fate, instead of the current common practice of a FREE tow.
 
Great rant, and right on the button! I was working up to something similar, but you saved me the trouble.

Just for Lawsy's benefit though, THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE RNLI IS TO SAVE LIVES AT SEA..........end of. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I agree, the primary purpose of the RNLI is to save lives at sea. And if the RNLI hadn't gone out to this particular shout & conditions had suddenly got worse (I wasn't in Conwy yesterday, but I assume that it was quite a benign day) would RNLI possibly have been putting lives at risk? Whether or not the boat owner / skipper was right to put to sea without alternative means of propulsion is, to my mind, a separate point to the title of this thread.
 
Lawsy. the question or the title of this thread has been answered in full, the RNLI (to the best of my knowledge) have never refused a shout, God bless them! It's the MCA that decides if a lifeboat launch is justified, very often they will try an all ships call first.

In my opinion, for someone to even consider that the RNLI is a breakdown service, is someone that should seriously re-consider their leisure activities.
 
I'm with you Ocean froggie!! We all want to feel safe and secure and the knowledge that a competent and reliable RESCUE service is available is a huge confidence buster. I don't know the full circumstances of yesterday, but when we were towed into Newhaven and the coastguard and ambulance people happy that we were OK, then the boat itself was inspected to make sure it was fit enough and with the right equipment to have been at sea.
We were unfortunate to be caught out in a freak and un-predicted storm when rounding Beachy Head with force 8 winds and a sea so high a merchant vessel said we had our position wrong because they couldn't see us in such rough seas. We've kept the Met Office faxed weather forecast that predicted a calm to slight sea as a momento!
 
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