No Free tows from R.N.L.I. ?

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kippers26

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I have Just read a thread on a different site that is sugesting that lifeboat policy has changed when life is not in danger. The following is copied from the other site.

The days of been towed in by the RNLI are over unless they determine a risk to life exists, by they the onus to make the decision of wether life is at risk has been placed on the coxswain/helm of the lifeboat. The lifeboats may launch to assess the situation and go from there.
“Quote
Why should the way we are tasked to tow change?
If aspects of our towing activities could be interpreted as commercial (i.e. could be carried out by a commercial provider without further jeopardising the risk to life), this could have implications for us with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Marine Survey Office as we are only authorised to operate as a lifesaving service.
We are set up and trained to help people in distress, not to provide a free tow service.
“Unquote
 
I think you will find this is more likely to refer to the recovery of commercial vessels rather than leisure craft. In most instances, a disabled vessel will be towed to a safe haven with its crew on board as that is the least risky way of getting them ashore. Transferring people from a casualty is more difficult and dangerous than securing a tow.
On the other hand, towing a larger commercial vessel may be regarded as a commercial operation best undertaken by tug hence the risk assessment mentioned in the quote. Using a lifeboat to maintain position or hold a ship off the shore is one thing (and appropriate for the lifeboat): recovering it to a safe port is another task best undertaken by a tug.
 
I'm ambivalent on this subject, although I can see why others may be less so. I personally think that this is a perfectly reasonable statement if true.
When I was in the US, the police and rescue service would not even put a line on the vessel unless there was a clear danger to life, they would just wait until sea-tow or boatUS arrived.
The RNLI are exceptional, true heroes in my mind that go above and beyond. having worked in both the commercial and leisure sector, I have seen (unfortunately first hand) so many cases where the RNLI have made sacrifices or put themselves in harms way to save a ship and received nothing but a "thanks" for it. A commercial operator would have mad e claim against the master or the vessel and been paid - quite often the RNLI won't even get a case of beer!
I would not like to see the quality or value of the RNLI become diluted from what they do, so having a clear differentiation between saving lives and saving vessels seems pragmatic. As we all know, the real decisions are much harder as the lines are often not as clear-cut at sea as they sound in a boardroom.
 
There is always a maximum size of vessel that a particular lifeboat can tow, so some tows will necessarily be done by tugs anyway.
The CG will be involved in the decision. The crews seem to be keen on towing...

Once I informed the coastguard that our large, heavy sailing vessel (The one now sunk in Brixham) was becalmed, with a gearbox fault, off Chichester ( not, repeat not, calling a Pan-Pan or asking for a tow) and the CG in their wisdom sent the Shoreham lifeboat which towed us into Itchen Ferry. There was no danger and I soon had the hydraulic pipe fixed, so a waste of a shout really. The Shoreham lifeboat's engines were screaming and it took hours to get in, that's the sort of tow which shouldn't happen. Can a lifeboat cox over-ride the CG?

On another occasion, drifting with a knackered engine and no wind at the mouth of the Tyne, I phoned the HM and asked him to organise a commercial fishing boat to tow us the 1.5M in calm water to a quay, for cash to be agreed with the fisherman. I had a poorly crew member on board, but he wasn't dying, and had I known the result of the phone call, I would have floated around for a few hours, waiting for a breeze.
The HM on the phone agreed, saying he knew a fishing boat which would take us in for a few quid. Yes you guessed it, 10 minutes later the all weather lifeboat is closing at 20kts with about 8 crew on board...another inappropriate use of expensive resources.

So the RNLI seem to be keen on towing; there may be the rare situation when a short tow is needed to get a ship away from the rocks, followed by a rescue of the crew by other means, but I don't reckon anything has changed.
There will be a reassuring official RNLI statement issued soon I expect.
Personally I think nothing will alter, and it's merely someone running his mouth. The Press Office would issue it normally, and it would probably make the daily papers.
 
Last edited:
Gary Fox said:
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On another occasion, drifting with a knackered engine and no wind at the mouth of the Tyne, I pnoned the HM and asked him to organise a commercial fishing boat to tow us the 1.5M in calm water to a quay, for cash to be agreed with the fisherman. I had a poorly crew member on board, but he wasn't dying, and had I known the result of the phone call, I would have floated around for a few hours, waiting for a breeze.
The HM on the phone agreed, saying he knew a fishing boat which would take us in for a few quid. Yes you guessed it, 10 minutes later the all weather lifeboat is closing at 20kts with about 8 crew on board...another inappropriate use of expensive resources.
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Or, another valuable training exercise, publicity exercise for the RNLI, bit of fun for the crew.

Having the crew do stuff keeps their skills up, checks out kit and processes.
It's not real life saving but it's more real than the regular Wednesday night manual reading session.

If we want to have the RNLI as it is, part of the cost of that might be letting them make you or me look a bit silly from time to time.
 
TernVI said:
Or, another valuable training exercise, publicity exercise for the RNLI, bit of fun for the crew.

Having the crew do stuff keeps their skills up, checks out kit and processes.
It's not real life saving but it's more real than the regular Wednesday night manual reading session.

If we want to have the RNLI as it is, part of the cost of that might be letting them make you or me look a bit silly from time to time.
Click to expand...
Totally, especially the 'looking a bit silly' bit. I have previous experience of being towed by a big orange rescue vessel, on a nice sunny day, in a large sailing yacht, past hundreds of onlookers waving and jeering at the WAFI's :)
 
I have become exercised in recent times, on reading the daily reports of lifeboats being called out, at great expense, to tow idiots in motorboats who have forgotten to bring spare fuel, or more importantly, an alternative means of propulsion, such as oars for a small boat, or a "get-you-home" outboard for a larger one.
In the absence of any threat to life, the C.G. could quite easily put the operators of these vessels in touch with the operators of fishing vessels, who claim that their livelihoods have been ruined by Brexit etc. The towing fees might mollify the fishermen somewhat.
If you were to be towed by the French rescue service, for instance, you would be presented with a hefty "facture d'achat".
 
Spirit (of Glenans) said:
I have become exercised in recent times, on reading the daily reports of lifeboats being called out, at great expense, to tow idiots in motorboats who have forgotten to bring spare fuel, or more importantly, an alternative means of propulsion, such as oars for a small boat, or a "get-you-home" outboard for a larger one.
In the absence of any threat to life, the C.G. could quite easily put the operators of these vessels in touch with the operators of fishing vessels, who claim that their livelihoods have been ruined by Brexit etc. The towing fees might mollify the fishermen somewhat.
If you were to be towed by the French rescue service, for instance, you would be presented with a hefty "facture d'achat".
Click to expand...
You're not the first to have this idea; see my post #9..
 
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