Rescued,like it or not.

graham

graham

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The following is extracted from an article in May YM.

Commander Michael Collis was returning from Ijmuiden to Harwich with another highl;y experienced crewman when he was forcibly "rescued" by the RNLI despite not having asked for asssistance or being reported over due.The weather was fine.

it seems his wife made a simple request to the coastguard to see if they had any news on him.She didnt report him overdue or suggest he may be in trouble.

The Commander was told he had to accept the tow by the Lifeboat Coxswain who was acting on instructions from a coastguard helicopter crew.They cited special powers of the secretary of state.It seems that these powers are normally reserved for a situation where pollution could occur should a ship be in danger of going ashore after refusing tugs.

Commander Collis asked the RNLI Top Brass to not record the enforced tow as a rescue ,they refused.

He has since received an apology from RNLI and Coastguard have admitted their man made a mistake.

In the article Commander Collis praises the RNLI crew for the proffesional way they carried out the tow.

What would you have done?
 
[ QUOTE ]
What would you have done?

[/ QUOTE ] Demanded that they brought the effing secretary of effing state to me, and the rest of the effing government as well while they were at it so that I could chuck the whole effing lot overboard

God knows what though if I'd been in a bad mood!

Couldn't he have just cut the tow?
 
[ QUOTE ]


What would you have done?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanked them profusely for the "Offer".

Turn a Nelsonian Deaf ear

Ask for ID and if provided, say I am unable to verify it.

Tell them to Foxtrot Oscar. Politely at first.
 
I would have thought it was simple to argue against, I am not in difficulties and do not require assistance seems to be satisfactory. I have difficulty accepting that a RNLI cox would physically force a tow on anyone let alone this poor skipper.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I can assure you, Micheal did not accept the tow lightly. He had it logged that he was acting under protest and that is why he has made the effort he has to get an apology.

He was not allowed to say NO.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can understand why he took the tow and make no criticism for him doing so. .....The Captain makes a decision based on circumstances........but I also understand why he is now p#ssed off.

Thinking about this a bit more, I am quite disturbed that the RNLI are being used as some sort of Enforcement Agency of HM Govt......

I would also have thought could put people off getting in touch with either the CG or the RNLI, let alone putting their hand in their pocket for the latter......
 
[ QUOTE ]
Commander Michael Collis

[/ QUOTE ] If he was a serving or reservist RN officer he could have faced disciplinary sanction if he refused to comply with the coastguard.
 
"The RNLI would soon a lot of support if they tried this uninformed trick top many times"

A yacht was sunk because of the intervention of a lifeboat last year, outside Padstow, and the skipper injured. He did not request or require assistance, but the lifeboat "insisted". The yacht was badly damaged by 2 collisions, and the skipper thrown into the water - after he was taken off the yacht dragged ashore and was a write-off.
 
Happens more times than you would think ….only because the RNLI are what they are you don`t get to hear more often…

I can remember an ole boy used to moor next to me in Poole , telling how he used to work for the BBC in the 50`s and when he retired he decided to bring his old wooden motor cruiser from the Thames down to Poole where he lived…
It was a bit rough when he set off but he was going nicely till he got just south of Dover when his engine started playing up ….so up came the floorboards and soon he had the magneto to bits on the saloon table …Al of a sudden there was an almighty crash as the local lifeboat took off his Port guardrails and as he rushed on deck he was just in time to wave them off before they made a second run in….
After he had assured them he was OK they left and soon he managed to get his engine sorted and off he went …
Then just off Brighton it started playing up again so he shut it down and was working on it when he heard the sound of a helicopter overhead …Fearing the worst he rushed out the side door just as the winchmans feet swung though his side window demolishing a sizable bit of his cabin….
By this time our hero was getting a bit miffed and told erm to bugger of which they did taking the starb`d gardrail with them….

He said the weather was a bit rough …about a 7 but at no time was he in any danger and anyway them coast watchers should have known as he wasn`t flying his ensign upside down…..He never did say whether he got any compensation …I would doubt it ..he wasn’t the type…



….
 
Thank God that he had the clout to make a fuss.

Re: He was not allowed to say NO.

Maybe he wasn't, but my response would have been to forcibly refuse and accept that I might be arrested.
In the end, it is the only way to get wrongs righted.
 
I believe (from reading an earlier report of this incident) that the RNLI skipper was not happy about undertaking a forced tow, but had been ordered to do so by the HMCG controller.

I think that is why CG have criticised the guy involved. Could this decision have been taken by one of the CG managers that has no experience of the sea? Decisions should always be in the hands of the people on the spot; not suits in offices miles away.
 
Hey VicS, you obviously have an issue, but no need for the effs'

You have a go (in a pathetic way) at the RNLI but one day you might just need them to save YOUR LIFE AND YOU FAMILY'S. (I hope not tho, but attitudes like that......)

Do you believe everythning youn read? I think there is alot more to this that you 'assume' and make up in your own head..............

unbelievable...
 
thqat`s the second post of yours i`ve read today. i can see you are going to be a great asset to the forum. keep up the good work old boy.
 
My wife and I know the Collis's personally from our previous Class Assn. They were both absolutely livid over this incident and determined to achieve redress.

The CG Controller definitely picked the wrong Skipper to browbeat- M was the founder Chairman of, and is still an active "technie" of the Red Fox Class Assn.
His lady is completely unphased by anything and was definately put out by CG overreaction to her call.
M is not the type to let something like this be shrugged off by HMCG and RNLI.

I think he has done something very good in reaffirming the position of a responsible Skipper actually in command on the water(whatever the size of craft)over an increasingly shorebased and chairbound MCA and all it's branches.
 
If you have something against VicS, why shout at me /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

(And I expect you will be on a lot of Ignore lists soon /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )
 
[ QUOTE ]
"A yacht was sunk because of the intervention of a lifeboat last year, outside Padstow, and the skipper injured. He did not request or require assistance, but the lifeboat "insisted". The yacht was badly damaged by 2 collisions, and the skipper thrown into the water - after he was taken off the yacht dragged ashore and was a write-off.

[/ QUOTE ]

Were there any write-ups of this incident? - seems very un RNLI like. i have nothing but respect for those guys
 
Re: Rescued,like it or not. - Reed the article

Please read the relevent article before commenting, this is how urban myths start. Yes it was very unfortunate but was a pollution control issue not a rescue and the RNLI vessel and crew where in effect co-opted by the secretary of state to remove a vessel creating a hazard to the marine environment not to rescue a vessel in distress. There are no circumstances in which a vessel in UK waters can be forcibly 'rescued' by anyone
 
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