RNLI Sea Check

[Guest]

Some few weeks ago there was a thread about Sea Check and the reasons why people dont have it and their concerns over information given during a check. It was picked up by a large number of Sea Check advisors and reported back to HQ in Poole (aka The Kremlin) It appears that the powers-to-be have decided to (maybe) give an offical response sometime in the near future. So its "watch this space". I'm sure your all very pleased to know that the RNLI is interested in this forum and your comments and that BIG BRO is WATCHING <s>

 

[Jeremy_W]

I think you are being disingenuous, Peter. This is the forum run by Britain's biggest magazine publisher, actively promoted in all its yachting magazines. It's hardly Big Brother watching you when someone from a voluntary Sea Safety organisation responds to criticism on the Board. If you have evidence that the RNLI has tapped your phone, rummaged through your garbage or intercepted your private e-mails pls provide the evidence. But comments put here are placed in the public domain!

If the RNLI responds it's being Big Brother. If it fails to respond it's being arrogant, distant and unresponsive [probably too busy plotting with black Jewish freemasons] ! How can they win?

 

[JeremyF]

I really think that its sad that a positive initiative by the RNLI to advise and help has come to this. The RNLI is not some big brother Quango, its a charity (albeit very well endowed) that consistently acts to look after the sailing fraternity. Ditch the RYA, for sure, but its totally out of order to snipe at the Seacheck service.
This community should grow up and get real - the RNLI and its services are a genuine free lunch in a sport dominated by businesses that want to rip us off.

Jeremy Flynn

 

[hlb]

Think the problem is, to many phone calls at night. " Good evening sir now we are just doing a survey would you mind helping it's perfectly free and you could win a prize" Every one is paranoid!!

No one can force me to come here-----------
----- I'm a Volunteer!!!

Haydn

 

[Guest]

Hey Guys, your reading the post in the wrong way. I am an advisor and was one of the people who reported back on some of the comments. The remark about Big Bro was intended as a joke and no more than that and as for HQ being called the Kremlin, it is by most RNLI personel (as a joke). If you read the previous posts you will see that I defended the service to the best of my abilities. I was simply pointing out that the RNLI do take any feed back seriously and it is my understanding that they may ask someone to put over views as and where nescessary regarding RNLI matters.

 

[ToMo]

Yachties with a sense of humour!....come on - you'll be wanting them to smile next. <G>
TôMö

 

[Jeremy_W]

If you still get phone calls like that, you should register with the Telephone Preference Scheme, 0207 291 3320. Within a month those calls will have stopped. And you're free of political canvassing by phone too! Five grand fine for any organisation which breaks the rules.

 

[Rabbie]

Peter. Your posting was perfecly clear to me at least, and your points well taken. Some (many?) readers simply do not read postings properly before rushing into print and throw criticisms around. I wince constantly at the carping replies to intelligent posts here, and elsewhere.
Rab.

 

[Guest]

ToMo,,,, Sorry,I am a yottie but I am also a power boat instructor, I must get the humor from there<G>

 

[Guest]

I'm already registered with TPS and also Fax Preference Service as well, It works just as well too!

 

[Joe_Cole]

Well said Jeremy. You are right.

Joe Cole

 

[Guest]

You are very naive
You are entitled to your view but the point of this forum is to get a variety of different views.
You can agree or not but dont try to bully people into not giving one because it doesnt agree with your perception.

 

[Mirelle]

I fancy another reason for people not contacting Sea
Check is that very many people who have boats, maybe even most of them, are constantly "improving" their boat.

So, one would not want to get Sea Check down until one had, for example, bought that new radar reflector, renewed the jackstays, had the compass swung, recalibrated the echosounder, improved the engine access, had the tank steamed out to get rid of diesel bug, bought a new liferaft, corrected all the charts to date, put a second whipping on all lines..... and so on. People see it as passing some sort of test - they want the RNLI to say "You have thougt of everything - well done!"

 

[JeremyF]

I'd rather be perceived as naive, than paranoid. It must be hell living life expecting to be shafted whenever someone offers to help

Jeremy Flynn

 

[Guest]

Mirelle, thank you for your comments, you have stated exactly what most boat owners say about Sea Check. We understand that most boaters are constantly "improving" their boats. It is not and has never ever been the RNLI's position to make this a TEST with all the latest equipment, tested and certified up-to-date. I realise that you were just making a list up in your post, but I would say new echosounder and jackstays "whats wrong with the old ones" If your method of finding depth happens to be an extended boat hook or lead line then if it works,,, fine,, go with it. I might suggest that when the pennies were available "think" of "maybe" getting one of these new fangled electric thingys but I wouldn't expect to find the latest all-singing-all-dancing 3D sonar imagers with forward and side scanning modes that are found on top of the range commercial fishing boats. It's simple things that the RNLI wish to get across like if I arrive to check a 25 foot yacht the owner and his wife are there and you find that she is built like a matchstick with the wood shaved off and he's got a 35lb CQR anchor attached to 100 foot of 3/8" chain and the whole lots shakled hard onto the ring bolt with a rusty shackle, then I might suggest that he "concider" if he has to throw this lot over the side in an emergency how would he get rid of it if needed (rusted shackle and all) and secondly how would he expect wifey to haul this great weight up onto probably a heaving deck. How many people have dhan buoys mounted on the port pushpit rail? What happens if you need a helicopter rescue, because they will always come over that rail! They will ask you to sail with 30 degs of wind on your port bow. I wont tell you to move it just to "concider" what happens if you need to move it in a hurry. This is the type of advice given. Finally, to give you some idea of how this difficult "test" is taken. I believe that the RNLI dreamed this service up so that itinerants like me can get a free cup of tea and a chat with like-minded boaters just to pass a pleasant hour or so and exchange useful information and salty stories. I wish you all the best and safe sailing and why not take avantage of a completely FREE service (well save a cuppa) and have a nice chat with a fellow boater, you may glean something from the experience?

 

[Mirelle]

Well, so I will!

Thank you. You have converted me to the cause. I shall contact the RNLI and arrange for a "going over". I certainly did not realise that business about the dan buoy, for example.

Mind you, being an ancient gaff cutter, we have no pushpit...nor any guard rails at all (we do have an ABSOLUTE RULE about safety harnesses - having fished my seven year old out of Woolverstone Marina yesterday morning by his harness, I reflect that he would have drowned for sure had I relied on guard wires and pushpit/pulpit!, because the tide would have carried him under the pontoon...)

 

[escape]

I think youre missing the point.
Sharp has a different point of view you dont have to agree but at least agree there might be another view to your own.
There is no right answer.

 

[cleo]

Here's a little bit of history about the Sea Check scheme, if it's of interest. A few years ago, when the RNLI formally launched the 'Offshore' scheme in the Royal Thames YC ( where the RYA has lots of liquid power lunches ) to an invited audience of YC commodores, presidents, admirals and other yottie-worthies, the then chairman of the RNLI pointed out that the Institution was moving from a tradition of aloof distancing from engagement, to one of pro-actively trying to get the 'avoidance' message across. Concerned that 'interference' or 'advice' might be unwelcome to some, he asked the assembly to consider, in groups, how this might acceptably be done. One idea which emerged was that of engaging an experienced member in each club, perhaps the Secretary or another Committee member, to act as liaison and to receive and pass on appropriately whatever the RNLI thought was worth communicating in a 'Sea Safety' sense.
This idea got quite some support.

When it emerged from Poole, it had developed a structure, a set of employed Regional Organisers, and a whole load of selected and appointed 'Sea Check' volunteers. A bit different from what was originally envisaged, but the RNLI are truly paranoid - at senior levels - about the sailing community somewhere being given a personally-distorted message by someone, and having to take the flak for someone they couldn't control or manage. Probably fair enough, in an organisation that has a strong hierarchical and disciplined tradition among its people. That's why they won't let their Sea Safety presentation be given by anyone other than their own guys - in case the message gets distorted somewhere.

I'm not convinced they've got the formula perfect, but I am convinced that they're trying honestly and hard to do it right, and part of that is to listen to what's being said by us of them. I hold that view because I'm one of those, however experienced, rejected for 'Sea Check' work as not being instinctively diplomatic enough. And that's fair enough, too.

I'm far more worried about the MCA and its empire-building towards a Mickey Mouse mandatory license. Big Bro will then be looking over your shoulder with a vengeance!

Cleo

bilbo