|
Burnham
RNLI Home Page > Burnham RNLI News
Archive
July
25, 2004
Capsize Training for Burnham-On-Sea
Lifeboat Crew
Lifeboats
often encounter hazardous conditions at sea and therefore it it
vital that the crew know what to do in the event of their craft
capsizing.
It
is for this reason that Burnham's RNLI crew have been undergoing
compulsory capsize training with RNLI assessor Simon James.
Some
lifeboats are designed to be self-righting, and some have to be
righted by the use of a gas flotation bag. The smaller D class
lifeboats have to be righted manually.
RNLI
Helmsman Glenn Cutter, said: "The safest place to be after
a capsize is underneath the boat, although it is very claustrophobic.
The situation highlights the importance of thorough training,
so that one knows the location of every piece of kit in the boat
'backwards'".
After
righting a capsized lifeboat, various procedures are followed,
including removal of the outboard engine cowling and replacement
of the spark plugs to ensure all water has been cleared from the
inside of the engine before restarting. This can be a difficult
task when moored up to a buoy during practice, let alone in a
heavy sea when preservation of life is at stake.
Photographs
on this page show the crew righting the capsized lifeboat (top
of page) and the crew preparing to right the capsized 'D class'
lifeboat.
Back
to the Burnham-On-Sea RNLI Home Page
|