During a busy week’s training under instructors Paul Eastment and Mark Crumb volunteer crewmembers at the RNLI’s lifeboat station were put through their paces on how to operate the Atlantic 75.
Due to its size a major part of the week involved the training of the shore crew in launching and recovery of an Atlantic 75 lifeboat. The training consisted of driving the adapted tractor, launching into the harbour over the beach both in the day and at night. During launch and recovery a shore crew of three is needed.
Afloat crewmembers were instructed in beach landings, anchor work, towing and the recovery of a person in the water. Whilst down in Poole the crew had already been instructed in the capsize drill and the layout of an Atlantic 75. Some rescue procedures are common to all lifeboats and as a D-class lifeboat has been on service at Burry Port all crewmembers are familiar with these drills.
The final exercise was with a SeaKing Helicopter 169 from RAF Chivenor when the four helmsmen were given the opportunity of formatting on 169. The exercise is to enable the safe transfer of a casualty from boat to helicopter and from helicopter to boat an exercise that the crew has carried out countless times in a D-class lifeboat but this was a first in the Atlantic 75.
After a busy week with long days the training was at an end and now only one thing was left: the de-brief and was the station ready to go operational with the Atlantic? After the de-brief and an anxious wait the trainers said yes, so from 4pm on Friday 30 July 2010 the Atlantic 75 Blue Peter II joins the IB1 The Young Watsons on active service at Burry Port.
They said: “All at Burry Port would like to thank Paul Eastment and Mark Crumb for their patience and thorough training. We hope we can justify the confidence that the RNLI has shown to the Burry Port station.”
