Royal National Lifeboat Institution
23 September 2012 | Baltimore
Vicki
We are in Baltimore, Ireland that is. Big center for sailing, very secure harbor with lots of mooring balls for visiting boats. We had an exceptional experience yesterday. In the states boaters are all very appreciative of the service the Coast Guard provides in search and rescue. Over here, it is not a government run operation - the RNLI is mainly a volunteer organization and is a charity. "the RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea." People take this organization very seriously and many volunteers are from two or three generations of participants. The training is rigorous and people are proud to serve. It covers all of the islands - Ireland, North Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Englalnd. Probably the only organization that they can all work on together!
Yesterday was the Naming Ceremony of the new lifeboat at the Baltimore Lifeboat Station and we attended - the Alan Massey. The boat was paid for by donations. It is a new Tamar class lifeboat, very cool looking. 16.3 meters long, max speed of 25 knots, range of 250 miles. It can hold up to 10 survivors in the survivor space but can hold up to 54 survivors and still be self-righting. If the worst happens, this is a boat I would like to see coming up! The have had the boat over the summer and already rescued several people with it, including one person the night before the ceremony.