A couple of RNLI offerings.....

[Rheged]

Worth a moment of your time.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjgTTfE9yT0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vM8B8HV1O4

[PR19_Kit]

Well worth watching, thanks for the links. I love that SLARS thing, I could spend hours working on of them. 

I saw a launch from the Lizard lifeboat station once, that really is spectacular!   

[rickshaw]

I am envious.  Downunder we don't have anything so specialised.  You are lucky that organisations are prepared to spend so much money on your safety!   

[Mossie]

Real-life Thunderbirds.

[Mossie]

I was at an open day at Flamborough lifeboat station and took several pics of the Talus MB-4H launching and recovering the B Class Atlantic 85 lifeboat Elizabeth Jane Palmer. 15 years ago now!

Photobucketed, hopefully you can see them:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=16875.msg237680#msg237680

[scooter]

I am envious.  Downunder we don't have anything so specialised.  You are lucky that organisations are prepared to spend so much money on your safety!   

And they're all (or mostly all) volunteers, which makes it even more amazing, and they manage to keep their membership numbers high enough to be able to launch.  We have volunteer Fire and EMS here in the States, but a lot of them become fiefdoms for egomaniacs and so membership numbers suffer.

[Old Wombat]

I am envious.  Downunder we don't have anything so specialised.  You are lucky that organisations are prepared to spend so much money on your safety!   

And they're all (or mostly all) volunteers, which makes it even more amazing, and they manage to keep their membership numbers high enough to be able to launch.  We have volunteer Fire and EMS here in the States, but a lot of them become fiefdoms for egomaniacs and so membership numbers suffer.

We do have well-funded (despite their claims to the contrary) Surf Life Saving Clubs, State Emergency Services & various Country/Rural Fire Services/Brigades, which are all manned (&, in some cases administered) by volunteers, but we don't have the equivalent of the off-shore Lifeboats, this seems to fall into a vague, grey area shared between state police agencies, the RAN, the RAAF & some small, under-funded volunteer groups.

[Mossie]

The RNLI are by far the largest, but their are many  independent lifeboat providers in the UK and Ireland.  Many have a local remit and several cover rivers and inland waters (the RNLI only cover the coast).  We have a local one, Humber Rescue that covers the Humber estuary.

[PR19_Kit]

I am envious.  Downunder we don't have anything so specialised.  You are lucky that organisations are prepared to spend so much money on your
safety!   

And all the money comes from voluntary subscriptions, from the public or from businesses. There's no Government funding involved.

[NARSES2]

And all the money comes from voluntary subscriptions, from the public or from businesses. There's no Government funding involved.

That's why they've managed to keep going for so long

[NARSES2]

The RNLI are by far the largest, but their are many  independent lifeboat providers in the UK and Ireland.  Many have a local remit and several cover rivers and inland waters (the RNLI only cover the coast).  We have a local one, Humber Rescue that covers the Humber estuary.

Yup I wasn't really aware of that until recently, just made the assumption that it was always the RNLI

[Rheged]

The RNLI are by far the largest, but their are many  independent lifeboat providers in the UK and Ireland.  Many have a local remit and several cover rivers and inland waters (the RNLI only cover the coast).  We have a local one, Humber Rescue that covers the Humber estuary.

Yup I wasn't really aware of that until recently, just made the assumption that it was always the RNLI

Bay Search and Rescue on Morecambe Bay isn't RNLI, but they do enjoy the closest of friendships

[PR19_Kit]

We have SARA in my neck of the woods, Severn Area Rescue Association.

They have a couple of boats in a boathouse right below the west end of the Old Severn Bridge, and they use the old car ferry ramp as a launch slipway!

IIRC the RNLI cover the area that's deemed to be the sea, and SARA cover the Rivers Severn and Wye.

[Nick]

I see the RNLI in action most days at work. Their busiest lifeboat station aren't on the sea but 40 miles inland on the River Thames at Chiswick, Hammersmith and Tower. They get around 600 calls every year.

Don't forget the RNLI base on Loch Ness or the 4 stations on the lakes and rivers of Ireland. Catalina! https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/enniskillen-lifeboat-station

[philp]

Thanks for the links.

While I didn't get to see a launch my Uncle Bob took me to the RNLI Hastings Lifeboat Station during my trip in 2013.
Got some fun pics.







I still have the Airfix Severn in my stash.  Need to source a decent crew and then decide if I want to depict a rescue or just underway.