Exmouth RNLI held their annual Sea Sunday service on 15 July at the boathouse on Queens Drive. Reverend James Hutchings, Priest-in-charge  Littleham-cum-Exmouth with Lympstone Mission Community took the service for his first time, leading prayers and hymns for those who work and live by the sea.

Around 150 people attended the 30 minute service, attracting many beach visitors throughout the duration. Town Mayor, John Humphreys and representatives from the coastguards, coastwatch and paramedics were in attendance. 11 volunteer crew members with their Coxswain, Tim Mock; Chairman of the lifeboat management group, Tim Baker; RNLI lifeguards and volunteers from local RNLI branches joined members of Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton RNLI Fundraising Guild for the occasion.

Exmouth’s all weather lifeboat, Margaret Jean was tasked to assist a yacht in Lyme Bay at 1.53am on Monday 2 July. As volunteers were concluding the rescue nearly four hours later, another radio call from Brixham coast guards suggested another imminent rescue for the volunteers.

A total of seven volunteer crew went to the rescue of two men from Dorset aboard a 36 foot yacht, eight miles off Lyme Regis. They were sailing between Weymouth and Falmouth in south-westerly force six to eight winds and rough sea.

Volunteer Deputy Launching Authority, Dave Ashman said;

‘At first they had engine problems – water in the fuel, but they had managed to cure that problem. The rope over the side from the sheet of the jib had wrapped itself around the propeller. We got out there and towed him back to a mooring in the estuary to safety.’

Contractors installed a number of solar panels to the roof of Exmouth RNLI boathouse on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 June. This addition to the building on Queens Drive has increased the number of ways Exmouth RNLI are working with renewable sources to keep running costs to a minimum.

The 22 photovoltaic cell panels are capable of generating a total of four kilo watts when working at full capacity. They will generate power to contribute to the national grid which the charity will benefit from in the way of reduced energy bill tariffs, therefore saving money.

A hot, sunny day in Exmouth has kept the RNLI lifeboat volunteers in the town busy on Saturday 26 May. In a space of four hours the crew of the D class inshore lifeboat attended to ten incidents. The emergencies alone illustrate the commitment of the station’s volunteers, but the action doesn’t stop there as the launches coincided with a visit to the lifeboat station by a local boat club and by the BBC who were filming for a programme to be aired next January.

As RNLI Coxswain, Tim Mock was being interviewed by the BBC the first call came in for the volunteers of the D class inshore lifeboat George Bearman. They were tasked to a 16 foot speed boat with three people onboard that had broken down. The lifeboat crew towed them in noting that though the people weren’t wearing lifejackets, there were two lifejackets and a buoyancy aid onboard. As Helmsman Dave Preece says, lifejackets are designed for a reason:

‘As our charities sea safety campaign says, lifejackets are useless unless worn and I would urge people going to sea to always use their safety equipment rather than leave it lying around on the boat.’

On Monday 21 May, Exmouth RNLI Volunteer Crewman David Preece visited Little Otters in East Budleigh to talk to the children about beach safety and the work of the lifeboats. David explained how the children should get help in an emergency on the beach and how to spot lifeguards and lifeboat crew.

The children particularly enjoyed timing how long it took David to get into his lifeboat kit and then were thrilled to be able to try on a junior version.

“We were delighted that the RNLI were able to take time out of their busy schedule to come and visit us.” said Michelle Chudley, Pre-School Leader.  “Beach safety is a really important lesson” she added.

Exmouth RNLI Deputy Coxswain Steve Hockings-Thompson was scheduled to take over the Olympic Torch in Torbay at 5.06pm on Sunday 20 May. With only three minutes to go, his crewmates’ pagers sounded indicating the imminent launch of the Exmouth inshore lifeboat, George Bearman.

Portland coastguards had tasked the D-class lifeboat and its three volunteer crew to rescue three adults and a dog from the Exe estuary. They had been walking the West Highland Terrier when they had been caught out by the rising tide and become stuck in the mud. One of the women was heavily pregnant. The walkers were quickly taken to safety to waiting friends and paramedics.

Steve was not on duty at the time and there were no pockets in his Olympic Torchbearer uniform to carry his pager through the streets of Babbacombe. Three of his volunteer crewmates who were also off lifeboat duty, were working in the area at the time in their professional capacity in the police and paramedic services.

Volunteer Deputy Coxswain Steve Hockings-Thompson is to be one of 8,000 Torchbearers on Sunday 20 May in Torbay. His nomination was based on his involvement with the RNLI over 18 years.

Steve, 46 is to run approximately 400 metres along the proposed route on the second day of the torch’s journey to the London 2012 Olympic Games. He is due to run along Babbacombe Road (between Perinville Road and St. Anne’s Road) at 5.06pm. Watching him along the route will be his wife, Louise and their two teenage daughters.

Approximately 60 people attended the 2012 Exmouth RNLI Guild AGM held on 23 April at the Exe Sailing Club. The Exmouth Lifeboat Management Group open meeting followed on with the guest speaker Lee Firman, Coxswain of the Shannon class trials ending the evening with a question and answer session.

The attendees included lifeboat crew members and officers, the Exmouth Deputy Town Mayor, Exmouth Town Councillors and members of the public. The meeting commenced with a minute’s silence in memory for recently departed members of Exmouth RNLI, past and present. Jack Stapley, Guild President; David Jackson, Budleigh Salterton Co-ordinator; Doug Were, second mechanic on City of Birmingham and John Kirley, former inshore lifeboat crew member were remembered.

The RNLI have spent two days in Exmouth (Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 April) carrying out trials of a new class of lifeboat.  The Shannon class all-weather is at present undergoing extensive sea and beach trials around the country where she’s been tested out in a range of conditions.

The new lifeboat has been designed in-house by RNLI naval architects who have harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure it meets the demands of a modern day rescue service. The Shannon features twin water jets instead of conventional propellers, allowing her to operate in shallow waters and to be highly manoeuvrable. At present a team of RNLI personnel are busy testing her abilities and the new system that’s been designed to launch and recover the lifeboat.

The RNLI Bronze Medal for Gallantry is to be presented to Exmouth crew volunteer Roger Jackson (43) following the rescue of four people from a capsized powerboat last October. At a meeting of the charity’s Trustees this week it was agreed that the award acknowledged Roger’s exemplary command and leadership, boat-handling skill and tenacity in exceptional conditions. The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum will also be presented to Exmouth crew volunteers Mark Champion (32) and Andrew Williams (32) for their role during the same incident.

The story unfolded late in the afternoon on Sunday 23 October 2011 when reports came in of people in the water after a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) capsized in the River Exe estuary. Knowing four people were in the water and in immediate danger, it was decided to launch the Exmouth RNLI D class inshore lifeboat George Bearman, despite a near gale force onshore wind from the south east.

RNLI volunteers Roger Jackson (Helm), Mark Champion and Andrew Williams launched the lifeboat through surf of a metre and a half. As the three lifeboat crew reached the main part of the channel, they were immediately battling harsh conditions.  At one stage they had to work hard to keep the lifeboat upright, while Roger Jackson negotiated the safest route possible, using the lifeboat’s full engine power to climb the face of very large waves.