Ahead of the warmer summer months, volunteers at Cowes RNLI teamed up with maritime charity UKSA to learn from their watersports expertise.
The two charities spent an evening together off East Cowes seafront where the lifeboat crew were able to work with a variety of watersports equipment under the watchful eye of UKSA’s instructors.
Matthews: Opportunities like this are extremely valuable to our crew
Willoughby Matthews, Training Coordinator for Cowes RNLI Lifeboat said:
“Only one in ten RNLI volunteers come from a professional maritime background, so opportunities like this are extremely valuable to our crew.
“Not only are the crew able to get an idea for the types of equipment on the water, but they can practice rescue techniques in a safe and controlled environment.
“It’s great to be able to work with the brilliant team at UKSA who volunteered their time to help.”
Lewis: Delighted to help RNLI volunteers get hands-on experience
Katie Lewis, Chief Watersports Instructor from UKSA said:
“This was a fantastic opportunity for two charities on the River Medina to train together.
“We were delighted to help RNLI volunteers get hands-on experience with some of UKSA’s watersports kit, and our instructors enjoyed learning about the equipment on board a lifeboat and were able to ask lots of questions about what it’s like to volunteer.”
It is hoped that the exercise will become a regular occurrence with a repeat planned
for the autumn.
News shared by Will on behalf of Cowes RNLI. Ed
