Drascombe Poole dinner- 2nd / 4th November 2018

Our custom is to have a beginning of season and end of season dinner, and for many years they have both been at Chichester Yacht Club.

More recently in response to feedback form people based in the western end of the Solent the end of season dinner has moved to a suitable location in their direction. Last year it was held in Lymington.

This year Brad took on the organisation and arranged a great weekend.

Most arrived on the Friday and spent the afternoon looking around Poole. After evening drinks we met up at the Lakeside Fish & Chip restaurant at Lifeboat Quay and enjoyed an excellent fish supper.

Saturday

Following breakfast, taken at Wetherspoons for most, we met at the Life Boat Station at the Town Quay and had a tour of their station building as well as the recently installed floating pontoon form which they launch their two local boats a 5m D class inflatable crewed by two or three staff and a B class Atlantic with a crew of 4.

Their passion and dedication were very impressive.

The floating  RNLI launch station

Crew room

D class boat

B class

B class

B Class

 Following lunch we all congregated at the RNLI HQ

 Brad had arranged a tour of their facilities and we were split into two groups.

In turn we visited their training pool in which they can re create the worst conditions imaginable with wind and waves, darkness and noise - in which to practice their drills. It was very impressive.

 If that wasn't impressive enough we were then taken to their simulator, which replicates a large off shore lifeboat and allows crews to practice search patterns, navigation and other drills in any weather and a large number of different locations.

Dave Q on the helm in the simulator - just missing the old tanker which is on fire !!

 We then had a tour of the maintenance facility where boats are re furbished and also built from scratch. This was also very impressive - spotless and very efficient.

The staff were very keen and enthusiastic about their work and were a credit to the RNLI as representatives of the organisation.

The evening was also spent at the RNLI centre - using one of their rooms for a dinner.

A number of presentations were made one of which I was please about ..the other not so...

Sharon gave me a lovely stained class model of Daislebee which was lovely.

The other was a blown up picture of my plight when hung up on my lines at Bosham a few weeks earlier. As a result of that misdemeanour I was awarded the TAWT trophy which was doublee embarrassing, having invented the award in the first place !!!

Apart from that the weekend was a huge success and a big thank you to Brad for pulling it together