RNLI Brief

RNLI Luxury Yacht Charter & Superyacht News

2011 RNLI Annual Lecture

November 21, 2011

Members of the public are welcome to take part in The RNLI Annual Lecture, held in partnership with the University of Southampton, on Wednesday 30 November 2011 at 6pm. This year’s lecture, ‘Testing Times: the role of trials and testing in marine safety’ will be introduced by eminent guest speaker Dr Ian Dand FREng.

RNLI volunteers in action

RNLI volunteers in action

The last few decades have seen major cultural and technical changes in maritime safety, and Dr Ian Dand has been at the forefront of these changes during his career as a naval architect. His lecture will focus on the reasons for the changes and the lessons learnt. He will explain how model testing has illustrated the equal importance of operational aspects alongside design in improving marine safety. The talk will include the high profile investigation of major incidents at sea such as The Herald of Free Enterprise, as well as the exploration of ship behaviour whose purpose is motivated by safety, like RNLI lifeboats. The lecture will end with a personal view of marine safety at the present time.

Steve Austen, RNLI Head of Engineering Support, explains: ‘We are delighted that Ian Dand will be speaking at the 2011 RNLI Annual Lecture, as well as being at the forefront of his field, he has been involved with the RNLI for many years, including a period of time when he was a member of the RNLI Technical Committee.´

‘The RNLI charity’s lifeboats are crewed by volunteers who go to sea, sometimes in extreme conditions, to save lives. Therefore we do our best to ensure they have the right lifeboats and equipment to operate as safely as possible in the most hostile sea environment – and some of the engineering achievements behind this will be highlighted during Ian’s talk.’

The lecture will be delivered in the University at 6.00pm. Tea and biscuits will be served in the Turner Sims foyer at 5.30pm, and all members of the public with an interest in marine safety and the RNLI are welcome to attend.

Yamaha as an Official RNLI Partner

November 02, 2011

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Yamaha Motor UK, two of the most respected names in the marine world, have announced their new partnership. This will bring profits not only to themselves, but also to the UK boaters.

RNLI-Logo


Every purchaser of a new Yamaha outboard engine, from the smallest F2.5 to the mighty F350, V8 will receive 12 months free RNLI Offshore membership worth £68, while supporting the RNLI at the same time. Members receive free RNLI publications including The Lifeboat, RNLI Compass and Offshore for those who actively enjoy the sea. Other benefits include free sea safety advice and product discounts, an RNLI membership card giving access to the RNLI’s College in Poole and the opportunity to attend the RNLI’s Annual Presentation of Awards.

In a special event at the RNLI College in Poole on Thursday 20th October 2011 the official partnership agreement was formally signed on behalf of the RNLI by James Vaughan, Corporate Services Director and Andrew Smith, Vice President Sales & Marketing Operations, Yamaha Motor Europe NV.

The new partnership will allow the RNLI and Yamaha to work together to jointly promote the charity’s fundraising efforts. The first visible sign of this came at the 2011 PSP Southampton International Boat Show where an RNLI Atlantic inshore lifeboat was moored on one of Yamaha’s berths in the Marina, while RNLI fundraisers were stationed on Yamaha’s main boat stand a short distance away.

The new partnership is a natural progression of the existing supply relationship between Yamaha and the RNLI. The charity has been using Yamaha outboards on various rescue craft for over 15 years. More recently the company has not only specified Yamaha WaveRunner VX personal watercraft for RNLI lifeguard beach rescue, but also selected the F115 outboard to power the charity’s fleet of Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboats.

Yamaha have always been proud to supply equipment and products to the RNLI knowing that these engines and personal watercraft were chosen by the RNLI because of their engineering quality, design and reliability. After all when RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew and lifeguards put to sea for a rescue they need to rely completely on their equipment.

David Pougher, Divisional Manager of Yamaha UK Marine Division commented “It’s great to be able to give something back to the RNLI whilst at the same time offering a benefit to our customers with this free membership package. As boaters we all rely on the fact that the RNLI will come to our aid if required when at sea, even in treacherous weather conditions, and this partnership will help support the RNLI and their fundraising activities.”

Royal National Lifeboat Institution at COWES WEEK

July 30, 2010

As Cowes Week charity of the year, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will be part of the action both on and off the water during this year’s regatta.

There’ll be all sorts of opportunities for visitors and competitors to find out more about the RNLI’s volunteer crews, take part in events and support the charity that saves lives at sea.

Last year the volunteer RNLI crew at Cowes were kept busy during the regatta when around 900 yachts and 8,000 people took part in the week of races. Their inshore lifeboat launched six times to help competitors during the event, while other RNLI lifeboats around the Solent launched 10 times.

RNLI volunteers in action

While RNLI lifeboat crews around the Isle of Wight are ready to go to the aid of competitors and spectators on the water, those watching the action on shore can also get involved with the charity.

Monday is charity day and, to celebrate, the volunteers from Cowes and Calshot RNLI lifeboat stations will be putting on a display of their life saving skills. Their demonstration will take place on the water just off The Green at 6.30pm.

After the demonstration, grab your friends and take part in beach-themed team games at Shepards Wharf in aid of the charity on Monday night. Have a bash at boules, limber up for limbo or rustle up some luck on the raffle and raise money for the RNLI – it’s free to enter and the games kick off at 7pm.

If you miss the fun and games at Shepards Wharf, there’s another opportunity to support the charity at the Cowes Week Crew Ball on Thursday night. It’ll be held at the Events Centre in the Yacht Haven. A donation of £1 from every ticket goes to the RNLI and there will be some great prizes up for grabs in the raffle.

Celebrities, including Harry Potter actors Oliver and James Phelps and GMTV’s Emma Crosby, will be racing for glory – and the RNLI – in the Artemis Challenge on Tuesday. The celebrities, teamed up with professional skipper Steve White, will compete with other Open 60 racing yachts to win a £10,000 charity prize fund.

RNLI Cowes Week Ambassadors, Olympic gold-medallist Shirley Robertson and trans-Atlantic sailor Hannah White, will be on hand throughout the week to promote the charity and talk about their own exploits on the water.

Elsewhere, look out for the RNLI’s ‘get your kit on’ challenge around Cowes and find out what it’s like to stand in the shoes (or yellow wellies) of the charity’s volunteer crews. See if you can get changed into crew kit in record time.

Throughout the week visitors can also do some life saving shopping at the RNLI shop on the High Street, or talk to the charity’s fundraisers and find out how to make regular donations to the charity that saves lives at sea.