12th October 2011

LYME REGIS: Dream come true for former lifeboatman

HE was an RNLI volunteer for more than 30 years and played a vital role in saving hundreds of lives, but one ambition remained for Rob Fossett after retiring from running Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station last December.

Mr Fossett had never been on one of the RNLI’s latest vessels – the Tamar class – and he wanted to experience the thrill of a slipway launch just one more time, which is where the RNLI crew at Padstow and their Tamar class lifeboat were able to help.

Rob, 59, was invited to visit the Cornish lifeboat station last week and to join the crew for the slipway launch and a training session at sea.

“It was just amazing,” said Rob. “We were at sea for two hours in pretty lively conditions. The crew of seven, under the command of second coxswain Richard ‘Pip’ Pitman were brilliant and so disciplined. I was very impressed.

“It is 20 years since I last experienced a slipway launch, and there is nothing like it. But after the launch there was still the icing on the cake to come.”

For the last 30 minutes of the training session Rob took the helm of the £2.7million lifeboat.

“It was an evening I will never forget,” he added. “I don’t think anyone really knows what it meant to me and it was a wonderful way to round off my voluntary RNLI career.

“Although the boats and the equipment have changed vastly since I joined the RNLI in 1967, one thing that hasn’t changed is the dedication of the volunteer crews who are still willing to leave their beds and their comfortable homes to take the lifeboat out regardless of the conditions.”

LYME REGIS: Dream come true for former lifeboatman

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