In Local News, sort of

Llandudno sea rescue - over 250 miles from home


A young crew member found himself playing a leading role in a dramatic sea rescue on Friday, over 250 miles away from North Wales, thanks to his RNLI training with Llandudno RNLI Lifeboat crew.

He received an urgent radio call from Thames Coastguard and was asked, as the nearest available boat, to go to the aid of a 12-metre pleasure craft reported on fire 15 miles from his position.

23 year-old Danny Jones, who’s 'day job' is a skipper of offshore support vessels, was in command of the 18-metre fast-response catamaran Offshore Progress working in the Thames estuary and carrying a group of engineers undergoing training in emergency drills.

Making full speed to the casualty, Danny brought his vessel alongside the disabled boat, the Princess Anne, whose petrol engine had caught fire. The vessel had two men onboard. He immediately transferred two of his engineer passengers, armed with a fire extinguisher, over to the casualty and they quickly put out the blaze.

Danny then ordered a towline to be rigged to the pleasure boat and after a 20 mile tow brought it safely into Brightlingsea harbour. Its two occupants were described as being shocked but otherwise unharmed.
Speaking afterwards Danny said:

'It was great that the specialist skills I've learned during my 6 years of studying, training and taking part in exercises with the RNLI volunteer crew at Llandudno were put to good use. It was very satisfying to be able to help other sea-users in this way and to bring the operation to a satisfactory conclusion'.

Well done lad.

I hope he will receive a commendation at the very least for his efforts in saving the people on the vessel.

Update;

Article from the Daily Post

Brave Danny saves crew on blazing boat

Flood Rescue Team News

Here is a news article from the RNLI website regarding a couple of lifeboat volunteers from Llandudno and Conwy.

Conwy RNLI volunteers return to North Wales after rescuing Cockermouth flood victims

Jobi Hold, an RNLI volunteer at Llandudno and Greg Donald, a volunteer with the RNLI crew at Conwy, have relived the devastation they witnessed after being called to assist with the flood rescue operation in Cumbria. Greg is a member of a newly formed group of North Wales volunteers who are trained in swift water rescue and can be called upon in a moment’s notice to respond to emergency situations.
As well as being a member of this new group, Jobi is also part of the RNLI’s national Flood Rescue Team, which the RNLI set up following its involvement with flood relief in Mozambique in March 2000.

Click Here for the full story

As you can see the skills of a lifeboat volunteer have evolved in the last 45 years.

A Letter about Llandudno Lifeboat 2

I am glad to see more people are writing in to the North Wales Weekly news regarding Llandudno Lifeboat and their ongoing trials to try and build a new station by Llandudno Pier.

The latest letter, (See Link), is a very good reply to what John Lawson Reay has been saying over the last few months.

Mr Nicol sounds, from his letter, that he has experienced a lot while he was in the Coastguard, Mr Nicol's letter is from someone who has been there and done that, not something that i can say about Mr Lawson Reay

His letter last week said 2 former Lifeboat crew were backing him in his proposals for where the Lifeboat Station should be.

Now I have a lot of respect for lifeboatmen, and women, current crew and retired crew, but both of these men were on the crew many years ago and, in my opinion, may not know what is needed for the current and future of the Lifeboat in Llandudno.

The current lifeboat station was built in 1903, and was built there to launch from both the West shore and Llandudno promenade. Now it is 2009, 106 years later. I think Llandudno needs a new Lifeboat station.

The slipway that the lifeboat launches from is about 100 yards from the pier, so it is common sense that the new lifeboat station should be built as close as possible to the slipway.

Mr John Lawson Reay says that it will spoil the look of Llandudno promenade, but has he forgotten what the extension to the theater has done to the look of the promenade. or that the view from the promenade is already spoilt by the wind farms.

Llandudno is a 'Victorian resort', but i think that some residents and councillors are still in Victorian times. We need to think for the future of Llandudno, we need to think of what is best for Llandudno now and for the future.

A letter about Llandudno Lifeboat

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/views-blogs/readers-letters/2009/10/22/safety-efforts-mean-llandudno-lifeboat-crew-is-required-less-55243-24983705/

Above is a letter by a Mr Oakley Kelly, a very experienced lifeboatman from his letter the other week, putting his side of the argument about the lifeboat station being built on the promenade.

I hope people will listen to someone like Mr Kelly, and not to people like Mr Lawson Reay about the need for a new lifeboat station for Llandudno lifeboat on the promenade.

I have been looking for some articles about Llandudno lifeboat and i have found the following;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/7596637.stm

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/your-champions/your-champions-archive/2008/10/20/llandudno-lifeboatman-tim-james-is-champion-of-champions-55243-22074390/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7643008.stm

The crew at Llandudno lifeboat station have recieved an award for their bravery in the rescue of that couple 30 miles off Llandudno. No one can doubt the bravery of the men and women of Llandudno lifeboat or the RNLI in general.

The Lifeboat station is small (see link), They need a new station, let them build it where they want.
http://www.llandudnolifeboat.org.uk/wpimages/wp80b1ba01.png

Like what Mr Kelly says in his letter;
Mr Reay refers to the "minions" at RNLI HQ. He should know that almost all of the senior operational staff at Poole were, at one time or another, Divisional Inspectors of Lifeboats covering Llandudno and the whole of the Western Division. They are the ones with all the operational experience to decide if and where to build a boathouse.

I guess that 99% of the RNLI 'minions' from Poole don't have a reason to come to Llandudno. Most of the employees will be office staff, people organising the equipment and storage of spares, the boat builders and repairers, computer IT department. Why would they need to come to Llandudno?

As Mr Lawson Reay knows the head lifeboatman at Poole came to Llandudno (See Link below) to a meeting of the North Wales Business club early this year. So they do come out of hiding now and again Mr Lawson Reay, so get your facts right before you knock anyone or any organisation.

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2009/06/18/llandudno-rnli-needs-new-lifeboat-house-55243-23902588/

I can't wait for Mr Lawson Reay's reply next week.

John Lawson Reay's experience?

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/views-blogs/readers-letters/2009/10/15/i-am-qualified-to-talk-about-llandudno-lifeboat-location-55243-24929231/

Having read Jon Lawson Reay's letter in the weekly news this week (Link above), i am just wondering what experience he actually has.

John Lawson Reay says;

My experience, and things have not changed very much in 45 years, was for four years as a shore crew member of the lifeboat.

45 years ago things were a hell of a lot different, and 4 years as a shore crew member isn't what i call a lot of experience.

I would like to ask John Lawson Reay how many launches he was actually there for?
What did he do when he was at the launches?

The lifeboats from 45 years ago were the Annie Ronald and Isabella Forrest 1959 - 1964 http://www.llandudnolifeboat.org.uk/wpimages/wp5c30ac8d.png

and the the Lilly Wainwright 1964 - 1990
http://www.llandudnolifeboat.org.uk/wpimages/wpd6ebc399.png

Information gained from http://www.llandudnolifeboat.org.uk/index.html

Lifeboats of the past did their job very well, but technology moves on and things change, and so do lifeboats and lifeboat stations. The crew need better boats to keep them safer and new technology helps in the location of boats that are in danger.

I have been wondering a few things, John Lawson Reay is a photographer, i have been told, and I am wondering;

Did John Lawson Reay take pictures of the launches of the lifeboat?
Did he make any money from selling any pictures, and if so how much?
If John Lawson Reay did get paid for selling any pictures of the lifeboat, did he make any donations to the RNLI?

I will admit i am a supporter of the RNLI. A few years ago i was on Llandudno promenade and i saw the smaller boat get launched and they sped off towards the pier and then i saw them rush back. From what i saw they had a young man who was injured and they were giving him first aid. I didn't know how bad the man was but after about 10 minutes the helicopter landed and took the man away.

From what i saw those lifeboatmen worked very professionally and they most probably saved that man's life. From then on i became a supporter of the RNLI.

I would love to see a new lifeboat on the prom and i cannot see why a wall ( a listed building) stops it from being built.

I ask John Lawson Reay to stop his objection to the lifeboat and work with them. As you say you were a lifeboatman why not join them and help the new boathouse to be built.

Llanduno Lifeboat Station and Friends V John Lawson Reay (SOS)

Over the last year or so i have been reading about Llandudno Lifeboat Station trying to build a new station on Llandudno Prom.

Now from what i have found out, John Lawson Reay and the SOS (Save Our Scenery) are against the building of the new station because it is close to a listed building, which is a wall.

Recently John Lawson Reay has been talking of the new station being built where the Llandudno sailing club is, but this isn't what Llandudno RNLI, and others, would want.

John Lawson Reay says he has been attacked for his position on his opposition to the new Lifeboat Station.

What i don't understand is that John Lawson Reay says he was a member of Llandudno Lifeboat Station, but why is he so against the station being built next to a wall, yes it is a listed building but it is still a wall.

I have a couple of friends who are related to some current crew members of Llandudno Lifeboat and i will write back with what i find out.

If anyone has more information comments are welcome.