RNLI - Amble Lifeboat Station

20/10/2026

Well then followers, you hear plenty about our shouts, but what about our training! The crews train on average 4 times a month on the various skills required to save lives at sea. This post is about the "Breeches Bouy".

Historically, a breeches buoy was used to rescue people one-by-one from a ship wrecked close to the shore or stuck on a reef. Today, while modern helicopters and motorised lifeboats have largely replaced it for actual emergencies, we still practice it as an effective means of rescue for hard to access people in distress.

The breeches buoy used to be a life ring with some pants "Breeches" attached for the casualty to sit in during transfer from wreck to the lifeboat through the water. The modern-day setup is a life ring with a strap to allow the casualty to sit in.

Here is what happen during our breeches buoy practice drill:

1. Mimicking the rescue.
Amble ILB – D Class: The ILB anchored with the recovery dummy simulating the vessel and casualty in distress.
Amble ALB - Shannon: The ALB anchored as close as was safe to allow the rescue and rigged up the breeches buoy.

2. Rigging and Securing the System
Veering Lines: These are the ropes used to haul the breeches buoy back and forth to the casualty. The Shannon crew place one veering line at the bow of the boat and one veering line at the stern.
The Breeches Buoy: The breeches buoy itself is a buoyant life ring with a harness attached to it that the veering lines attach to.
The Block: The pivot point that gets transferred to the vessel in distress.

3. Establishing the Connection (Line-Throwing)
Firing the Line: The crew on the Shannon using a rocket line (we passed safely by hand as it was a training exercise), fire a heaving line across a gap to a simulated "wreck/casualty" (ILB).
Transferring the block: The crew on the ILB then pulled the block across to their vessel, using the heaving line, and secured its tail to their boat.

4. The Transfer (Simulated Rescue)
Hauling Across: The Shannon crew then passed the breeches buoy across to the ILB. The bow crew pulling their veering line sending the buoy out to the ILB, as the stern team let out their line until the buoy was at the ILB.
Transferring the casualty: The ILB crew placed the recovery dummy into the breeches buoy and then the Shannon crews recovered, this time the stern crew pulling the buoy while the bow crew let out their line controlling the speed of the buoy.
Recovery: The stern crew slow down and stop the buoy and safely recover the dummy onto the boat and signal that the rescue is complete.
The detach: The Bouy can then be detached from the bow veering line which was then recovered to the Shannon while the block stays with the casualty vessel.

The Crews recovered their anchors and returned to station to debrief and discuss the training carried out and provide feedback on performance.

18/10/2026

14/10/2026

Amble Lifeboat was requested by Humber coastguard today at 9:50 to go and assist a 15ft fishing boat that had experienced an engine failure to the west of Coquet Island. The vessel had no VHF or any other means to identify its location.

The ILB Alf and Dora Whiting launched to quickly locate and assist the vessel with the Shannon ALB Elizabeth and Leonard following as weather was worsening and the vague details of the boat may need the Shannon to assist.

A boat was spotted on leaving the piers, but it was swiftly established this wasn't the casualty. Through a relay through VHF from the ILB to the coastguard, then via mobile from coastguard to the boat, the ILB was able to head in the right direction, and the boat was spotted with Coquet Island in the background. Can you spot the casualty boat in the photo?

Once alongside the boat it was established that it was drifting towards the Island and the anchor was holding for now. The decision to tow was made and decided to be well within the capabilities of the ILB. With the decision checked with the boat owner and relayed to the coastguard, an Alongside tow was established. The short distance to the harbour and keeping the boat close and stable would be easier with this form of tow.

The boat was then taken to the harbour escorted by the ALB and placed back on her moorings. The ILB then returned to station, refuelled and readied for service.

Remember, always take a means of communication when venturing out onto the water. If things take a turn for the worst it can be invaluable, like in todays shout.

13/10/2026

13/10/2026

The role of the Launch Authority is to decide whether and which lifeboat to send to a rescue. They will evaluate sea states, weather conditions, coxwain/helm and crew availability, as well as the specific nature of the 'shout' before giving the green light to Launch.

Dos this sound like a challenge you coudl accept, well we have a vacancy!

Follow the link below for more details.

The RNLI’s Lifeboat Station in Amble is looking for a volunteer to join the existing team in the role of Launching Authority.

08/10/2026

Congratulations to our crew member Bob Cook who passed out as a Tier 1 crew member.

Before our exercise with the helicopter, Bob was put through his paces by our assessor Jeff, testing him in various tasks including anchoring.

This is the culmination of many hours volunteering as a crew member and sets Bob up for Tier 2 training. Only after completing Tier 2 will Bob become a fully qualified crew member.

Well done.

05/10/2026

On Sunday, 4th October, we welcomed the Humber coastguard helicopter to Northumberland to carry out joint training scenarios, testing our crew's ability to work together seamlessly in high-pressure situations.

Accepting a winchman from the helicopter is a complex and high-risk manoeuvre. Our Shannon class lifeboat had to maintain a steady 20 knots on a fixed bearing to allow the aircraft to make a safe approach.

The pilot then has to judge the height perfectly: low enough to make the transfer manageable for the winchman, but high enough to clear the Shannon’s various communication masts, which present a major hazard.

Once in position, the boat and helicopter must move as one through air and water. The winchman lowers down, carefully guiding the earthing wire to touch the boat first to discharge static electricity, before navigating the railings to land safely on deck.
The reverse transfer is just as challenging. The helicopter drops a weighted line—significantly lighter than a person—which can easily catch on railings or masts as the wind sways and the boat bounces over the waves. Once the winchman secures the line, he quickly re-attaches and leaves the deck.

While waiting to work with the helicopter the crew practiced anchoring the boat as can be seen in the photos.

A massive thank you to the Humber Coastguard team for a fantastic and invaluable training session!

04/10/2026

Thursday was a busy night for two of our crew. Rachel and Andrew were assessed on their capabilities as a tier 1 ALB crew member on our Shannon class lifeboat. This requires them to demonstrate they are capable to carryout the following tasks:

Launch, anchoring, mooring, and berthing: Demonstrate the ability to operate the lifeboat and manage it in various conditions.
Towing, helming, and VHF communications: Perform towing operations, helm the lifeboat, and communicate effectively using VHF radios.
Locating and assisting casualties: Locate and assist individuals in distress at sea.
Recovering someone from the water: Demonstrate the ability to safely recover individuals from the water.

Due to months of training the volunteers were able to pass all tasks and qualify as tier 1 crew members. Mark one of our coxswains and station assessor, put them through the rigorous assessment over 2 hours and was confident they performed exquisitely and had no hesitation in passing them competent.

Well Done Rachel and Andrew, their many nights and mornings of exercises they volunteer to do paid off.

Now more training and tier 2 beckons.

Rachel, Mark and Andrew after exercise.

14/09/2026

It was an early wake up call for the volunteers on Sunday morning as the pagers sounded at 2.55am.

The crew quickly assembled at the station to hear the coastguard had tasked them to a yacht with no propulsion. When on scene it was established the yacht had picked up a buoy on their prop and rudder. They were making some way under sail but couldn't safely enter any harbour. Towing check cards were completed by the coxswain and an agreement that towing the vessel into Amble was safest option and relayed to the vessel and coastguard. The yacht was brought to Amble harbour where the Amble coastguard team moored the vessel against the harbour wall.

A great outcome for all involved.