Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2008 | Page 37

OUT & ABOUT
the Royal Yachting Association
(RYA), the governing body for all
boat users.”
If being obsessive about safety
sits awkwardly with someone who
loves playing on the water, Tim
doesn’t see there is a circle to be
squared: “The more you know
about the boat you own, the more
fun you’ll have. I see people who
plainly haven’t done a course: the
man trying to bring his boat in,
yelling at the wife to grab this and
pull that. If they’d both done a
course, they could end the day still
liking each other.”
Safety and enjoyment go hand
in hand in Tim’s eyes. He talks of
seeing families go out when the
children are in lifejackets and the
parents aren’t, and they haven’t
attached their kill cord (which
cuts off the engine if it comes in
contact with water). “If the adult
driving the boat falls in, the boat
will keep going.”
Indeed, any sailing boat
owner taking friends out should
brief them on how to contact
the coastguard, where the fire
extinguishers are, etc. If the boom
comes over and knocks the only
skilled person into the water, the
rest are in trouble.
For all his Island-induced
calm, some things needle Tim.
He was keen to run courses
for teachers, developed by the
Royal Lifesaving Society, in
basic first aid, emergencies and
rescue techniques, and has been
frustrated at the poor take-up
by the local authority. “We’re
surrounded by water, teachers will
feel happier going on field trips
with such knowledge. But the
LEA didn’t want to pay.”
For all his passion for safety, Tim
is delighted that, in this country
the mantra is “education not
legislation