Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2011 | Page 67

ON THE WATER

Coastguard calls for the boat to be
launched – thus the impressive title
Lifeboat Operations Manager, which
the crew have shortened to LOM –
Lazy Old Man!
After the ‘shout’ it is then up to him
to communicate with the coxswain
and crew to get the 40-ton vessel out
on to the water as quickly as possible,
whatever time of day or night. He said:
“I first got involved because I lived
near the station, and was constantly
wakened by maroons, that seemed to
be going off at the end of my bed!”
Obviously he couldn’t beat them, so he
joined them.
The Yarmouth RNLI has 16
volunteers to call on, along with a
full time coxswain and mechanic, and
the ‘Severn’ lifeboat is an all-weather
vessel, that travels up to 29 knots and

covers an area of sea that stretches
south all the way to Cherbourg.
“It is not unusual to get a ‘shout’ to
someone 25 miles out, and if that is
south you are more than halfway to
Cherbourg, to it is just as easy to tow
a boat into there,” he explained. The
Yarmouth RNLI is heavily supported
by the West Wight Fundraisers,
and the RNLI shop in Yarmouth is
extremely successful, and perfectly
situated next to the ferry terminal. But
the biggest proportion on RNLI still
comes in bequests.
Bernard’s hectic schedule also takes
in the Yarmouth Carnival, and he has
been treasurer of the ever-popular Old
Gaffers’ Festival since its inception.
He smiled: “My job is to make sure we
don’t spend more money than we bring
in; try to keep things under control.

Some of the licensing aspects are a
pain, but you can’t let them beat you.”
Over the years Bernard has also been
a Harbour Commissioner, Yarmouth
Town Councillor and even had one
12-month spell as Town Clerk. He
considers his biggest challenges as
his two spells as Commodore of the
Royal Solent YC, saying: “It is a huge
commitment. Virtually everything
else that you would normally do stops
because it is so time consuming. The
buck stops with the Commodore.”
Although he often sails around the
Caribbean in the winter months,
Bernard has just one unfulfilled
ambition. He said: “I always wanted to
sail my own boat across the Atlantic.
I did have the right boat at one time,
but not anymore, so perhaps that is
the one that has got away.”
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