Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador (26 page)

There was a lifeboat at Clovelley but it was anchored off the harbour being one of two lifeboats that were manned by a fulltime crew.  This was due to the stormy weather conditions off the North Coast often meaning there was no shelter or mooring for conventional lifeboats.  The boat would sometimes be moored of Clovelley or in the lea of Lundy Island depending on the weather.                    

I was in for a surprise here as I popped into the local for a drink only to find Billy Dent known as ‘Storm Force Billy’ sitting at the bar whom I had met at the Southampton Boat Show.  He recognised Shelley at first looking with a little apprehension then on seeing me in tow realised he was right.  It was nice to meet up again and he told me was currently staff coxswain of the lifeboat.  It was his day off and they had anchored off the harbour and he had been taken ashore for a drink.  We had a nice chat and he asked if I wanted to look over the lifeboat but sadly I could not as I had one more call to do that afternoon.  We parted and went our separate ways not before he gave Shelley a nice pat and a packet of crisps.

The walk up the cobbled hill through the narrow streets of Clovelley was fine – and I could see why it had become a tourist attraction.  Had I lived there I don’t know if I would have liked my privacy invaded the way the residents did.  I found this when I lived in Southwold the population doubled in the summer months due to the holidaymakers.  I know it brings money into the local community but the excess of people can cause related parking problems.

Shelley did find the walk back up a little bit hard. The cobbles did not help her legs and the incline was apt to be a little steep for her in places.  She showed her frustration by sitting down from time to time and refusing to move.  We made it back to the car park at the top where she drank two full bowls of cold water followed by a deep sleep in the back of the car for the rest of the afternoon.

We left Porlock Weir the next morning making our way towards Linton and Lynmouth.  I wanted to visit both places because my late parents had their honeymoon at a hotel there. I found the hotel which I had remembered from looking at photos in their albums.  A lot of changes had gone on due to the floods that happened there in 1952.   Driving out of the town I thought just how much effort the lifeboat crew had put into their mammoth task in 1899. The hills were some of the steepest I had driven up and frankly driving a car was not that easy.  On a wet and windy night horses towing a ten ton trailer with a lifeboat on top on slippery roads left a lot to ones imagination. On checking records I found out it took them twelve hours to cover the fourteen miles from Lynmouth to Porlock. 

As we both drove back to Shoreham across the moors Shelley spent a lot of her time sitting up and looking out of the window reflecting on her first visit to this wonderful part of the world.  She was not getting any younger and perhaps I had expected too much out of her trying to walk her up the steep Clovelley hills.

I was sadly proved right when I got home as there was no way she could managed to walk up the stairs to my flat. I had realised it was time I slowed down and should no longer expected her to do things that I found easy.  We are all apt to forget that one year of a dog’s life is seven of ours making Shelley eighty fours years old.  Somehow I don’t think I would have enjoyed walking up such a steep cobbled hill at that age!                                                                                                                                                                                             

End of Chapter Thirty Four

TIME TO SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY LIFE – CHAPTER 35

For Shelley the time had come to slow down.  In the mornings there was not the normal early rise and a potter into the bedroom to give me a wake up lick.  She remained on her bed in the kitchen just getting up for her food which she still enjoyed to the full.  As for the morning walk it was fine going down the stairs but it was now a full time occupation having to carry her back up the stairs.  Rather than walk over the footbridge to the beach she decided she wanted to have a wander on the small grass area by the footbridge crossing the River Adur – the beach was fine if I drove there.  The evenings at home were not always spent with me in the lounge watching television. She preferred her own company on her bed in the kitchen.

I had also noticed another nasty lump on one of her back legs so decided to take her once again to see the veterinary surgeon.  It was what I expected to be told. Shelley was getting old now and she was not enjoying the pleasure of life like she used to.  The good news however was that she was not in any pain and the best thing was to put her on some tablets and for me to monitor her situation.

Back at the lifeboat it was normal and in the winter months the rotas changed and you did not have to stay down the boathouse at weekends. The new paging systems had now come into force with all of us getting one which was attached to ones belts, so if the duty crew were needed they were paged and went to launch the ILB.  There were always the very keen young crew members who lived, ate and slept lifeboats so they made their way down. We all went through that’s stage at some time or the other when we were new. It made you feel important.                                                                       

There were crew meetings held at the boathouse from time to time and any problems were duly raised with the coxswain. These were always good fun and gave people a chance to let of steam if required. There were of course those that moaned more than others and some who never said a single word and sat in the corner trying not to be noticed.

We were volunteers but did get paid a small allowance and every three months went down to collect the monies duly owed to us.  It was not much but did help a little towards expenses.  As was normal once we had collected the money we went to the pub for a pint or two and before we knew it the beneficiary turned out to be the local landlord.  Shelley came to the boathouse with me most times but now she was feeling more her age preferred to sleep in the back of the car or have a slow potter around the slipway having more of a paddle than a full swim.  Even the reclaimed sticks had been reduced in size. Her age was beginning to tell and most had noticed it!

We did have one amusing incident between Worthing and Shoreham one Saturday.  There was a small event taking place and we were asked if we could take both boats along.  Not a problem, we decided to use it as an exercise. The planned situation was to fire a rocket line from the ILB to the off shore lifeboat so that there would be an opportunity to show those watching from the shore how you could get a bigger rope from one vessel to another or set the ball in motion for a planned breechers buoy which was a way of transporting a person from one ship to another or from a harbour arm to the lifeboat. 

Jack, the station mechanic came on the inshore lifeboat and set up the rocket line for firing, and then fired it towards the larger lifeboat – ouch!  For a reason only known to the rocket line it decided to embed itself into the hull of the Lifeboat just below the water line.  Before Ken Everard the Coxswain realised it the boat began taking on water and started to sink lower at the bow end. 

For those that don’t know lifeboat’s, are designed not to sink. They can also turn a full 100% in a few seconds self-righting themselves – a first-hand experience of which, I am glad to say, I have not had.  With a rather embarrassed Jack on the ILB we escorted the other boat back to the station where it was re-housed and the District Inspector advised who came down and arranged for an engineer to repair the lifeboat.  If I recall a relief lifeboat was sent along from Newhaven to cover ours whilst it was off service.

The RNLI does have a fleet of relief boats that are used for this purpose and that is where the transit crews that were mentioned earlier are used.  Sometimes a full refit means that a boat will be off station for many months. It is when this happens that you see how attached crews are to their own boat. 

They are like little children who have lost one of their favourite toys and can’t wait to get it back knowing just how it works.  The mechanic has the responsibility of looking after the lifeboat and the engines and that is why he in most cases is paid a full time salary having to work at the station most days a week.  They often get a house with the job and other perks to cover their income – it is a sought after post and when one becomes vacant there are often many applicants.

Demonstrations for the public were all part of the normal routine of a station. It could be a regatta day, a flying display, a carnival or a rowing festival.  It was good for the RNLI as it helped raise funds and gave the public an opportunity to get on board and be shown around.  We did it at Littlehampton once sharing the slot with their Atlantic 21 inshore lifeboat also at Brighton in the new marina again sharing the slot with their new Atlantic 21 lifeboat.  It was nice that two types of lifeboat could be seen side by side.

One year we were on our way to Brighton for such an event when there was a call and we were diverted out to sea to help a trawler in trouble.  That was a bonus as we were able to tow the trawler into Brighton giving the public the chance to see a real rescue in progress.                                                 

Most stations also have on display products to sell for fundraising and at events.  Jack and his wife Peggy did this most of the time with some support from the local branch members.  Fund raising was very important as it is to all charities.  Every year at Christmas the cartoonist ‘Giles’ produced a special Christmas card – always very popular and large in size it was highly sought after.  Like the Pirelli Calendar collectors kept them.  When Giles passed away there was the feeling that the production of these would stop.  This was not the case as he had drawn many more that would carry on the tradition to this day.

Our Coxswain Ken was very keen on making sure that everyone got a chance to get out on exercise.  I recall a time when there was a large coaster moored several miles out to see waiting for the tides to change so it could enter Shoreham.  He radioed the ships captain asking if we could bring the lifeboat alongside using his ship for this purpose.  It was a challenge and Ken had several of us on board along with the regular crew. 

Each was given an opportunity to take over the helm of the lifeboat and have a go bringing it alongside.  Not as easy as it looked as many of us found out – and that was in a calm sea!  It made me think about the pilot boat skippers who take the ships pilots out in all weathers having to go alongside so the pilot can climb up the rope ladder to board the ship to take her into the harbour.

Once, I was out on an exercise with Mike Woodruff, the DI in the ILB when we were involved in a small rescue.  Two crew members of a coaster in the harbour had decided to take a small boat out to do some fishing and had problems starting their engine.  Being on exercise Mike noticed there were problems and we went to them taking them in tow back through the lock gates to the side of their ship.  They lifted the small boat out of the water and winched it up back on board insisting we went on also to meet the captain.,  Down came the rope ladder and I found out first hand what it was like to climb one; not that easy.  We were then taken to his cabin and offered drinks as a thank you.  They were from the Philippines so the language was a slight problem.

If they had their way it would have been a heavy session but as it was getting dark Mike saw the sense to get off early. Needless to say going down the rope ladder proved a further challenge but we all managed it.  We put the ILB away about 9-pm having all passed our check-over with Mike under the heading aborted exercise due to rescue!

Shelley in the meantime seemed to want to spend more time back in my flat. She was now beginning to feel very sorry for herself and did not want to come out at all. Going down stairs was now a problem as it was climbing them and she also was having problems with the lump on her back leg again It had broken open turning into a nasty sore restricting her standing up when she wanted to eat her food.

I remember one night going to bed realising that perhaps the sad time had come for me to look at the general condition of Shelley and her wellbeing as she was not a happy dog.  I woke early the next morning and went to her bed in the kitchen to find she had been very sick and her leg had been bleeding a lot.  I cuddled up to her for a long time trying to re assure her that I was there.  All she could do was look into my eyes trying to tell me that her time had come – she was ready to go to the ‘Rainbow Bridge.’                                                                                                                                                                               

End of Chapter Thirty Six

SAD FAREWELLS – Chapter 36