How to get a Lifeboat out of the sea - RNLI Scarborough

After having an evening walk along the sea front in Scarborough, we came across the Scarborough Rowing Club in the water, and watched the RNLI Life Boat crew doing some work on the beach.
We soon saw that they were preparing to bring the Lifeboat back into the station, after a days exercise in the North Sea around Scarborough. Having never observed how the boat is brought out of the sea and back into the lifeboat station, we decided to hang around and watch them winch the boat out of the water.
The crew use an amazing submersible tractor that can drive underwater equally as well as it does on dry land. It was amazing to watch this machine in action and how useful it is in helping the crews perform their duties in saving lives at sea. The machine clearly has a lot of power and we certainly enjoyed out little stop off on our walk. :)
Enjoy.
From Wikipedia:
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways.
The RNLI was founded on 4 March 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, with Royal Patronage from George IV. It was given the prefix "Royal" and its current name in 1854 by Queen Victoria. It has official charity status in both the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The RNLI operates 444 lifeboats (332 are on station, 112 are in the relief fleet), from 236 lifeboat stations around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The RNLI's lifeboats rescued an average of 22 people a day in 2011. RNLI lifeboats launched 8,321 times in 2012, rescuing 7,912 people. The RNLI's lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 140,000 lives since 1824. RNLI lifeguards placed on selected beaches around England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands attended to 14,519 incidents in 2011. The RNLI's Operations Department defines "rescues" and "lives saved" differently.
In 2012, the RNLI Lifeguards service was expanded to cover more than 180 beaches. RNLI lifeguards are paid by the appropriate town or city council, while the RNLI provides their equipment and training. In contrast, most lifeboat crew members are unpaid volunteers. The RNLI is funded by voluntary donations and legacies (together with tax reclaims). In 2011, the RNLI's income was £162.9M, while its expenditure was £140.6M.

[@AndrexT]

That has to be the most cack-handed way of getting a boat onto a trailer I have ever seen! Thanks for posting. The tractor was amazing.

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

andrext best way to get it back on the right way round.

[@ozzy2426]

what would you want them to do all form a circle round it and lift it up while another pushes the trailer under it you tit this is the best way of retrieving them and doing it this way reduces the chances of damage or it missing the trailer and falling off the side and as these boats cost 2.8 million each im sure you wouldn't like have to pay for a new one after its damaged

[@xiro6]

@@ozzy2426 there are other ways to do it,without getting the tractor underwater,as you can see in other videos. dont try to be so smart because you are not. will you pay the mechanic if a wave hits the intake of the tractor?will you pay for the tractor when all this salt wáter rust it? you will find a lot of people on youtube,some of them spend their lifetime working at sea.i doubt you do. with all my respects for the people at RNLI and their supporters. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZaTfql4bJxjqrc

[@AndrexT]

@stimmo77 Go and watch how they launch and retrieve the St Ives lifeboat. The boat is launched bow into the water. It is retried bow into the trailer. The trailer is pulled and turned and pulled into the boathouse stern first. And I am not belittling anyone, just amazed that there wasn't a better way thought out.

[@AndrexT]

@stimmo77 Now that is bordering on genius and no tractors were drowned in the making of that video 😃 Thanks for the link.

[@VMKinnovations]

AGONY watching this ding-dong operation!!!

[@johnkerr1953]

Quite a minoover for these people, but doing a great job, & a work well done at that.

[@ririshow]

These men are right in the path of the cable should it ever break!!!!

[@ozzy2426]

those cables don't break they are meticulously checked and repaired or replaced if just one cm defect is found plus even if they did break they are designed not to recoil it would just simply drop straight to the groundjust like the cables used when they launch the boats down a slipway a guy behind the boat simply pulls out a pin on a quick release shackle and the cable to which he is stood next to just drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes so theres no danger to it snapping or it injuring someone

[@rudiekeyser2495]

It's a wast anyway. Cheers Cape Town

[@rudiekeyser2495]

Any cable can snap. Safety precautions all the the way.

[@evelyncrouch]

What fun to watch! Thanks for posting. From an ex-Scarborian.

[@ryancarmichael1195]

Notice the parents aren't educating their kids the importance of who and what is in front of them......respect to the RNLI!!

[@nickjohns1192]

Maybe their locals and have been telling them since birth?

[@deksea]

To me, thats a counter intuitive loading sequence, but it obviously works. Regardless, you dont stand anywhere near the damn tow cable no matter what your technique is!

[@mauricebertrand3611]

I wonder how long it would take them to put the boat back in the water if an emergency arose

[@mickcbcfc1]

not long maurice. once its on the carriage the talus tractor can re deploy it to sea within 10mins. and she is off. as long as she has enough fuel for the trip there and back. if not then a flank station will be called out. filey next to scarborugh. it has happened in the past and filey and scarborough were called out to a ferry and the ferry rendevoused off flamborough head. 2 mersey class lifeboats. no casualties and the ferry made its way back to newcastle. very bumpy ride home in a rough north sea. at 4am.

[@diederikvandedijk]

I guess they don't put it on the beach first...

[@ozzy2426]

it only takes 3 minutes to winch it back out release the pin from the quick release shackle and off they go again

[@rudiekeyser2495]

I just wonder what the German guys would think when they see this circus. What a waste of time and money. When in the middle of this circus an emergency happens, the elephant and the tigers will all get out, the people will be running like mad and the police with their whistles also. Cheers Cape Town

[@mickcbcfc1]

the tractor is the talus. amazing bit of kit. november 2016 a new 2.2milion pound lifeboat arrives. be there to see it and history. 2 very powerful scania engines and a beach landing.

[@paulwatkins2601]

is there a video and if so can you post a link?

[@HWPcville]

This is ingenious. Another method might be to position the trailer in the water parallel to the beach and pull the still floating boat on to it. Might make it a bit easier on the boat. No matter they got it accomplished. Do you know if this is a normal activity? Why not use a dock and boat sling, or a ramp with the trailer in the water? Thanks for posting.

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

HWPcville this is the normal way to recover a Mersey Class. Can’t float onto carriage as the boat must sit on the carriage in a very precise way and the correct way round.

[@brentbarnhart5827]

"I'm sorry captain, we cannot, I repeat we CANNOT retrieve you because some children dug 12 foot holes in the beach front, you will have tow ait until tomorrow and the waves fill it back in. I'm sorry, I gave them a spanking.

[@davidmg1925]

rnli saves boats +lives so can do no wrong by me.

[@doormagic]

It was much cheaper and practical to buy a winch and put it at the end of the house.

[@kapitanwihra1590]

świethy spręt ratownictwa morskiego szybki i sprawny do użycia i odporny na sztormy

[@davidhorn6008]

The RNLI are aware of the ease and the difficulty's launching and beaching lifeboats. TRUST THEM, their experience will have them doing this operation the best way! Example - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHPdo6ueaL-enbcsi=WrD-OBGv4RKgWQ9V

[@Grunt0369USMC]

British Marines have tank based tugs to assist beach landing craft

[@ozzy2426]

there not marines they are lifeguards and they are not tanks they are specially designed water tight tractors

[@christopherfisher6293]

Why did they record this next to the Addams family?😬😬

[@ozzy2426]

lol I was getting annoyed with them

[@rudiekeyser2495]

, 🤣😂🤣💥😳❓

[@Richard-wk9le]

Seams like a work just to clean the Barnacles off........

[@augggie]

There has to be a Better Way

[@johnnyreb2]

Could it be they load it this way so it goes back into the boathouse correctly to launch again? Otherwise why not trailer it the usual way?

[@mickcbcfc1]

yes johnny. the talus tractor goes into the water. the trailor has 2 links. the boat is put onto the carriage bow 1st so it can be deployed to sea. it is a hrad job. but a new lifeboat is going to scarborough. a shannon and a new launch and recovery system. .2million pounds.

[@ozzy2426]

no the boats are winched stern (back of boat) towards the tractor so when they role it down the slipway into the water with the couplers already detached it is put into the water with engines running and bow (front of boat) first once the trailer is away from the stern of the vessel they throttle up and off they go and reason for beaching it is simple if you look at the back you will see two tunnels these protect the props between the tunnels is the centre line of the boat which they must lineup with the track in the centre of the trailer which that is to stop the boat sliding off the trailer which would be very costly if the props were damaged this is why they recover this class the way they do

[@TimsBitsnPieces]

It's videos like this when you need to either mute the audio or play loud music over the sound of the ............................ gremlins.. or whatever you wish to call them. Here in Australia with the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association, we either moor our boats at a berth or launch and retrieve them on a trailer at a local boat ramp. I just don't understand with all this machinery why they would not just drive the boat up and onto the trailer in the water, it seems to me a lot of buggerising around to beach it then to refloat it and put it onto the trailer which could have been done right from the start.

[@psullivan2008]

Id have tried a lift but hey maybe they were making overtime

[@Chris-on-Solway]

They are all volunteers, no overtime. This method works at any state of the tide and in any sea state. It is a lifeboat

[@delboygrant]

psullivan2008 n

[@Antipodean33]

Can someone tell me what RNLI stands for? I assume the RNL would be Royal Navy Lifeboat but the I has me baffled

[@dampnickers]

Royal National Lifeboat Institution - www.rnli.org

[@MrPaddyhynes]

As Nick says Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a civilian organization, in the main crewed by volunteers and supported by public subscription. Generally seen as a bench mark for other sea rescue organizations around the world. Provides without Government assistance a sea rescue service 24/7 365 days a year within 120 miles of the UK and Ireland. Incidentally that is a 12 meter boat they are pulling about

[@erichadaway2980]

Antipodean33 n

[@erichadaway2980]

David

[@sandysutherland2182]

Well now, that was an arse-about way of doing things, wasn’t it?

[@kapitanwihra1590]

bardzo praktyczny i wytrzymały statek ratownictwa morskiego i bezpieczny w trakcie sztormów

[@fisherman-gi2mw]

You wouldn't think Scarborough has a harbour which was used while the boathouse Palace was built

[@davidmg1925]

from the sublime to the ridicuilous , they either beech em at 18 knots or tomorrow will do.....

[@lotabob]

I can only presume this was an exercise to retrieve their boat when beached. Not that my knowledge of this RNLI station is anything special I just think beaching a boat to pull a trailer behind it is a long winded way and putting the trailer in the water and backing the boat over it like nearly every other boat extraction I've ever seen is a more logical approach. They must know something we don't.

[@mickcbcfc1]

depends where in the uk and southern ireland you are. beach landings are common. a long winded recovery. recoverlng as well from a launch from a station at sea. latching on and recovery is very hard. recovery teams are at much at risk than the teams that go to see. all it takes is a mistake.

[@erichadaway2980]

Rob Geraghty ny

[@dhutch2000]

The reason for this is so it can be launched bow-first at speed. Have a look at the new Shannon Class Lifeboat and Supacat Tractor setup, which replaced these such systems and have a turntable built in to the trailer..

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

Rob Geraghty this is the normal way to recover a Mersey Class Lifeboat. You can’t float the Mersey onto its carriage because the boat would be the wrong way round on the carriage and it has to sit on the carriage very specifically.

[@ozzy2426]

Rob Geraghty reason for beaching it is simple if you look at the back you will see two tunnels these protect the props between the tunnels is the centre line of the boat which they must lineup with the track in the centre of the trailer which that is to stop the boat sliding off the trailer which would be very costly if the props were damaged this is why they recover this class the way they do

[@ricka5471]

I hope you have learned to back the boat towards shore and back the trailer into the water to put the boat on the trailer. The way you do it now is Very backwards and more work than it needs to be. Just saying.

[@ozzy2426]

wrong you clearing don't know anything about the procedures involved as they do it this way for a reason as these boats cost 2.8 million each and im sure you wouldn't want to pay for a new one if they tried it your way and it missed the centre of the trailer fell off and was damaged also that boat isn't a jet propelled boat its got two props and the propellers cost upto 3000 each im sure you wouldn't pay for new ones of them either so this is the best way to ensure no damage and so they can 100% see it is lined up to the trailer for it to be winched onto it

[@jamesobrien352]

I find this kind of launch fucking ridiculous why not build a boat house or a fucking slipway arklow life is always in the water and the response time is less then 3mins ive seen launchs like this before and the response time is like 5-8 mins which is worse im shocked this is ment to be a rescue vehicle not a pleasure craft should be always in the water so it can come and go as soon as the alarm goes off not wait 10 for transport to the beach

[@mickcbcfc1]

you build a slipway. spend the money. muppet. what do you think these brave men and women do? you utter arse wipe!

[@Arcadian888]

ridiculous.

[@dampnickers]

In your opinion...

[@thameswater2561]

RNLI STANDS FOR BOY RACERS ON THE SEA...

[@HaroldWilsonsGhost]

Fuck off

[@thameswater2561]

charming....boy racers, wasting money that we pay in..

[@HaroldWilsonsGhost]

thameswater They save peoples lives you dumb fuck.

[@thameswater2561]

whats that got to do with boy racers..... tut tut tut tut

[@HaroldWilsonsGhost]

thameswater Are you trying to act condescending? You arent very good at it.

[@thameswater2561]

WHAT A WASTE OF TIME.

[@dampnickers]

+thameswater Yet you had the time to waste with your negativity. Kindly take it elsewhere.

[@thameswater2561]

our money you lot are wasting....

[@Biffo1262]

+thameswater I presume you mean why was it not wiched onto the trailer whilst in the water? Dunno mate as it's got me beat too unless it was some form of exercise in recovering a beached lifeboat as the normal procedure I've seen is to winch it onto the trailer backwards whislt still in the water.

[@stealth1692]

I hope you don't mean the lifeboats

[@whitebaron1993]

Looked into the Scarborough lifeboat site and found why they use this launch and recovery technique. The beach on which they operate on is very flat and at low tide it is a very large distance from the boat house to the water. Using the method shown they can launch and recover the lifeboat even at low tide which involves moving the boat something like 100m+ to get it in the water