Volunteers educate rowers new to the river on dangers of the tideway
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While crews from Oxford and Cambridge were rowing trials on the Thames this week they took time out to meet the duty crew at Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station, the charity partner for the 2020 Boat Race.
Most of the rowers were new to the river and as many were from all over the world knew little about the RNLI. The crew talked about the history of the institution since 1824 and why the search and rescue service started on the Thames in 2002 after the enquiries into the Marchioness disaster.
The crew described the dangers of the tideway for rowers and the particular risks for spectators during the boat race. The University squads had already seen Chiswick lifeboat on exercise and a number of times on emergencies including a launch during the Oxford crew’s visit. Chiswick lifeboat station will be providing safety cover for spectators during the boat race with two E class lifeboats as well as nine small rescue craft patrolling the foreshore.
An RNLI spokesman said ‘It was a great opportunity to meet the boat race squads. They appreciated learning about the RNLI, its search and rescue service on the Thames and the safety role the lifeboat crews have during the Boat Race.’
Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Crews have attended 222 incidents so far in 2019. Since The RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames started in 2002, Chiswick Lifeboat has attended over 3,600 incidents and rescued over 1,750 people, and dozens of dogs. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations.
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December 14, 2019
