Shoreham RNLI lifeboat volunteer’s dedicated 40 years of service
Congratulations to second coxswain Simon Tugwell who has clocked up an amazing 40 years of voluntary service for Shoreham RNLI.
And he even managed to help save a life 40 years to the day he joined Shoreham lifeboat crew. On Tuesday 13 June, he was the coxswain on the all weather lifeboat when it launched to the aid of a man who had gone out on an inflatable kayaker off Hove and had been blown offshore by more than three miles. He had been at sea alone for six hours and was cold, wet, exhausted and lost. Simon and his crew located him and rescued him onboard saving his life.
Simon, known as ‘Tuggy', joined Shoreham lifeboat when he was 17 and worked his way up to senior helmsman on the inshore lifeboat as well as becoming a crewman on the all weather lifeboat, eventually becoming second mechanic and second coxswain.
He joined the boat to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Geoff, who was a crew member with Shoreham lifeboat for more than 41 years. He has served on five different all weather lifeboats with five different coxswains over the years at the station. His first lifeboat was the Rother-class The Davys Family, while his dad was serving as emergency mechanic on the boat.
During the last 40 years of service, Simon has shown selfless dedication to the RNLI and helped to save hundreds of lives.
He received an RNLI Vellum service certificate for the rescue of the stricken yacht Trimley Maid in gale force nine winds off the coast in 1999. Also an RNLI’s Framed Letter of Thanks for his actions in 2011 after the yacht Crazy H which was on a voyage from Shoreham to France collided with a 60ft trawler and had been dismasted on the edge of the shipping lanes 23 miles off Shoreham.
Other stand out services include the floods in Lewes and Uckfield of 2000 when he spent hours in the inshore lifeboat rescuing people from their homes and when he and a fellow crew member had to be airlifted to safety after trying to stop an enormous 100m-long runaway barge from straying into the shipping lanes in 2006.
He has seen countless developments and changes over the years in the RNLI including the demolition of the former lifeboat station in 2009 and the opening of the current lifeboat station and welcoming the Tamar-class all weather lifeboat Enid Collett in 2010, following a huge community fund-raising appeal which raised £100,000.
Simon said: “The lifeboat is a huge part of my life and I can’t believe I have been involved for 40 years. It is an honour and privilege, and I couldn’t have done any of it without the support of the lifeboat coxswains, crews, station volunteers and my family. I love being able to help someone in trouble and being part of a team.”
Simon was presented with his RNLI 40-year service medal and 40-year bar at a surprise celebration event at the Sussex Yacht Club, Shoreham.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.