Sheerness RNLI Coxswain celebrates 30 years’ service.
Coxswain/ Mechanic Paul (PJ) Jarvis was awarded a long service medal at the crew annual dinner at Banks Restaurant, Minster, Sheppey on Saturday 10 February.
Paul began his RNLI journey 30 years ago as a volunteer on the crew of all-weather ON847 Waveney Class lifeboat ‘Gertrude’ whilst he worked at this day job at the old Sheerness Steel plant as an electrical engineer.
Within 10 years PJ had become a qualified 2nd Coxswain and with his qualifications and lots of hard work changed careers and became a Tug Master on the Svitzer Tugs based at Sheerness Docks where he worked until 2021 when he took over the role of full-time Coxswain/ Mechanic at Sheerness after the retirement of 40 year RNLI ‘veteran’ Robin Castle MBE.
In his thirty years PJ has been proud to be a crew member on three all-weather lifeboats and a number of inshore lifeboats that have been on station at Sheerness. As well as crewing on ‘Gertrude’(still afloat in Mevagissey Harbour, Cornwall, under private ownership) he also spent many hours afloat as 2nd Coxswain on our previous ALB, Trent Class ‘George and Ivy Swanson’ and now enjoys life as ‘skipper’ on our latest Shannon Class ALB ‘Judith Copping Joyce’
Paul was handed his Long Service Medal by another long serving member of the Sheerness RNLI Lifeboat family, Dave Brown, our Launching Authority chief.
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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