Meet Bembridge RNLI volunteer James Pink ahead of the Round the Island Race
A safe race is a good race: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has a long-standing relationship with the Island Sailing Club’s Round the Island Race, providing safety cover and assistance, and this year’s race on Saturday 15 June pays tribute to that.
The RNLI has been named the Official Race Charity for 2024, an honour that comes as the institution celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea and 146,000 lives saved from its combined lifeboats and lifeguarding services.
The charity will work closely with the Island Sailing Club to raise funds which will go to the seven stations involved in the race and specifically for the training of their volunteer crews. On race day, and every other day of the year, the crews’ lifesaving work is essential, often difficult and sometimes dangerous and with only 1 in 10 volunteers joining the RNLI from a professional maritime occupation, training is especially important.
With just seven weeks to go until the starting guns sounds, we’re profiling a volunteer from each of the RNLI’s seven partnering lifeboat stations as crews prepare to provide safety cover for the event and ensure this year’s race is memorable for all the right reasons.
This week we meet volunteer James Pink from Bembridge Lifeboat Station:
Name: James Pink
Age: 44
Day job: Property Developer
Crew role: 2nd Coxswain
Why did you join the RNLI?
Having lived in Bembridge all my life, as a young child I always saw the lifeboats go-out and heard the maroons go off I’d cycle down to watch! I always had a love for the sea and enjoyed boating as a hobby so in my early 20s I joined the crew.
What do you like most about volunteering for the RNLI role?
I have to say, the camaraderie and teamwork. Being part of the crew is inclusive and it is like a family as well as the RNLI being such a big part of the village.
How do you feel about being Round the Island Race charity partner and how will it impact lifeboat stations?
From a safety perspective we have always been a part of the Round the Island Races. It is an event we always look forward to. It is great that this year we are the official charity partner as the race attracts thousands of boats and sailors – it should hopefully mean we get more donations to fund our 24/7 lifesaving service.
Have you ever taken part in the race or provided safety cover as RNLI crew before?
I have taken part in the race before, back in 2002, before I was a crew member. Since being a crew member there have been years where no shouts have taken place and other years where it has been hectic with several shouts in one day. It’s always reassuring for the competitors having us around, we always feel respect from all the boaters.
What's your message to competitors on the day?
Good luck to all – I’m sure we will meet on the sea and give us a wave!
Organisers The Island Sailing Club and the Race Team chose the RNLI as the official charity because of its involvement in safety planning for the past 93 years.
Dave Atkinson, Race Director said: ‘The Race Team, RNLI and Coastguard have worked closely together since the first Round the Island Race in 1931 to operate a safe race for all the competitors.
‘We are incredibly grateful for the safety cover and assistance that the RNLI station teams provide on race day and so we are especially pleased to announce that all the donations raised will go to the seven stations involved in the race and specifically for the training of their volunteer crews.’
Safety of all the participants is integral to the smooth running of the race. RNLI lifeboats from Cowes, Calshot, Bembridge, Mudeford, Lymington, Portsmouth and Yarmouth have been involved in the running of the event for many years and are strategically positioned around the course. For example, Bembridge RNLI will be positioned with their all-weather Tamar lifeboat on the furthest eastern side of the Isle of Wight and will provide cover for the final leg of the race, whereas Yarmouth RNLI will be positioned with their all-weather Severn class lifeboat at The Needles, the Isle of Wight’s most western point and where the sea conditions can change drastically without warning.
To donate, please visit our Just Giving Page here:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/rnli-round-the-island-race-2024
Notes to editors:
Photo captions
Bembridge 2nd Coxswain James Pink. Credit RNLI.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Regional Communications Manager(Bicentenary) Beth Robson [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.