0:00:02 > 0:00:05We're an island nation, drawn to the sea that surrounds us.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09For many, it's a playground.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12For others, it's where we earn our living.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16But the sea is unpredictable.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Waves!
0:00:17 > 0:00:19It can change in an instant.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24And when accidents happen, they happen very fast.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27You're in cold water, you're not going to last long.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31There to save our lives is a volunteer army
0:00:31 > 0:00:36of 5,000 ordinary people, ready to leave their jobs,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39their families and race to our rescue.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42One minute you are just an ordinary person,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45the next minute you are a lifeboat crew member.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50They're the last line of defence against a deadly water.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Wouldn't even like to think what would happen
0:00:53 > 0:00:55if there was no-one there.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I was waiting for death when a guardian angel came.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01To save someone's life is a privilege,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04you feel like you are doing the most important thing on earth.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Thank you.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11Over 200 years, the volunteers of the RNLI have saved the lives
0:01:11 > 0:01:14of more than 140,000 people...
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Brave lifeboat men don't cry.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Rubbish, I do.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23..treating every callout as a matter of life and death.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27That's what we all turn up for, to save people's lives.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Summer in Blackpool.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42The population has quadrupled with the influx of tourists.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47This afternoon, the sea temperature is a cool 12 degrees.
0:01:47 > 0:01:48And there's a strong current.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54A call has gone out for help.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Go!
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Attention...
0:01:57 > 0:02:00What are we doing? Both going in this?
0:02:00 > 0:02:03'Blackpool ILB, Liverpool Coastguard.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08- 'Person in the water under South Pier. Over.'- Liverpool, affirmative.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10We're just about to launch.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15The Blackpool team is made up of 35 volunteers.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19If you look at it broad-brush, in 238 locations around the coast
0:02:19 > 0:02:26of the UK, right now upwards of 30 people per location will drop
0:02:26 > 0:02:30anything they are doing to run to eagerly get in some form
0:02:30 > 0:02:32of waterproofs, get on board some form of orange and blue thing
0:02:32 > 0:02:34and go out to sea to save somebody.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36All right there, bud?
0:02:36 > 0:02:38That is pretty awesome.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40And there's nothing else that exists like it in the world.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43We've just arrived at South Pier, any further information, over?
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Seven minutes after the alarm was raised,
0:02:50 > 0:02:51a lifeboat is on the scene.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Colin, who worked as a commercial skipper, is at the helm.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Hey! Whoa!
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Keep swimming to us, keep swimming to us. Col, Col, Col!
0:03:04 > 0:03:06You've run over him! You've run over him.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12The drowning man has been kept above water by
0:03:12 > 0:03:14a lifeguard until help arrives.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Three, two...
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Restart it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31I've been at Blackpool lifeboat for 20 years.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35People do underestimate the power of nature and the sea.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38They're very naive to the dangers.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45They do make you think about life and death in a different way.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48You do realise how easy it can all finish.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51One minute you are having a good time, messing around,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and next thing, that's it, it's done.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57It does make you appreciate life a bit more.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Ambulance guys are up there.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04Yeah!
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- He's coming round, ain't he? - Get him over, get him over...
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Of course, you are willing them to come back, you know.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- He's coming round.- Come on, mate. Come on, man.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26We're only human.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Come on, mate. Come on, mate.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- Come on!- No, no, we're there. - Please!
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Right, let's go.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39But, yeah, it does come as a little bit of
0:04:39 > 0:04:42a surprise when they actually come back.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46It's not often you get them moments. But it is a good feeling.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- Well, he's definitely breathing.- He is trying, he's trying. Go on, mate.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Come on, mate.- Get some oxygen on him. Get some oxygen, Col.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- Come on, mate.- Yeah, he's come round, he's come round.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01'It's human nature.'
0:05:01 > 0:05:04We like to extend our hand out to other people
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and help people out in times of trouble.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Are we ready? Go, go, go!
0:05:14 > 0:05:19The man was taken to hospital and was later able to return home.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23When we got there, one of the beach patrols had got him
0:05:23 > 0:05:24and was holding him up.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Holding him up, yeah?- Yeah. - I ran them both over.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- And then we pulled them in! - I heard you apologise.- Excuse me!
0:05:31 > 0:05:35The volunteers from the lifeboat crew went back to their day jobs.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Torbay Lifeboat Station has been guarding
0:05:44 > 0:05:49the East Riviera of South West Devon since 1866.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54Launching nearly 4,000 times, they've saved more than 1,000 lives.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Mark leads a team of 29 volunteers.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04We've got anything from a guy just leaving the Navy to the local GP.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07You've got a painter and decorator, you've got an architect,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11you got a police officer. You've got a guy who, er...engineers at Flybe.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13So you've got the whole spectrum.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Every volunteer carries a pager that lets them know when help is needed.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Jules is the most recent addition to the volunteers.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27If the pager went off now, I'd just drop the paint,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30chuck the brush down, climb up the barge,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33try and get on the wall and run to my van as quick as I could.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38It's just the buzz. It could be anything.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40You never, ever know what it is.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Michelle is an environmental scientist.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- INTERVIEWER:- Did you always want to work with snails?- Er...
0:06:50 > 0:06:54No, I thought it might be a bit more exciting and dolphins and things...
0:06:56 > 0:06:58I've ended up with freshwater snails.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01One of two women on the team,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Michelle's been volunteering for three years.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07We've had some horrible shouts recently,
0:07:07 > 0:07:13with people dying or not being able to find people on sunken boats...
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Um... And, yeah, they are not very nice at all.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21It's a bit weird.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24You go along for ages and nothing and then, all of a sudden,
0:07:24 > 0:07:29beautiful sunny day, flat calm and someone will fall down a cliff.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30PAGER BLEEPS
0:07:35 > 0:07:37ALARM BLARES
0:07:42 > 0:07:44The pagers have gone off.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- Ready?- Yeah, yeah.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51In Torbay, the aim to get enough volunteers to the station
0:07:51 > 0:07:54to launch within 10 minutes.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Today, the boats leave after five and a half.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13That came from the boyfriend.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14She's missing.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It's not some random person that was down the beach.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21She had always been overdue for about an hour.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Now that, for me, is all the alarm bells I need.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Black wetsuit!
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Black wetsuit, white cap!
0:08:28 > 0:08:33'We need to throw everything at that straightaway, both boats,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36'extra hands for looking.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'An hour's already elapsed and there was a massive big tide.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43'So, I've got a big piece of ocean'
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and I don't know where to start.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56On average, 160 people a year lose their lives around the UK's coast.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01I still can't see anyone.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10When they said an hour overdue swimmer, you know...
0:09:10 > 0:09:13A lot of people would struggle to swim for an hour,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16let alone be an hour overdue.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19The sea can quickly take you.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23If you're constantly fighting and panicked,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26then you become very quickly exhausted and...
0:09:26 > 0:09:30it doesn't take very long to drown, so you need to be quick,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32you need to be really quick.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Definitely wasted his time.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41You need to be found and it is extremely difficult.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47We've not been very successful over the years at finding people
0:09:47 > 0:09:49that have been missing for long periods of time.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52It is just incredibly difficult.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54I've heard from survivors before saying,
0:09:54 > 0:09:55"You went past me three times."
0:09:57 > 0:10:01It must be absolutely horrific to see the boat
0:10:01 > 0:10:03that's come out for you go by you.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Not easy to spot at all.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13When you see a little crest of a wave, "Ooh, what's that?"
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Have a closer look, maybe get the boat to veer over to it.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21You imagine someone's head... and the big oceans...
0:10:28 > 0:10:32A dot in the ocean. Basically, that's what it looks like.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37There, I've got him!
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- Where? At the front? - Er...yeah, dead ahead.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45In line with those people on the beach.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- Just there, look.- Yeah.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- What's her name?- Sarah.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Are you Sarah?
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Somebody's called in, you've been a bit longer than you expected.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- But are you all right?- Do I look all right?- Yeah! I feel absolutely fine.
0:11:06 > 0:11:12- Cool. Super.- Sorry!- No, no worries. I'm a swimmer as well.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14As long as you are all right.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19She's from Babbacombe or Oddicombe Swimming Club.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22They do, like, five, ten mile swims.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25She said thanks for coming out and sorry, but, yeah, she's fine.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Solent Coastguard...
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- I'd thought that might be a horrible one.- Yeah.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34'It was a long time to be overdue.'
0:11:34 > 0:11:38I, personally, thought something really bad had happened.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40- Dolphin!- Dolphin!
0:11:40 > 0:11:42'You know, we addressed it, we were lucky.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45'She was there, we came home, great.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'Sadly, on another occasion, we may well have used all of those'
0:11:48 > 0:11:51resources for an awful long time and had a really bad outcome.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58As the new boy, I haven't come across anything horrible yet.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Er, a body or...you know, someone in a bit of a mess.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07I don't know how I will take it, but if I want to be on the crew, then...
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I can't be scared of seeing a dead body.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I'm hungry. Hungry.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'The only time I ever see her is when she's hungry
0:12:24 > 0:12:25'or if she wants something.'
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The lifeboat comes first,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32so she tends to hang around waiting for shouts.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Unfortunately, you get quite a few numpties that go out on boats.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41Who's this, Evie?
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I wouldn't mind betting Michelle's turning her car around
0:12:46 > 0:12:50so she's in the right direction should there be a shout.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- INTERVIEWER:- So it's always on her mind?- Always.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56She's so committed, it's unbelievable. She loves it.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01- Eve!- I suppose you're hungry? Is that why you've come to see me?
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- Yeah, I thought it might be. - Good girl! Good girl!
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- INTERVIEWER:- What did you say
0:13:06 > 0:13:08when Michelle first said she was going to volunteer?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I don't think I said anything,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13I think I burst into tears to start with.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17You know, it's not a normal, everyday thing that she's doing
0:13:17 > 0:13:18but...who am I to stop her?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Not that she'd take any notice anyway!
0:13:25 > 0:13:29We just need to find Michelle a man so that somebody else can
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- take over and look after her. - Lifeboat man?- Any man!
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Anybody that'll have her! I don't really...
0:13:36 > 0:13:38He needs to know what he's taking on, though,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40she's not a normal, everyday...
0:13:40 > 0:13:44I'm sure they dropped her on her head when she was a baby, but...
0:13:44 > 0:13:49No, she's... She's a brilliant kid.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- Is she brave?- Yes.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53You've got to be, they all are.
0:13:53 > 0:14:00There is no way in the world I would do it. No way. No way. No.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04I look at the sea every single day and I think I've got far more
0:14:04 > 0:14:07respect now for it than I ever did do before.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It looks so calm and like nothing would go wrong,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and then in a flick of a switch that wind starts and you've had it.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21I think it's something magical, you look at it and it's never the same.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26One day it could be glassy calm, next day, absolutely screaming.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30White water everywhere, blowing a gale.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And when you work and live in an environment that we do,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37you know that you could pay the ultimate price if you get it wrong.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Just to run through the events of the day, anybody who's not in
0:14:49 > 0:14:53the lifeboats this morning, can they carry on with the parade, please?
0:14:53 > 0:14:5636 volunteers guard the waters around Newquay,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58led by fishmonger, Gareth.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Have you lived in Newquay all your life?
0:15:00 > 0:15:01Not yet.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05- All right?- Yeah.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09My great-great-grandfather was in Newquay lifeboat on the very
0:15:09 > 0:15:11first shout in 1864.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17He used to have a schooner ashore just across the bay.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21That was in the days of rowing and sailing lifeboats.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Times have changed since then.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28This is our Atlantic 85...
0:15:28 > 0:15:32She's one of the fastest vessels in the RNLI's fleet.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Now, this is our D-class lifeboat.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39Both of these boats were actually donated by bequests.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42So, somebody has left us the money in their wills to buy both
0:15:42 > 0:15:46- of these lifeboats. - What does one lifeboat cost?
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- The Atlantic 85's current cost is about 240,000.- For one boat?
0:15:50 > 0:15:54For one boat. It is a lot of money, there's no question about it.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58But after all, the crew's life is in the hands of the boat.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59ALARM BLARES
0:15:59 > 0:16:01A call's come in.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07A young boy who was on a Scout trip has ended up hurt in the water.
0:16:08 > 0:16:1212-year-old boy in the Gazzle with suspected spinal. Coasteerer.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- What, coasteerer again? - Yeah, same place again.- Sh...!
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Coasteering is going around the cliffs,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24jumping off rocks into the sea. It can go badly wrong.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29It is very easy to land badly and if you don't land at the right angle,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31it is like hitting a brick wall.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- Any idea where in the Gazzle? - I'll find out.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Falmouth Coastguard, Newquay ILB. Channel Zero.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Launched on service. Do you have a precise location, over?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Falmouth Coastguard, Newquay ILB, we have them visual.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Just coming up to them and alongside now. Over.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Within three minutes, the lifeboat is on the scene.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28'Over. Rescue is already tasked. We will pass the ETA when available.
0:17:28 > 0:17:29'Await your assessment. Over.'
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Both of you getting in the water?- Yeah.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The crew have been trained in casualty care.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Tim has gone to take over from the coaststeering instructors
0:17:40 > 0:17:42who have been trying to keep the boy afloat.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43'Newquay ILB...'
0:17:47 > 0:17:52All right? What's your name? Keep your head still. What's your name?
0:17:52 > 0:17:57- Liam.- Liam? My name's Tim, all right?
0:17:57 > 0:18:04- Have you got any pain anywhere? - My back.- On your back? All right.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Anybody gets a pain in their back,
0:18:07 > 0:18:12you...you panic because it's your spine.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14How far did you jump?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- 30 foot? Usual place?- Yeah, yeah...
0:18:16 > 0:18:19A slight movement, you know, a slight jolt, that could be it,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23he could be paralysed for the rest of his life.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24We'll get a few more hands
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- and then we'll probably put you in the stretcher, all right?- OK.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30With everyone having to tread water,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Tim needs to wait for backup before lifting Liam from the scene.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37A second lifeboat is on the way.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I got a voicemail from the Scout leader to say that
0:18:44 > 0:18:48he had had an accident. That word "accident", you don't know...
0:18:50 > 0:18:54You just... And I knew they were going coaststeering that day...
0:18:54 > 0:18:58I just thought, "What on earth... What has he done? What? Is he...
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I just couldn't...
0:19:03 > 0:19:06You can't put it into words, really, cos your mind's just whizzing
0:19:06 > 0:19:10around, you haven't got a clue what's actually happened.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13You fear the worst, don't you, obviously? You know...
0:19:13 > 0:19:15You do fear the worst.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46The challenge is to immobilise the casualty
0:19:46 > 0:19:49so that we can safely get them aboard the lifeboat
0:19:49 > 0:19:51without doing them any further damage.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57The person that's holding the head is calling the shots.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- Who chose to hold the head?- I did.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Big responsibility.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Very big, that is, yeah.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12The slightest little movement, it could change his life.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Hold his leg.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Are you a confident person? - Not really.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Ready? On three...
0:20:19 > 0:20:22One, two, three...
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I am a quiet type, I think.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30But I needed to do the job that I was there for.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Towards you a bit.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34I suppose that's part of the adrenaline, though.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Cos It was pumping all the way through... Um...
0:20:38 > 0:20:39So you do become more confident.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56He said it was his back.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And you don't know what they mean.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Has he broken his back
0:21:00 > 0:21:04or broken his spine and he's not going to walk again?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08In my mind I was, right, we are going to deal with it.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12All these things go through your mind.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- Have you got the head?- Yes.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Did I do the right things?
0:21:17 > 0:21:20It's very hard as they are growing up to let them go...
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- And you happy now then? - Are you ready?
0:21:22 > 0:21:23Do you want us to come up?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26..but you try and make the right decision and they have
0:21:26 > 0:21:29to find their own way. He's 12.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32He needs to go and do and experience things.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45193...
0:21:45 > 0:21:50I'm quite...shy and don't really try anything new.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52That's why I did the Scout trip.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Cos I knew there'd be, like, a lot
0:21:54 > 0:21:56of challenges and stuff I could do.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I was quite nervous, but I went for it.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03And I sort of panicked.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I forgot what I had to do, like keep straight,
0:22:08 > 0:22:13and I sort of leant back, flipped, and landed on my back.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19I was really scared.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Cos you know that something's gone wrong.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Can you get that over there, mate? It's already on site.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Right, you are going to have to take both,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33cos I'm going to have to stay with the boat.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35- All right, have you got the end? - Yeah.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39I just wanted to get out and just go home and see my mum.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Cos I thought my mum would be worried and my dad would be worried
0:22:45 > 0:22:49and I didn't know how bad the injury was.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52So I just did what they told me and kept still.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Right, let's get out of here.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02With Liam safely transferred into the care of the Royal Navy medics,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04the crew return to base.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07Back to the day job.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Yeah, back to the day job.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10What do you do?
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Uh, I'm a cleaner, uh, health centre.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- So...- Does that have...
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- Is there room for adrenaline surges there?- No!
0:23:19 > 0:23:21It's just...
0:23:21 > 0:23:24You carry on doing what you need to do.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Though the vast majority of UK lifeboat stations are on the coast,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36the busiest station is actually here in Central London
0:23:36 > 0:23:38on the River Thames.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Yahoo! Pizza!
0:23:41 > 0:23:45It's so busy that the station has to be staffed around the clock.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Volunteers do 12-hour shifts led by two full-timers.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55It's definitely got its own... own vibe at Tower.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58At our station we are literally living, eating,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00sleeping with each other.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02That sounds very wrong!
0:24:02 > 0:24:05We are... We are very much in each other's pockets all the time.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08So, this is our bunk room, um, which, by day,
0:24:08 > 0:24:14stores all the mattresses and beds.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16And then on night shifts,
0:24:16 > 0:24:21the crew...all sleep in different rooms.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24So our helm will be in this main room because it's right next
0:24:24 > 0:24:27to where we will get the call.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31You know, we are here for 12 hours at a time,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34so there is generally, you know, on most shifts,
0:24:34 > 0:24:35a wee bit of downtime.
0:24:35 > 0:24:41- But you never say the "Q-word" because that always...- Quiet!
0:24:41 > 0:24:42No!
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Dare I ask you what the Q-word is?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46The Q-word, the Q-word is quiet.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Because of that, we will now be on the boat all night.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's no bad thing to come off a night shift
0:24:54 > 0:24:58having managed to get a decent sleep.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Um, at the same time it's always...you know,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03exciting to get called out, so...
0:25:06 > 0:25:10There hasn't always been a lifeboat station on the Thames.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13New figures have been released in the past hour of victims
0:25:13 > 0:25:16of the Thames pleasure boat disaster.
0:25:16 > 0:25:1925 bodies have been recovered and it's believed
0:25:19 > 0:25:21that 38 of the passengers are still missing.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27The Marchioness had sunk in 22 seconds, leaving no trace.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Early on, a body was discovered at Hammersmith,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34eight miles from where the Marchioness went down.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38The police hope that all the bodies of those still missing
0:25:38 > 0:25:41will be found. Eventually, they say, the river gives up its dead.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48At the final count, the sinking of the Marchioness pleasure cruiser
0:25:48 > 0:25:51claimed the lives of 51 people.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00So many souls were lost and sadly the rescue network was not there
0:26:00 > 0:26:04that could deal with that incident, that number of mass casualties.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10The Marchioness tragedy led to lifeboats being introduced
0:26:10 > 0:26:12to the Thames.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18In 14 years, the team has saved over 250 lives.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26If you went to some hard-core coastal lifeboat,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28they'd sort of say Thames isn't lifeboating.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Because there's no waves, there's no breaking surf
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and you don't go 25 miles off and it's not dangerous
0:26:32 > 0:26:35from that point of view, and it isn't. But it is water
0:26:35 > 0:26:39and it is cold and it is fast flowing and it's dangerous.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42You mix depth with fast flowing with cold,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and you've got the perfect combinations for sort of human disaster.
0:26:49 > 0:26:502:50am.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Two boys have been spotted in the water near Westminster Bridge.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01The crew is expected to be up and off the station within 90 seconds.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05There has to be that regimented approach.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09The Thames is an immensely dangerous place, literally seconds count.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12You can see people disappear in front of you and to witness
0:27:12 > 0:27:16people going subsurface as you arrive and not get them back,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18it really, really sucks.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23There is a wee bit of your heart gets lost
0:27:23 > 0:27:25when you don't manage to save someone.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27The majority of people who die in cold water are dead
0:27:27 > 0:27:29in the first three minutes of immersion.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33That's called cold water shock and it's crippling in its effects.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The initial thing it does is produce that massive gasp,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and after that, then a really fast breathing rate,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45which crucially, you can't hold your breath.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47London Coastguard, London Coastguard.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49So if you are trapped and being pulled under,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51you are still breathing hard.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53So even if you want to, you can't hold your breath.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Clarification, mate.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57It doubles your central blood pressure.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It massively speeds up your heart.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03All of which can cause an instant cardiac arrest.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05If you survive those three minutes,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07what happens next to you is the effect of being in the water
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and that's something we call peripheral cooling and swim failure.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15Your arms and legs over the next 20 to 30 minutes start not to work.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16Cold water does kill.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19It's really brutal, it doesn't take any prisoners.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21There you are.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Yeah, we got him.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28The crew arrive on scene to find two young men
0:28:28 > 0:28:32who appear entirely unperturbed by the water temperature.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Hiya! Hi.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38We're going to help you, OK? We are going to help you. Yeah, yeah.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43- Just hang on.- One minute. How did you get in there?
0:28:43 > 0:28:46They've jumped over the wall and they've fallen a good
0:28:46 > 0:28:4920, 30 foot into what is a metre of water.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Chaps... Oi, listen!
0:28:51 > 0:28:53You are coming out.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58There is an element of frustration at the stupidity.
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Chaps.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02To put yourself in a position where it's quite easy to kill yourself.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05All we're interested in is getting you out and ashore.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08So, the minute they behaved like kids, I'll behave like a dad.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11I am only interested in getting you ashore, end of.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14You know, "Come on, you're getting out, let's go."
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Right, what's your name?
0:29:17 > 0:29:21- In you go. - All right.- Here you go.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Why was one of them naked?
0:29:23 > 0:29:25I have no idea, I...
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Yeah, it adds a different dynamic to it.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Sit right down for me.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33- Come here.- Please, don't leave, I promise you, I promise...
0:29:33 > 0:29:34I don't want to cry.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37What's your name?
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Where's my watch and my hat?
0:29:39 > 0:29:42We're going to help you with them. Were you wearing them in the water?
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Suddenly, you start to put the picture together - you've got
0:29:44 > 0:29:47two guys, stood in the Thames at three o'clock in the morning,
0:29:47 > 0:29:48talking a load of drivel,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52and behaving in the most altered way, and it's like, "Ah, OK.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55"Well, maybe they've had something which isn't just alcohol."
0:29:55 > 0:29:57We're here to help you, OK?
0:29:57 > 0:30:00But obviously, drugs and water combined are not the safest
0:30:00 > 0:30:03environment to, er, to have your trip in, that's for sure.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04I'm not going to kiss you.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07It was quite hard to have a conversation with either of those casualties.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09I'm not sure there was a lot of conversing.
0:30:12 > 0:30:13Hey, look at me.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19That's because I've got a nice big blanket on you.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21How did you end up in the water?
0:30:22 > 0:30:24You ARE naked!
0:30:24 > 0:30:25Come on.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Have you had anything to drink tonight?
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Look at me.
0:30:31 > 0:30:32Have you had LSD?
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Never?
0:30:34 > 0:30:37We have a very close working relationship with the marine police.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39They bring in policing powers.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40You know what I'm going to do?
0:30:40 > 0:30:43I'm just going to put some handcuffs on you.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48But for a lot of people who do get handcuffed,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51it's primarily for their own protection, and then the protection
0:30:51 > 0:30:52of those trying to help them.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Stay calm for me, OK?
0:30:54 > 0:30:58'I would not want to end up naked in the Thames.'
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- Come on.- LSD.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03I don't think that anyone would look at that situation and think,
0:31:03 > 0:31:07"Oh, yeah, that looks like the best night ever!"
0:31:11 > 0:31:12OK. Four steps.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14- I'm...- Big steps. One, two, three, four.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18I think there's always a sense of relief.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21If you can hand someone over with a pulse and breathing,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24then happy days. You know, you've done what you've desired
0:31:24 > 0:31:25and set out to do.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28You could say, you know, they are completely under the influence
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- of drugs...- Yeah.- ..in the water.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34- Therefore, they're not in any fit state to look after themselves.- No.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- I put it down...- Just like right on the edge.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38I put it down as life saved.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40As much as it's just a board with hooks,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42and bits of laminated number on it,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45it's something that kind of quantifies what you're doing
0:31:45 > 0:31:47and, actually, seeing that number of lives saved,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51that number creeping up, is actually a really nice feeling.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53They'll be fun in A&E, won't they?
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Yeah. "I can see a white rabbit! I can see a white rabbit!"
0:31:59 > 0:32:01"Yes, yes, you can. Now, go back to sleep, little boy."
0:32:04 > 0:32:06They have no clue how lucky they are.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11Tomorrow morning, Jenny will have to travel back to Oxford University
0:32:11 > 0:32:14to work on her International Development PhD.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16'That can be quite tiring,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20'but I wouldn't enjoy spending all day, every day,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22'reading books and being in the library.'
0:32:22 > 0:32:26It's really, really refreshing to come and to push myself
0:32:26 > 0:32:27in different ways.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29- Oh!- You're welcome to have tea.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34No, I'm good, cos I could just get a good four and a half hours.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37Oh!
0:32:37 > 0:32:40For me, I mean, this is my hobby, so this is my downtime,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43um, and this is what I do to recharge.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46This is what sets me back up for the rest of life.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50On the Thames, the average shout is just over a mile away.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58In Eastbourne, they have to cover not only 12 miles of coastline,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00but also halfway out across the English Channel,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03where in summer, there are many hundreds of boats
0:33:03 > 0:33:05on the water every day.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12I remember when I first took over as second cox and then,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14the first time I had the boat, I stood on the seafront
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and just looked out on the English Channel and you think,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20"Well, if something goes wrong out there, it's down to me."
0:33:20 > 0:33:26Mark has a £1.5 million boat for emergencies on rough seas,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28and a team of 45 volunteers.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Jim is one of the youngest on the team.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35He met his girlfriend Jaga when she was a volunteer lifeguard.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38How long have you been together?
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Four years and...two months?
0:33:41 > 0:33:43- Yes.- Yes!
0:33:45 > 0:33:49They all like playing boats, um, but at the end of the day,
0:33:49 > 0:33:51it's a lot of dedication.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54It's exciting knowing that that pager could go off any minute,
0:33:54 > 0:33:56he could then have a shout and then
0:33:56 > 0:33:58he's going off and saving some lives.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59I think that's quite incredible.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Um, no, I wouldn't change it, so...
0:34:02 > 0:34:03Good answer.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09As soon as that pager goes off,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12he knows that he's going to suddenly shoot out the door,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15so he starts whining and whimpering and chasing him round the house,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17wondering what's happening.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19Has he ever not got his pager on?
0:34:19 > 0:34:22- Good boy, aren't you a good boy? - Shower. Sleeping.- Yeah.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Er, my own routine, it's phone, keys, wallet, pager,
0:34:24 > 0:34:30and then glasses. As long as I've got all of those, I'm sorted.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36It's 10pm, and as the wind picks up,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38a yacht has radioed the coastguard
0:34:38 > 0:34:41to report that it's experiencing engine problems.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50The volunteers have been put on standby.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53PHONE RINGS
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Good evening, coastguard station?
0:34:56 > 0:34:58I was just watching 24. It's a TV series.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02And then, I heard it all start, so I thought I'd come down.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04- I never got into 24. - It's quite good, actually.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Out at sea, the yachtsmen haven't been able to fix their engine...
0:35:08 > 0:35:10ALARM SOUNDS
0:35:10 > 0:35:13..and the coastguard requests the lifeboat to launch.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26When it first came in, they were seven miles off.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30So, I don't know, 10-15 minutes maximum.
0:35:33 > 0:35:34I like being out on the water,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37having all the salt and water over your face.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41I think the only thing that scares me with the sea is drowning.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43I would hate to drown,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47cos you'd be basically dying in the thing you love.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Spotlight, do you want the spotlight?
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Do you fear drowning?
0:35:56 > 0:35:57Yes.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58Yeah.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Five and a half miles to go!
0:36:01 > 0:36:05We've been out to enough people that have unfortunately
0:36:05 > 0:36:08lost their lives to drowning and it's...
0:36:08 > 0:36:10It's not nice.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13That's why we get out there so quick.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Oh, good. Roger that. Er, you will pass us a tow line.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21- Ready?- Ready.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26The yacht is crewed by an Italian, German and a Dutchman,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30who have just started a round-the-world trip.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33There's a loop on the end of that line.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36They began in Holland and have managed to cross the Channel,
0:36:36 > 0:36:40but now they're drifting and are unable to get to land.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46They had lost drive, they had limited steerage.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50They were going to try and get to Brighton,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53but the weather was so difficult, the wind and tide,
0:36:53 > 0:36:55trying to beat against it.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58The safest option was just to call for help.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00It takes just over an hour for the lifeboat crew
0:37:00 > 0:37:05to tow the yacht back to the safety of the harbour.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- Thank you very much. - Oh, you're more than welcome.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09So the engine just runs at high revs?
0:37:09 > 0:37:14Yeah, total system failure. I cannot engage, disengage.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Not good enough if you want to go into a harbour, I think.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19That's fine.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20What happens now?
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Go home. Go to sleep.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32The sea's probably the least regulated place you are.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35You can just go and buy a boat and go and drive it up and down
0:37:35 > 0:37:37with absolutely no clue about what you're doing.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41It's not the brightest idea on the planet, but you can do it.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43I think that makes it the last sort of frontier, really.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48People can go out and can just do what they want to do.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52Unfortunately, you could spin the coin
0:37:52 > 0:37:56and say there's regulations about everything to keep people safe
0:37:56 > 0:37:58and that's why we get the instances at sea that we get,
0:37:58 > 0:38:00because, actually, they can go out and be free
0:38:00 > 0:38:02and then they can get into trouble.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12Last night's rescued yachtsmen have persuaded their partners
0:38:12 > 0:38:15to let them go on a year-long round-the-world trip.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Less than a week into their adventure,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20they're stuck in Eastbourne harbour.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25Francesca, I'm sorry. Scusami!
0:38:25 > 0:38:28My girlfriend, when I said, "I leave my job,"
0:38:28 > 0:38:33she said, "And now what do you want to do?"
0:38:33 > 0:38:36"I want to do my first trip around the world."
0:38:36 > 0:38:39And she said, "Bye-bye, bye-bye."
0:38:39 > 0:38:44"No, Francesca, no. Io ritorno! I will come back."
0:38:44 > 0:38:48- So, you give up your girlfriend... - Yeah.- ..just for this dream?- Yeah.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Yes, it's a big dream.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52And it might be just a dream, but we are going to try.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56If you're not scared by the adventure,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58then you're not clever about it.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00It is a little bit scary.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Last night, we definitely needed help.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06Better safe than sorry to, er, to call in those guys,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10cos they know what they're doing and, at that point, we didn't know.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15But once you accept that line, you...you will be saved.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17That's the good part of it, so that's the most important,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21but you also have to admit a little bit of failure,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25so that's hard to do. But you have to do it.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31In Torbay, the lifeboat crew
0:39:31 > 0:39:34don't only have to look after thrill-seekers.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36For generations,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Brixham has been home to one of the UK's largest fishing fleets.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44My dad was a milkman and, um,
0:39:44 > 0:39:46I-I, I had a milk round when I first left school.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49But I didn't really like it. It wasn't what I wanted to do.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51I just wanted to go to sea.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53When you were at school when I was growing up,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56if you didn't have a family member who was part of a fishing fleet,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58you weren't cool at school.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Um, I was lucky - my uncle was a fisherman and I just wanted to be like him.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Before becoming a full-time RNLI coxswain,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Mark spent seven years working on fishing and tug boats.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12It's a lonely place.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15You know, when it goes wrong at sea, you can't walk out of trouble,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17you can't swim away from trouble,
0:40:17 > 0:40:20you're reliant on someone to come and help you.
0:40:20 > 0:40:21It makes you appreciate
0:40:21 > 0:40:26and makes you want to go out and help other people.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29In 2008, Mark won a bravery award for leading
0:40:29 > 0:40:32a rescue to the Greek cargo ship, the Ice Prince.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40The 6,500-tonne vessel began to capsize 26 miles out in rough sea.
0:40:41 > 0:40:47The weather was poor, not a nice day, long way out to sea, big ship.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Pitch-black.
0:40:51 > 0:40:57And then, when we got on the scene, there was a very, very weird scene
0:40:57 > 0:41:01where you see a boat of that size rolling so heavily
0:41:01 > 0:41:07that you think, every time it rolls, it's not going to recover.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11We spoke to the ship's captain and said, you know,
0:41:11 > 0:41:12"What are you going to do, Captain?"
0:41:12 > 0:41:16He said, "No, I'm abandoning ship, I need to get off this boat."
0:41:18 > 0:41:21And, you know, after about 50-odd attempts,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25we managed to get all eight crew members off.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28We had one fall in, down between the boats,
0:41:28 > 0:41:32which was probably the most sickening feeling you ever want
0:41:32 > 0:41:36as a skipper, because I thought that we'd killed him.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Lucky enough, as the boat rolled,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41it scooped him back up and he managed to scramble back up
0:41:41 > 0:41:45the deck, then we carried on and took the rest off and
0:41:45 > 0:41:47brought them back into Brixham.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52At the time, it wasn't frightening, it wasn't scary,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56but the next day, I can honestly say that I couldn't stop shaking.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58And I didn't know why.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00I was, you know, just having breakfast in the morning and
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I couldn't keep my legs still, it was just shaking.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07I thought that was a reminder then that this is real and it
0:42:07 > 0:42:11could have gone a different... down a different avenue.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14SIREN BLARES
0:42:14 > 0:42:16The pager has gone off again.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19A family with young children are in trouble.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20Their speedboat is sinking.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Michelle is the first at the station.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27You won't hear the siren very often,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30depending on which way the wind's blowing.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33But people come in where they've heard it and said,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35"Oh, the siren's just gone off."
0:42:35 > 0:42:37And what goes through your mind?
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Nothing. I don't know, I don't know if she's been picked,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42if she was there in time to go...
0:42:43 > 0:42:45I can't worry all the time.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48I would have been in my grave 20 years ago!
0:42:49 > 0:42:53She would be a very sad individual if she didn't have the lifeboat.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54It's as simple as that.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57- Do you really think that?- Yes, I do.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01She'd be definitely missing something in her life.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04SIREN BLARES
0:43:04 > 0:43:08I don't know, it's just something exciting, to break up what
0:43:08 > 0:43:12can be sometimes a bit...sometimes a bit dull of a life.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Everyone needs excitement in their life.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18I just maybe need a little bit more than some people.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24I don't know, I just like the unknown of what's going to happen.
0:43:24 > 0:43:25I just really enjoy that.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32It sounds like a speedboat sunk. There's six people on board.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37The speedboat was reported to be in trouble in the waves by
0:43:37 > 0:43:39a small cove. That was 12 minutes ago.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46The sea's come over the back of the boat, filled the boat up,
0:43:46 > 0:43:50the back of the boat's gone down first and, er, ended up sinking.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Basically, lack of experience, you know,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58set out for a jolly on a probably newly-acquired speedboat,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02but, you know, that sort of boat can sink in seconds.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Any boat can sink in seconds.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Just before the lifeboat arrived,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12a passing dive boat spotted the Polish family clinging to the
0:44:12 > 0:44:15side of their sinking speedboat and pulled them to safety.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20The kind of boat that is, it wouldn't have a radio.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24So, lucky that he's around and he's obviously seen it.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Quite fortunate.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29You know, it was only three or four months ago, we had a fatality.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32You know, the same thing, so, you know...
0:44:32 > 0:44:34we don't want anything like that again.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- MAN:- OK, big step. Hold my hand first.
0:44:39 > 0:44:40Another big step.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- MARK:- 'We'd had a really bad incident recently,'
0:44:45 > 0:44:49where a boat had capsized and a young girl lost her life and,
0:44:49 > 0:44:53you know, we were all quite raw after that.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55You know, brave lifeboatmen don't cry.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58That's rubbish. I do.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00And I did.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03And I'm not ashamed to say that - it made me cry.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08Is it going to keep me awake at night? No, it's not.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10We did everything we could.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12But I'm not going to forget that and,
0:45:12 > 0:45:16in 20, 30, 40 years' time, I ain't going to forget it.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22- Did you say it capsize, or...? - Yeah.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24I turned round and just caught it.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Basically, they've taken the stern...
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- Right.- ..too close in to the beach. - Oh, they've done that, have they?
0:45:29 > 0:45:33We've called out and they're all clinging to the other side of it.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Did they have any...? I see they haven't got any jackets now.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39- Did they have any?- I don't think the kids could swim, either.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44There were two little girls. Neither of them could swim.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46'None of them were wearing life jackets'
0:45:46 > 0:45:48and it was just like...
0:45:48 > 0:45:50"What are you doing?" sort of thing.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52It was just...
0:45:52 > 0:45:58What could've happened in that situation is really quite scary.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Really lucky that didn't end in a fatality, that one.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31He isn't too happy about his boat, but I just said to him,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33"Look, you know, you can go and buy a boat,
0:46:33 > 0:46:37"but you need to buy some life jackets for the kids and for yourselves."
0:46:37 > 0:46:39And he's saying he'll do that next time but, you know,
0:46:39 > 0:46:41"What about my boat?"
0:46:41 > 0:46:43I said, "Well, you can't replace the kids, can you?"
0:46:43 > 0:46:48I said, "The boat can be replaced," and, er, I think he's sort of
0:46:48 > 0:46:50realised that he made a bit of a mistake, you know.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52It's only the second time they've used it.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55So...there we are.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Michelle's commitment to the lifeboat means she's now
0:47:17 > 0:47:20carried out nearly 60 rescues.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24I was like, "I want to get married on the lifeboat, and I'd like
0:47:24 > 0:47:26"the lifeboat to take me to my reception."
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Your wedding dress would have to be yellow, wouldn't it?
0:47:29 > 0:47:31- SHE LAUGHS:- Yeah!
0:47:31 > 0:47:34I'd need to rip off the bottom, so you could get in your...
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Could just put your wellies on over the top.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39You're only missing one little ingredient, though, aren't you?
0:47:39 > 0:47:42- You need to find a man!- I need to find somebody to marry first!- Yeah.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45That's the only bit you're missing, is the man!
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Mostly, Saturdays, I come down and do some work on the boats,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57just to keep it up and running and clean.
0:47:57 > 0:47:58Right, that's that done.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Otherwise, what would you be doing?
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Sitting watching TV.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05It's like a calming effect, I believe it has on you.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11Alan has spent the last 15 years of his life volunteering.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13He lives at home with his mother.
0:48:13 > 0:48:14Hello.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18- It's, um, a good relationship, because...- We go either way.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21- Well, we go our own ways. - Own ways.- Yes.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25And, um, sometimes he's in, sometimes he's not, and, um...
0:48:25 > 0:48:28- I know he would like his own pad, but...- That's right.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31- ..he will do one day.- Yeah, one day. - One day, one day.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35- And with it so close to the beach, the sea, the station... - So convenient.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40The Eastbourne station's patch includes the area around the
0:48:40 > 0:48:41cliffs of Beachy Head.
0:48:42 > 0:48:47It means the volunteers have had to get used to death more than most.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50You know, Beachy Head claims all sorts of victims, really.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52You've got the seagoing victims, boats hitting the ledge,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55you know, people getting cut off by the tide and,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58for whatever reason, people have been up to Beachy Head and
0:48:58 > 0:49:02decided to do what they want to do.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05People do...do end their lives.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10I think it's so sad, when they go over the top.
0:49:10 > 0:49:11They must be desperate.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15I think the saddest thing was, a few years ago, a mother and father
0:49:15 > 0:49:19went over with their baby, and I think that's so sad.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24And...like the one Alan had a few years ago with the car...
0:49:24 > 0:49:26I mean, they must be desperate to do that.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33That was on October the 12th, 2012.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37It's a, "Hereby record of appreciation of his initiative,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40"compassion and exemplary first aid treatment of an unresponsive
0:49:40 > 0:49:43"and seriously injured man at the foot of Beachy head."
0:49:45 > 0:49:49We got round there and saw the car at the bottom.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51The light was fading quite well, then.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54So I swam in, er, to the beach.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01I found the, um, the gentleman still alive.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03He was still in his car.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07He'd fallen...about 500 feet.
0:50:07 > 0:50:08And he was still alive.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12And I was talking to him all the time,
0:50:12 > 0:50:16keeping my mind off other things, the tide coming in.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20Unfortunately, he passed away about 12 hours after.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25That's one of the most scariest I've done. Yeah.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27That's the first time I've heard that.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30- Yeah, cos I kept...- He hasn't said a thing at all.- I don't say much.
0:50:30 > 0:50:32That's the first time I've heard that.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36- Yeah, so...- Yeah, so...- It's...
0:50:36 > 0:50:38It's surprising, yes.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42So, you see, he doesn't tell... He doesn't talk about it, no.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45I think, if you talk about it, then you will dwell on it.
0:50:45 > 0:50:51I don't share. It's just the fact that we go out there,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54we do our job, and we come back in.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59Like many volunteers, Mark takes his work home with him.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05That's the coastguards out now, up at Beachy Head.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07They've actually got someone up the top,
0:51:07 > 0:51:09sitting on the cliff edge, in a distressed state.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11But, unfortunately, if it is something up there,
0:51:11 > 0:51:14if the lifeboats are required, it's not usually
0:51:14 > 0:51:17a case of getting away quickly, it's normally beyond that.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23One hour later, the person has jumped.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Mark's going to the station to supervise Jim and the other
0:51:25 > 0:51:30volunteers, who are going out to recover the body for the coroner.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50- RADIO:- '..has now landed down the beach, over.'
0:52:06 > 0:52:10The first time, I was a bit curious for what it was like.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Not in a nasty way. I just wanted to see what...
0:52:13 > 0:52:16- You think, "How am I going to take it?"- That's it.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- WOMAN:- All right?
0:52:20 > 0:52:22- 'It's easier just to turn off, innit?'- 'Yeah.'
0:52:22 > 0:52:26Turn off, get on with it, um... think about it later, I suppose.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35For lifeboat crews all across the country,
0:52:35 > 0:52:39dealing with death is as much a part of the job as saving lives.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43You know, it's a...it's quite a strange thing, cos it's, um...
0:52:43 > 0:52:47You end up having to put them into a body bag and stuff.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52'It's worse looking at that than it is the person.'
0:52:52 > 0:52:55It's, it's... It's sort of final.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01You zip it up and that's it. It's...
0:53:01 > 0:53:04The person's no longer there any more.
0:53:07 > 0:53:12Yeah, it's quite strange emotions that you...you go through.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Helicopter's got it now, it's taken it from the beach up onto the top
0:53:18 > 0:53:21to hand it over to the coastguards on the top of the cliffs.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24RADIO CHATTER
0:53:28 > 0:53:29There's the helicopter now.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32It's airborne, up the top, so it should be coming.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42There are occasions when you think,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45"Oh, yeah, some things are best," you know, "best forgotten."
0:53:45 > 0:53:47You don't want to dwell on things.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51'But, yeah, certainly, there are occasions that,'
0:53:51 > 0:53:54irrespective of how much you'd like to forget it, you can't.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59The body recovery has taken four hours.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03It's the fifth one Jim's been involved in.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07It's not the nicest thing to do,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10but it is part of Eastbourne Lifeboat.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12You think of the families.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17We're basically collecting their loved one on behalf of them.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19So I'll always say the Lord's Prayer on the way back.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22That's my little routine that I'll get into.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25I've never told that to anyone. But once...
0:54:25 > 0:54:29So, then, that's just my little thing...and that.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33But that's as far as I go, cos I don't necessarily want to know,
0:54:33 > 0:54:35cos then it might affect me even more.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44The draw of the sea continues throughout life and death.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51This morning, the Eastbourne crew is returning to Beachy Head.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55They've been asked to scatter the ashes of an RNLI benefactor.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02- You know, the wind's going that way. - Yeah.- The wind's going that way.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11For as much as it has pleased Almighty God,
0:55:11 > 0:55:15of his great mercy, to take unto himself the soul of his sister,
0:55:15 > 0:55:19here departed, we therefore commit her ashes to the sea.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28Just observe a minute's silence, please.
0:55:31 > 0:55:32'Everyone seems to think that'
0:55:32 > 0:55:34I'm going to have my ashes scattered at sea.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37No, I'm going back to the farm where I grew up.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39'I've spent my life, you know,
0:55:39 > 0:55:41'striving to stay on top of the water, not in it.
0:55:41 > 0:55:42'I don't like getting wet.'
0:55:42 > 0:55:46You've got to go somewhere, haven't you? Might as well go somewhere where you enjoy.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48My missus says I spend most of my time down there anyway,
0:55:48 > 0:55:50so it doesn't matter!
0:55:50 > 0:55:53The reason why we scattered them here was the fact that she
0:55:53 > 0:55:56used to travel down to Eastbourne and spent many years
0:55:56 > 0:55:59just sitting up there, just watching the world go by.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03So, er, that's why it was done there. Thank you. It's all done.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06- 'Would you want your ashes scattered at sea?'- 'Er, yes, I would, yeah.'
0:56:06 > 0:56:08I'm free to roam, then.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11I could end up in the Caribbean.
0:56:17 > 0:56:22The rescued yachtsmen are also dreaming of the Caribbean.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25But their round-the-world trip has fallen far behind schedule.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28It's my wife's birthday today.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32The present will be in the mail. Also next year's present, still...
0:56:32 > 0:56:34it will be another year.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40The boys pulled from the Thames spent the night in hospital.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45They were released without charge and have now returned to university.
0:56:45 > 0:56:50Marcin's boat was a write-off, but he's not giving up on his dream.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02And after his coasteering accident led to a major sea rescue,
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Liam's made a full recovery.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07We got home and we sat on the sofa together and I just didn't
0:57:07 > 0:57:10want to let him go, I didn't want to let him go out of my sight,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13I didn't want him to go upstairs. I was following him around!
0:57:13 > 0:57:15- Are you dreading the day he leaves home?- Yeah.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17I'm hoping he's going to stay at home for ever,
0:57:17 > 0:57:19till he's at least 30!
0:57:19 > 0:57:23Liam is still intending to go on next year's Scout trip.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26I think I'm going to do, like, roughly the same sort of stuff,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29just hopefully with no accidents this time.
0:57:31 > 0:57:32My feet are staying on dry land.