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0:00:31 > 0:00:36- This year is a noteworthy one - in the RNLI's history.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42- The charity is celebrating - its 175th anniversary.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47- There has been a great emphasis - on church services.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55- The old church at Nefyn - is now a maritime museum...
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- ..chronicling the sea's influence - on the area.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- The thanksgiving service - is held in the new church.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11- It's my pleasant duty to welcome you - to this unique service.
0:01:12 > 0:01:18- Your presence underlines - your support for the Institution...
0:01:18 > 0:01:24- ..and for the important work carried - out by lifeboat crew members...
0:01:25 > 0:01:31- ..here in Porthdinllaen and around - the whole of the British Isles.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35- We welcome the children - of Ysgol Nefyn...
0:01:35 > 0:01:40- ..and thank them again - for their presence here tonight.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35- The Anglican church and the RNLI - have always been closely linked.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- Local vicars - often serve as chaplains.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42- This underlines - the charity's status...
0:02:42 > 0:02:47- ..and the emphasis it places - on religious services.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02- Sir William Hillary established - the first lifeboat in 1824.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08- Since then, 400 RNLI members have - died while trying to save others.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- It's perhaps surprising - that this figure is so low.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- Lifeboats around Britain - answer 18 calls every day.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28- The Institution is held - in great esteem by the public...
0:03:28 > 0:03:34- ..because of the dangers faced - by the volunteer lifeboat crews.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- Lifeboats work in tandem - with Government agencies.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51- One might expect RNLI supporters - to feel disgruntled...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- ..at having to raise - their own money for this work.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01- But they feel their independence - from Government control...
0:04:01 > 0:04:02- ..is an advantage.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09- I feel the Institution works- best - under the charity system.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- Things should remain as they are.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18- I'm sure lifeboat members - and the RNLI feel the same.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- Most of them are happy - to raise money voluntarily.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29- We prefer to keep it as it is.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35- People work very hard, - and we appreciate this very much.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56- It costs the RNLI 80 million a year - to maintain the lifeboat service.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- They never charge money - for saving lives at sea.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- Doing so might well make people - who are in difficulty...
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- ..think twice - before calling for help.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16- A lifeboat answers every call, - at any time, whatever the weather.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31- A small boat is in trouble - near Nant Gwrtheyrn.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37- A coastguard saw an empty rowing - boat drifting towards rocks...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- ..and there is concern - for its owner.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46- As the situation could be serious, a - helicopter has also been called out.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- The lifeboat - is the first to spot the boat.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- They see someone carrying oars - on the beach.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09- Hopefully, all is well but they - cannot take anything for granted.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- The helicopter - will land on the beach...
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- ..to check - if this man is the boat's owner.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Peter and the crew - remain on stand-by.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- Peter directs the helicopter - towards the man...
0:06:38 > 0:06:43- ..and the helicopter pilot - decides where to land.
0:06:43 > 0:06:49- For some reason, the man doesn't - wish to meet the helicopter crew.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- They get the message - that all is well.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- The helicopter crew takes over...
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- ..and the 'Hetty Rampton' - returns to Porthdinllaen.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17- Trouble has been averted - through cooperation.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- Not all the Porthdinllaen - crew members...
0:07:28 > 0:07:33- ..may be comfortable - with singing hymns in a church.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- But they would never refuse - the RNLI.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42- They know too that most - of tonight's congregation...
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- ..have contributed generously - to the lifeboats.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00- There are 2,000 women's branches - in Britain...
0:08:00 > 0:08:05- ..and they organise collections - to finance new developments.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- There have been many changes.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15- The new lifeboats can - roll back up safely if they capsize.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- They have radio - and satellite navigation.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- They're very sophisticated.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33- Our present boat - has the best possible equipment...
0:08:33 > 0:08:39- ..and therefore is just the same - as any of the big ships.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- I'd say Porthdinllaen's future - is secure.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03- Any decisions concerning - the Porthdinllaen lifeboat...
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- ..will be made here at Poole.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12- We joined Robert Jones, - Porthdinllaen's second coxswain...
0:09:12 > 0:09:18- ..and Lieutenant Commander Brian - Miles, RNLI Director at that time.
0:09:18 > 0:09:24- He appreciates the level of - financial support the RNLI receives.
0:09:24 > 0:09:30- The RNLI gets strong support - even in areas far from the sea.
0:09:32 > 0:09:38- Cities like Birmingham are just as - supportive as Swansea and Cardiff.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- The administrative offices - are located at Poole.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- The stores and workshops - are here too.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54- Plenty of spare parts and equipment - must be kept in stock.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00- No lifeboat can afford to wait - for days for new parts.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- The Institution - has five mobile units...
0:10:07 > 0:10:11- ..which provide training for crews.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16- All lifeboats must be ready - to be launched at any time.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- This demands a regular stock - of spare parts.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25- New parts can be ordered by phone - when they're needed.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30- They can be delivered anywhere - by the following day.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- The RNLI itself - produces a lot of the equipment.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48- It's cost-effective and much of - the equipment is very specialised.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- The Institution - employs many craftsmen...
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- ..including boat designers - and rope makers.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- The Poole workshop - has a heavy workload.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- The lifeboats' equipment - is used to the limit.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13- Everything must be kept - in good condition at all times.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- By producing - their own requirements...
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- ..the RNLI are not at the mercy - of outside suppliers.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- Many of these crafts - are rare these days.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29- Something had caught Robert's eye.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33- It was this model - of the 'Charles Henry Ashley'.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38- It had been Porthdinllaen's - lifeboat for 30 years until 1979.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- Robert wants to bring it back - to Lleyn.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- I'll try and arrange that for you.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46- I'll try and arrange that for you. - - Thank you.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- Most of the parts and equipment - are bought in.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59- Everything is checked rigorously - by the technical team...
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- ..for suitability and safety.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- The RNLI has strict requirements.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- The boats must be able to withstand - all weathers.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Equipment - must be completely reliable...
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- ..in the worst possible conditions.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23- Electronic gadgets must - function properly at all times.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32- For Robert, the Poole storehouse - is an Aladdin's Cave.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36- This is the standard issue now, - isn't it?
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- There are items here which will - keep Robert warm and dry...
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- ..and much, much more.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51- At any time, his life may depend - on this equipment.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- He has complete faith - in his colleagues at Poole.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06-
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- Porthdinllaen was always - a busy haven for ships.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25- It's on the main route between - Liverpool and St George's Channel.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- The early ships were sailing ships.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- It was a busy place.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37- In one year - in the mid-eighteenth century...
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- ..203 ships - had anchored in this bay.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- They came here - to shelter from the wind.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56- In the foreground is a manor house - which became the Tanrallt Inn.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02- People who had walked miles with - their carts would call for a pint.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- There's a song which goes...
0:14:05 > 0:14:10- .."Porthdinllaen beer - is both food and drink...
0:14:10 > 0:14:14- ..I drank it until I reeled - like a cartwheel!"
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- Beyond the manor - stands a warehouse.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23- This is where the 'Dora', - the first steam ship, brought coal.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32- Further on is the first hotel, - the Whitehall Transit Hotel...
0:14:32 > 0:14:36- ..built at the start - of the 18th century.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- People stayed there - on their way to Dublin.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- There's the Ty Coch Inn - and the Ty Gwyn Inn.
0:14:48 > 0:14:54- Pencei stands at the end of the bay. - A large smithy stood there.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- It produced metal parts - for the ships.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Paul Lewis - works for the National Trust...
0:15:03 > 0:15:08- ..to preserve the character - of the Trust-owned village.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15- We were offered Porthdinllaen - by the Cefnamlwch estate.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- We had to do something about it.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23- Money from the Coasts Appeal - helped us to buy the village.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- If we hadn't, it could have been - spoiled by tourism.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- The Trust wanted to keep it - just as it was.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49- The Ty Coch is an interesting inn. - It must be over 300 years old.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- There are many tales about it.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56- The best story concerns - the Ty Coch landlady...
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- ..who kept the tavern - between 1870 and 1929.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- Everyone called her - Mrs Jones Ty Coch.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- She'd had six children - and three husbands.
0:16:12 > 0:16:18- The Ty Coch was a very busy inn at - that time, visited by many sailors.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25- She was the harbour master and the - 'Shipping Gazette' correspondent.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- At the same time, - she ran a private school here...
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- ...some kind - of rural finishing school.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- She was a very accomplished woman.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- This was - the Customs Officer's house.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47- A boat called the 'Revival', - built in Porthdinllaen...
0:16:47 > 0:16:52- ..had an evangelist with - an open Bible as a figurehead!
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- It attracted a lot of attention - everywhere!
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- She was wrecked on those rocks.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06- She carried many barrels of brandy - and the locals spotted these.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12- They stole the barrels but the - Customs Officer confiscated them.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- He stored them - on the first floor of this building.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- Local men broke into the cellar...
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- ..located the barrels - on the floor above...
0:17:25 > 0:17:30- ..and drilled through the floor - and the barrels' bases!
0:17:34 > 0:17:41- There was once a large ship on her - way to London with a cargo of linen.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- She was wrecked - but the crew was saved.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50- The linen was shared - between local people, to be washed.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55- The captain wrote in praise - of the people's honesty.
0:17:56 > 0:18:02- They had returned all the linen, - apart from three packs...
0:18:02 > 0:18:06- ..which he believed had not been - put on board at the start!
0:18:09 > 0:18:15- The Morfa Nefyn golf club - owns the land above Porthdinllaen.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22- Some years ago, the RNLI - had permission to build a road...
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- ..across the course - to reach the boathouse.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32- Today, the golfers and the RNLI - have a good understanding.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- It was not always so.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43- Building this road - caused a rift in the community.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48- The RNLI spent a fortune - in persuading the golf club.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51- Gwyn Jones was the lifeboat - secretary at the time.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- We wanted to make things easier - for the boys.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- We felt sorry for them...
0:18:59 > 0:19:05- ..because they had to walk a mile - from the village, a fair distance.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10- Something or other - always seemed to happen on the way.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- But not everyone - agreed about the road.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- This was a golf course. - We realised that.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25- But we succeeded with our plans. - I think it was the right thing.
0:19:30 > 0:19:36- We need the club's agreement to do - maintenance or alterations.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45- We have a good relationship with - the local committees, on the whole.
0:19:56 > 0:20:02- I've been Nefyn golf club's - chief groundsman for 18 years.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04- I enjoy the work.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- I was with the lifeboat crew - when I started.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- It was convenient for the boathouse.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21- But work commitments - meant I had to give up the lifeboat.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28- If they were ever short of a crew, - I'd still go out on the boat.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40- The road has certainly made life - easier for the lifeboat crew.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45- Golf club officials and members - plainly support them.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50- The road enables the crew - to get there more quickly.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55- The boys used to have to run - from the gate near Ty Coch.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00- They can now drive - all the way down to the boathouse.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- Before the road was built...
0:21:03 > 0:21:09- ..we had to carry huge drums - of diesel down to the lifeboat.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Now, the lorry can drive across...
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- ..and fill up the boat directly.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- Porthdinllaen - was nearly spoilt at one time.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- There were plans to make it - the main access port...
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- ..between Britain and Ireland.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37- It was a tough battle, dirty - at times, that lasted 50 years.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- This was in the early 18th century.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46- The Porthdinllaen Harbour Company - was formed in 1806.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Its aim was to develop the place...
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- ..and build hotels, - jetties and wharves.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- They planned to build - a large embankment.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- They wanted to create a huge quay...
0:22:01 > 0:22:06- ..going across to where - the boathouse stands today.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- That would be the site - of a deep water basin.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- The harbour at Holyhead - had a difficult approach.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21- The headland at Penmaenmawr and - crossing the Menai caused problems.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27- Over two centuries, 180 people - drowned while crossing the Menai.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33- A ferry overturned on her way - to Conway and 13 lives were lost.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Many captains - had praised Porthdinllaen.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43- They thought it was a far better - natural harbour than Holyhead.
0:22:44 > 0:22:50- Holyhead became the main port in - the north for crossings to Ireland.
0:22:50 > 0:22:56- Porthdinllaen was saved from - the threat of further development.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00- The Britannia Bridge - was completed in 1849.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06- This ended Porthdinllaen's role - as the main port for Dublin.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11- Shipbuilding continued here - for some years...
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- ..particularly - between 1840 and 1880...
0:23:14 > 0:23:18- ..when the last great ship - was built here.
0:23:18 > 0:23:24- It's hard to believe now - that they built huge schooners here.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31- It's important that the RNLI - and the National Trust work together.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- We want things to continue - as they are.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- The Trust doesn't want to change - anything.
0:23:40 > 0:23:47- They want to preserve Porthdinllaen. - The lifeboat is part of its history.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Subtitles- by- Nia Melville, Elidir