by John Periam
There was a lifeboat at Clovelley but it was anchored off the harbour being one of two lifeboats that were manned by a fulltime crew. This was due to the stormy weather conditions off the North Coast often meaning there was no shelter or mooring for conventional lifeboats. The boat would sometimes be moored of Clovelley or in the lea of Lundy Island depending on the weather.
I was in for a surprise here as I popped into the local for a drink only to find Billy Dent known as ‘Storm Force Billy’ sitting at the bar whom I had met at the Southampton Boat Show. He recognised Shelley at first looking with a little apprehension then on seeing me in tow realised he was right. It was nice to meet up again and he told me was currently staff coxswain of the lifeboat. It was his day off and they had anchored off the harbour and he had been taken ashore for a drink. We had a nice chat and he asked if I wanted to look over the lifeboat but sadly I could not as I had one more call to do that afternoon. We parted and went our separate ways not before he gave Shelley a nice pat and a packet of crisps.
The walk up the cobbled hill through the narrow streets of Clovelley was fine – and I could see why it had become a tourist attraction. Had I lived there I don’t know if I would have liked my privacy invaded the way the residents did. I found this when I lived in Southwold the population doubled in the summer months due to the holidaymakers. I know it brings money into the local community but the excess of people can cause related parking problems.
Shelley did find the walk back up a little bit hard. The cobbles did not help her legs and the incline was apt to be a little steep for her in places. She showed her frustration by sitting down from time to time and refusing to move. We made it back to the car park at the top where she drank two full bowls of cold water followed by a deep sleep in the back of the car for the rest of the afternoon.
We left Porlock Weir the next morning making our way towards Linton and Lynmouth. I wanted to visit both places because my late parents had their honeymoon at a hotel there. I found the hotel which I had remembered from looking at photos in their albums. A lot of changes had gone on due to the floods that happened there in 1952. Driving out of the town I thought just how much effort the lifeboat crew had put into their mammoth task in 1899. The hills were some of the steepest I had driven up and frankly driving a car was not that easy. On a wet and windy night horses towing a ten ton trailer with a lifeboat on top on slippery roads left a lot to ones imagination. On checking records I found out it took them twelve hours to cover the fourteen miles from Lynmouth to Porlock.
As we both drove back to Shoreham across the moors Shelley spent a lot of her time sitting up and looking out of the window reflecting on her first visit to this wonderful part of the world. She was not getting any younger and perhaps I had expected too much out of her trying to walk her up the steep Clovelley hills.
I was sadly proved right when I got home as there was no way she could managed to walk up the stairs to my flat. I had realised it was time I slowed down and should no longer expected her to do things that I found easy. We are all apt to forget that one year of a dog’s life is seven of ours making Shelley eighty fours years old. Somehow I don’t think I would have enjoyed walking up such a steep cobbled hill at that age!
End of Chapter Thirty Four
TIME TO SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY LIFE – CHAPTER 35
For Shelley the time had come to slow down. In the mornings there was not the normal early rise and a potter into the bedroom to give me a wake up lick. She remained on her bed in the kitchen just getting up for her food which she still enjoyed to the full. As for the morning walk it was fine going down the stairs but it was now a full time occupation having to carry her back up the stairs. Rather than walk over the footbridge to the beach she decided she wanted to have a wander on the small grass area by the footbridge crossing the River Adur – the beach was fine if I drove there. The evenings at home were not always spent with me in the lounge watching television. She preferred her own company on her bed in the kitchen.
I had also noticed another nasty lump on one of her back legs so decided to take her once again to see the veterinary surgeon. It was what I expected to be told. Shelley was getting old now and she was not enjoying the pleasure of life like she used to. The good news however was that she was not in any pain and the best thing was to put her on some tablets and for me to monitor her situation.
Back at the lifeboat it was normal and in the winter months the rotas changed and you did not have to stay down the boathouse at weekends. The new paging systems had now come into force with all of us getting one which was attached to ones belts, so if the duty crew were needed they were paged and went to launch the ILB. There were always the very keen young crew members who lived, ate and slept lifeboats so they made their way down. We all went through that’s stage at some time or the other when we were new. It made you feel important.
There were crew meetings held at the boathouse from time to time and any problems were duly raised with the coxswain. These were always good fun and gave people a chance to let of steam if required. There were of course those that moaned more than others and some who never said a single word and sat in the corner trying not to be noticed.
We were volunteers but did get paid a small allowance and every three months went down to collect the monies duly owed to us. It was not much but did help a little towards expenses. As was normal once we had collected the money we went to the pub for a pint or two and before we knew it the beneficiary turned out to be the local landlord. Shelley came to the boathouse with me most times but now she was feeling more her age preferred to sleep in the back of the car or have a slow potter around the slipway having more of a paddle than a full swim. Even the reclaimed sticks had been reduced in size. Her age was beginning to tell and most had noticed it!
We did have one amusing incident between Worthing and Shoreham one Saturday. There was a small event taking place and we were asked if we could take both boats along. Not a problem, we decided to use it as an exercise. The planned situation was to fire a rocket line from the ILB to the off shore lifeboat so that there would be an opportunity to show those watching from the shore how you could get a bigger rope from one vessel to another or set the ball in motion for a planned breechers buoy which was a way of transporting a person from one ship to another or from a harbour arm to the lifeboat.
Jack, the station mechanic came on the inshore lifeboat and set up the rocket line for firing, and then fired it towards the larger lifeboat – ouch! For a reason only known to the rocket line it decided to embed itself into the hull of the Lifeboat just below the water line. Before Ken Everard the Coxswain realised it the boat began taking on water and started to sink lower at the bow end.
For those that don’t know lifeboat’s, are designed not to sink. They can also turn a full 100% in a few seconds self-righting themselves – a first-hand experience of which, I am glad to say, I have not had. With a rather embarrassed Jack on the ILB we escorted the other boat back to the station where it was re-housed and the District Inspector advised who came down and arranged for an engineer to repair the lifeboat. If I recall a relief lifeboat was sent along from Newhaven to cover ours whilst it was off service.
The RNLI does have a fleet of relief boats that are used for this purpose and that is where the transit crews that were mentioned earlier are used. Sometimes a full refit means that a boat will be off station for many months. It is when this happens that you see how attached crews are to their own boat.
They are like little children who have lost one of their favourite toys and can’t wait to get it back knowing just how it works. The mechanic has the responsibility of looking after the lifeboat and the engines and that is why he in most cases is paid a full time salary having to work at the station most days a week. They often get a house with the job and other perks to cover their income – it is a sought after post and when one becomes vacant there are often many applicants.
Demonstrations for the public were all part of the normal rou
tine of a station. It could be a regatta day, a flying display, a carnival or a rowing festival. It was good for the RNLI as it helped raise funds and gave the public an opportunity to get on board and be shown around. We did it at Littlehampton once sharing the slot with their Atlantic 21 inshore lifeboat also at Brighton in the new marina again sharing the slot with their new Atlantic 21 lifeboat. It was nice that two types of lifeboat could be seen side by side.
One year we were on our way to Brighton for such an event when there was a call and we were diverted out to sea to help a trawler in trouble. That was a bonus as we were able to tow the trawler into Brighton giving the public the chance to see a real rescue in progress.
Most stations also have on display products to sell for fundraising and at events. Jack and his wife Peggy did this most of the time with some support from the local branch members. Fund raising was very important as it is to all charities. Every year at Christmas the cartoonist ‘Giles’ produced a special Christmas card – always very popular and large in size it was highly sought after. Like the Pirelli Calendar collectors kept them. When Giles passed away there was the feeling that the production of these would stop. This was not the case as he had drawn many more that would carry on the tradition to this day.
Our Coxswain Ken was very keen on making sure that everyone got a chance to get out on exercise. I recall a time when there was a large coaster moored several miles out to see waiting for the tides to change so it could enter Shoreham. He radioed the ships captain asking if we could bring the lifeboat alongside using his ship for this purpose. It was a challenge and Ken had several of us on board along with the regular crew.
Each was given an opportunity to take over the helm of the lifeboat and have a go bringing it alongside. Not as easy as it looked as many of us found out – and that was in a calm sea! It made me think about the pilot boat skippers who take the ships pilots out in all weathers having to go alongside so the pilot can climb up the rope ladder to board the ship to take her into the harbour.
Once, I was out on an exercise with Mike Woodruff, the DI in the ILB when we were involved in a small rescue. Two crew members of a coaster in the harbour had decided to take a small boat out to do some fishing and had problems starting their engine. Being on exercise Mike noticed there were problems and we went to them taking them in tow back through the lock gates to the side of their ship. They lifted the small boat out of the water and winched it up back on board insisting we went on also to meet the captain., Down came the rope ladder and I found out first hand what it was like to climb one; not that easy. We were then taken to his cabin and offered drinks as a thank you. They were from the Philippines so the language was a slight problem.
If they had their way it would have been a heavy session but as it was getting dark Mike saw the sense to get off early. Needless to say going down the rope ladder proved a further challenge but we all managed it. We put the ILB away about 9-pm having all passed our check-over with Mike under the heading aborted exercise due to rescue!
Shelley in the meantime seemed to want to spend more time back in my flat. She was now beginning to feel very sorry for herself and did not want to come out at all. Going down stairs was now a problem as it was climbing them and she also was having problems with the lump on her back leg again It had broken open turning into a nasty sore restricting her standing up when she wanted to eat her food.
I remember one night going to bed realising that perhaps the sad time had come for me to look at the general condition of Shelley and her wellbeing as she was not a happy dog. I woke early the next morning and went to her bed in the kitchen to find she had been very sick and her leg had been bleeding a lot. I cuddled up to her for a long time trying to re assure her that I was there. All she could do was look into my eyes trying to tell me that her time had come – she was ready to go to the ‘Rainbow Bridge.’
End of Chapter Thirty Six
SAD FAREWELLS – Chapter 36
As the sun began to rise over Shoreham I decided that Shelley had to go to see the vet again as over night her problems had become major and I could see she was in some real pain. Her breathing was irregular and she kept coughing a lot.
I dressed and carried her down the stairs putting her into the back of my car. I recall what Nicky Brock said to me about taking his Labrador for a walk to the beach and downs and decided to do the same. We first of all drove to the Downs that overlooked Lancing College and the airport. The sky was blue and my car was the only one in the small car park. I opened the back door and helped Shelley out and we both went and sat on a nearby bench. There was a little brass plate on the back saying it had been put there in memory of one of the residents of Shoreham who had spent many happy hours at this spot. I have always thought this was a good idea as it gave something back to the community.
The light aircraft were landing at the small airport and the pupils of Lancing College were out in the playing fields participating in rugby and football. Around the college fields the many trees looked bare with a few old rook nests built in the most precarious of positions. In the distance you could hear the guns going off on what must have been a local shoot as the pheasant season was on us once more. The A27 motorway was busy as it normally is this time of day being the main costal road link crossing the Adur River which was at low tide showing its muddy banks which Shelley had in the past enjoyed on the bath tub days.
I lifted her up as she lay next to me with her head resting on my lap very content. It is as though she knew it was her last visit to this beauty spot. I was reflecting on the many happy times we had had together thinking about the miles of travel we had done and the wonderful people we had met.
Putting her on the front seat of my car I drove to Shoreham Beach parking at the harbour entrance by the now closed coastguard station. The tide had started to turn since we left the downs and a couple of small coasters were preparing to lift anchor and make their way into the harbour via the lock gates.
She was fascinated by ships and the activities then went on around the small port of Shoreham. The lifeboat station was to the left of us across the estuary with the boathouse doors closed. Jack the mechanic was there as his car was parked in its normal place. She did manage a walk with me to the small jetty where a couple of fishermen were set up for the day with their rods hoping to catch something. I could never get interested in this pastime but I have to admit it did always look very relaxing.
Back in the car we drove along the seafront road past the long empty beach and up market properties that graced its shore. Shoreham Beach is very nice; however it was out on a limb as you had to drive around the town and over the river to get to it. Moored along the river bank though were some very old boats that had been turned into homes. Second World War torpedo boats were mixed with the odd converted tug and old cruisers that had long passed their sell by date. There was a path in front of them so pedestrians could always walk along – a pastime which Shelley used to enjoy in her younger days. They seemed to attract a hippy arty type of person including a couple of wayward jazz musicians whom I had met in the Marlipins pub several times. One chap called Richard had the largest collection of jazz records I had seen outside London.
I recall one day Richard returning from work to find his boat had sprung a leak and was half submerged in the river. He was a highly respected school teacher. Listening to jazz was his main interest. Poor chap – to come home to this vast collection floating around in the hull of his waterlogged boat. For the next few weeks it was not uncommon to see a clothes line across the upper deck with LPs hanging there to dry after he had given them a good wash. It did convert him to using CDs as he started to replace his collection on a regular basis much to the pleasure of the local record store.
He was one of Shoreham’s well established characters and sadly one evening he was attacked for no reason in a pub whilst having a drink on the way back home. He was rushed to hospital and died a few weeks later of severe head injuries in a special neurological unit a
t Salisbury. The culprit was caught the evening of the incident and duly given the maximum sentence. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It really caused a lot of up-set to the residents of this small fishing resort and proved how a community can help each other when problems do occur.
We drove through the town past the Royal Sovereign pub and around the yacht club car park – without stopping - along the coast road to the lifeboat station. Jack was there chatting to crew member Andy Mac who was also a local fisherman. They could both see I was up-set and made me coffee. Jack carried Shelley up the steps for me and she went to sleep by my feet whilst we chatted. They were good listeners that morning! The tide was working its way up the slipway so I walked Shelley down to her favourite sport. There was the normal amount of seaweed and the odd bit of rubbish including a milk carton written in French and a small stick which I gave to Shelley who sadly gave it one look then ignored it.
Jack was very kind and understanding and had known Shelley with his wife Peggy since I moved to Shoreham recalling the visit to Kent to Andy with some amusement. Taking me to one side he could see I was very emotional and offered to come with me to Hove to the vets. I declined as I wanted to be with Shelley myself.
Collecting her I put her in my car and we drove along the front past Hove Lagoon and the beach huts which was her favourite play area when we first moved to Sussex. Turing off the road we stopped outside the property where I had my first bed-sit which had been our initial home together since our move. The Fogels still lived there as their car was parked on the small drive in the normal manner taking up two spaces which often caused me frustration many a time having to park my car in the road.