TWO volunteers have completed their training and passed out as fully-qualified lifeboat crew on Fowey’s all-weather Trent lifeboat.

Will Maher and Gary Jane both joined the RNLI in Fowey within a couple of months of each other.

Will, who runs his own design company in the town, became part of the lifeboat crew in March 2023. So far, he has spent a total of 132 hours at sea on the lifeboats, having also qualified as a trained inshore lifeboat crew member earlier this year.

Gary, who also works locally, joined the RNLI in April of last year. Like all crew members, he started as shore crew while undergoing his training for the all-weather boat. He has spent 104 hours at sea on the lifeboat so far.

As all-weather lifeboat crew members, Will and Gary help to operate the lifeboat during training and rescues, and help to ensure the safety of casualties. They have undertaken regular weekly training since joining the crew, including boat handling, radio communications, casualty care, navigation and radar work.

The Trent class lifeboat was developed in the early 1990s and introduced into the RNLI fleet in 1994. Fowey’s Trent class, the Maurice and Joyce Hardy, arrived in Fowey on September 25, 1996. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 25 knots, the Trent was the fastest all-weather lifeboat of the time and the first to be able to cover 250 nautical miles.

Fowey’s lifeboat is fast and agile enough to respond quickly in all kinds of weather and sea conditions. She is ideal for offshore searches and rescues and has the power to tow large boats to safety. Should she capsize in severe weather, she will automatically right herself within a few seconds.

Comprehensive medical equipment that can be used by the crew is carried onboard, including oxygen and a full resuscitation kit, Entonox for pain relief, a large responder bag and three different stretchers.

Fowey’s all-weather lifeboat carries a small XP boat, which is an inflatable daughter boat with a 5hp outboard engine capable of six knots. This allows the crew to access areas the Trent cannot reach. She also carries a portable salvage pump which crew members can take onboard boats taking on water to try to save them from sinking.

Along with the rest of the Fowey volunteer RNLI crew, Will and Gary are trained and ready to go out and save lives at sea, 24/7.

Fowey lifeboat coxswain Jonathan Pritchard said: ‘I am delighted for Gary and Will. They have both worked very hard and shown dedication and enthusiasm throughout their training processes. They are an asset to our team and everyone at the station congratulates them on their successful passing out.”