Winching - A beginner's guide - “Just slip this strop over your head & under you arms”

by Mike Pennell

The arrival of a helicopter at the Museum brings back some memories of my RNLI days because, totally unknown to me when I joined, helicopter transfers were often part of a lifeboat exercise. For someone who has a strong fear of heights, the thought of dangling from anything up in the air was quite frightening, but I discovered it was not so bad – presumably because one is always “hooked on” to the machine (or the winchman) – and usually only about 30 feet above the water.

My first experience was a little daunting and was a double lift – in a strop with the winch man’s legs wrapped around me – but I did prefer single lifts without being so intimately close to a member of the RAF or the Navy!! A short line dangles beneath the strop so that it can 'earth' the helicopter’s static in the water before the receiving crew get a severe shock. Lifeboatmen also enjoyed the arrival of their Inspector from above, grabbing various parts of my anatomy to ensure I came into the boat rather than be 'dunked'.

A variation is the 'High-line' lift. Used when the casualty is a yacht with high masts and the machine cannot hover immediately above (risking the line being caught in the rigging). A line is passed to the yacht, (usually by the winchman entering the water nearby & swimming alongside) and the subsequent lift undertaken with the machine out to one side. The line is kept hand-taut by the winchman aboard the casualty vessel as the survivor or stretcher is lifted diagonally - (the line must not be attached to the yacht in case it pulls the helicopter out of the sky).

Manoeuvring under a helicopter is quite an art in an Inshore lifeboat, because of the helicopter’s down draft (very strong with a Sea King). The helicopter pilot dictates the course and speed (as with all lifts), and the Helmsman drives in from the helicopter’s starboard side – hopefully arriving under the suspended winchman!! Once the transfer is completed, the boat should 'break away to starboard at speed' because in the event of a catastrophic failure in the helicopter, it will always fall to its port side – a comforting thought!!

On the offshore lifeboats, the coxswain is told what course & speed to make and the helicopter 'forms' above the afterdeck; this allows the pilot to see the bow of the boat, giving him a reference point for the winch operator’s movement instructions; the 'break away' procedure is the same as for Inshore boats.

If a lifeboatman was travelling any distance in the helicopter, the crew would often require him to remove his lifejacket, because the type used in my day had too much inherent buoyancy to allow the wearer to get to the helicopter’s Emergency exit in the event of it being immersed after 'ditching' in the sea.

I also realised 'how the other half live' when I was involved in the planning of our annual Royal Visits by the President. The Duke of Kent would visit five stations in a day, by air, and a reconnaissance flight had to be undertaken first – carrying the RNLI Inspector and Special Branch officers. The Queen’s Flight operated Wessex helicopters then and I was pleased to see a crew member jump out as we landed, bearing a fire extinguisher (in case of any emergency); before take off he would be the last aboard. On the day of the actual visit, with Royalty aboard, I realised just how unimportant I was – the Fire Extinguisher man was supported by an attendant Fire Engine, & an Ambulance was parked at the landing site!!

The inside of the red Royal Flight Wessex was also rather different; comfortable seats and total sound insulation were fitted, and an aircraftman offered tea during the flight!!

Beautiful craftsmanship

The Education department would like to say a very BIG thank you to Geoff Street, one of the boat workshop volunteers for the beautifully crafted boat models he has made.

The six boats consist of a seine boat, stop-seine boat, anchor boat, lurker and two dippers and are all made to scale using a lines plan that Education Officer, Debbie Rogers, found in a book in the Bartlett Library. The boats will be used to demonstrate to school children how shoals of pilchards were caught with seine nets as part of the ‘Hevva, Hevva’ living history workshop. Debbie says: ‘The model boats are a much needed visual aid and will give the children the opportunity to do some hands-on learning rather than watching me demonstrate the process with some rather ghastly laminated boat shapes!’

New lighthouse workshop for schools

Here is a photo of Tom Hare as Eddie Matthews the Lighthouse Keeper.

School children will be able to meet a Lighthouse Keeper as part of a new workshop for Year 1 and 2 children (6-8 year olds). Eddie will ask the children to help him run the lighthouse as his two colleagues are sick in bed and Mr Grimshaw, the Lighthouse Inspector, is coming to do a thorough inspection.

The children will take part in challenges related to running a lighthouse, including sending a barrel full of supplies across the sea. If they complete all the tasks and the lighthouse passes inspection then they will receive a certificate which states they are now a Lighthouse Keeper Assistant.

Thanks goes to Trinity House and Pam Rowan for their help with Tom's costume.

Debbie Rogers (Education Dept)

Thanks Mick!

A BIG thank you goes to Mick Duff from the Museum education department.

Mick has made three table-top rope making machines and a taller folding version for the education outreach workshops ‘Voyage of the Mystery’ and ‘Hevva, Hevva’.

Debbie takes the workshops to schools who can't travel to the museum so needed smaller machines that would fit in the back of her small car along with all the props and costume. They will be used for the first time on 2nd March by children at Wadebridge school.

by Debbie Rogers

Scramble!

by NMMC Poet Laureate

I used to use the Lighthouse
when I steamed around the coasts –
a nautical Belisha
on a massive granite post!!

Our Lighthouses are going –
though they’ve been a great success;
(Once Maintenance get in the Hold,
there’ll be a right old mess!!)

A Helicopter’s coming
I wonder “Will it hover?
or dangle from the roof above,
maybe that’s too much bovver!!”

We could winch up awkward children
and leave them there to play,
the parents could look round alone
and have a peaceful day.

'Chinooks' are far too big to fit,
but a 'Sea King' should fit through
The 'Whirlwind' is now out of date –
though a 'Wessex' just might do.

There used to be a 'Dragonfly',
now been long phased out,
In Cyprus there’s a 'Griffin'-
named after HIM!! (I doubt!!!)

Whatever type we put on show,
the tourists will enjoy,
I shall want to climb in too –
and so will every boy.