Push the boat out to find adventure
IT is not a job for the faint-hearted but it is one for those seeking adventure, a sense of achievement and a joy in helping others.
East Sutherland Rescue Association (Esra) is appealing for volunteers to help take the highly valued service forward and safeguard its future.
The independent group, which is based in Dornoch and operates an inshore lifeboat, currently has a core of 10 long-serving members but at least as many again are needed.
Chairman and co-founder Neil Dalton said: "Our numbers are low and, with no disrespect to anyone, we are not young – our average age is in the mid forties.
"However, it is not our lowest numbers ever. Many years ago we got down to five, but it was very difficult to keep the organisation going at that level."
He added: "A minimum of four people are required before the boat can be launched, therefore we need a big enough pool of people to ensure that enough trained crew men or women respond in the event of a call-out."
Esra was formed 34 years ago after the idea of an inshore lifeboat was mooted by a local police inspector.
The group is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and operates within the Dornoch Firth and inner waterways, working with emergency services. It has a boat shed on Dornoch beach.
Call-outs average around 10 a year. Last year was busier than average but Esra is going through a quiet spell.
There have been some memorable rescues, including the 30-mile inland excursion on the flooded River Cassley at the tail end of a hurricane in 1992 to reach a party of stranded salmon fishermen.
Mr Dalton said: "There is a tremendous buzz when you have a call out – it is just that feeling that you are going to help someone when no other help is available and it is all resting on your shoulders."
The organisation is self-funded and costs around £7000 a year to run. A weekly raffle is held at the Dornoch Hotel to raise funds and there are also donations and bequests. A grant from the Department of Transport’s Inland and Inshore Rescue Boat Fund over the last two years has enabled the purchase of new equipment and a launch vehicle.
Lord Cadogan donated £34,000 in 2014 towards the purchase of the current boat, a 16ft rigid inflatable called the Glen Cassley – named after the river rescue which featured on BBC’s 999 programme.
Through the years, crew members have included teachers, solicitors, council workers, accountants, butchers and bakers as well as numerous auxiliary coastguards.
Volunteers must be aged 18 and over and be able to commit at least one afternoon or evening a month to Esra as well as respond to emergency call-outs. The group is not gender-specific and has three women members.
Anyone who is interested in working with Esra, but is uneasy about crewing a boat, is still encouraged to apply.
Mr Dalton said: "People can volunteer to be shore based and need not go out in the boat. There is work for everyone even if it is only having the kettle boiling for when the crew comes back!"
Training, equipping and putting new recruits through disclosure incurs a substantial cost; a dry suit alone costs around £800 while lifejacket, helmet, gloves and boots set the group back another £550 per person.
Therefore there is a probationary period in order to assess volunteers’ suitability and ability to get on with fellow team members.
Those who are in it for the long-run can expect to receive extensive training from qualified instructors in skills such as power boat handling, first aid and marine short wave radio.
Mr Dalton said: "Winter sessions are normally classroom based while we take the boat out in the summer to practice close manoeuvring, ferry gliding and man overboard techniques."
And there is one thing for certain – Esra volunteers may not be paid but they get much more out of the role than they ever put in.
Mr Dalton said: "If someone came along now and offered to pay me for my work with Esra, I would be quite insulted, to be honest.
"We have a fantastic camaraderie. People are there because they want to be there.
"And there is no feeling to beat the one when you pluck someone out of the water and they survive. I cannot think of any other feeling like it."
For more information or to express an interest in becoming an Esra volunteer, email: dornochlifeboat@outlook.com
