D is for Drogue
Yet again on the Lifeboat theme. D is for Drogue.........The drogue or sea anchor is a piece of equipment that we use on the Lifeboat to steady her in rough weather. The one we have on the Ann & James Ritchie is manufactured from a very thick industrial plastic type material. It resembles a small parachute but with a hole in the end. It is deployed from the stern of the boat on the end of two very long ropes and is towed behind with the large open mouth facing the boat. The photo above shows it as I have taken it out of its locker and placed on the foredeck just to get a good picture of it. It is stowed in the port rope locker.....
..................along with the main line. The other line which is known as the tripping line is stowed in the opposite starboard locker.
...........It takes two people to deploy it and can be ready within a short time. First of all, it, along with the main line is taken to the stern of the boat, the rope put through the centre fair lead then back over the rails and then attached to the shackle on the end of the blue strapping. Spare rope is flaked out on the deck then tied to the towing post or bits. The tripping line from the starboard locker is taken alongside to the stern put through the starboard fair lead over the railings and attached to the rear of the drogue chain, again using a shackle then tied off on the starboard bits. To deploy, the drogue and main line are thrown over the rails and the rope paid out slowly until the first mark. The rope is then tied off whilst the tripping line is paid out slowly to its first mark then tied off. The tripping line is that much longer so when both lines are at the same mark the drogue is in its set position.......Altogether there are three marks on each rope so it can be extended quite a way from the boat. To retrieve the process is done in reverse order so then when it has collapsed it can be hauled back on board........
......If you have found this interesting you can read even more about the Ramsey Lifeboat on my site at www.freewebs.com/mannananscloak

C is for Caterpillar

Not as you would expect a real catterpillar but keeping on the Lifeboat theme, today I bring you images of the two catterpillar engines that power our Mersey Class Lifeboat the Anne & James Ritchie, here in Ramsey, on the beautiful Isle of Man.............Below is the Port Engine, left hand side as the boat is pointing forward.......
........The two Catterpillar V8 Turbo Charged Marine Diesel engines produce 320 shaft horse power each which gives our boat a top speed in the region of 16 to 17 knots. With both diesel tanks full and travelling at this top speed we would have a time before refueling of 10 hours or a range of 140 nautical miles......
........The image above is of the starboard engine and as you can see both are kept in pristine condition and are ready to be fired up at a moments notice.On all Lifeboat stations around the country there is a full time mechanic. All other crew like myself are volunteers. At our station we have, in addition to the full time mechanic a second, third and fourth person (female I must add) who can fill in whenever one of the others can't make it for one reason or another. This duplication goes the same on all positions for instance, coxswain, helmsman, navigator, radar operator, deck hand, emergency first aider.I've been on the boat four years now and am competent on the last three of those and am in the process of learning the ins and outs of navigation be it using the chart or the sat nav equipment which is on board. And finally below are two more images this time of both engines showing you what little room the mechanics have to work in. The first one is taken looking to the stern of the boat with the wheelhouse up the facing steps. The second one facing the bow with the door just visible at the top of the step that leads into the survivors cabin......