21st - 22nd March

21st March day 380

A little hungover i decided to chill out for the day and catchup with my videos. The last time I'd sunk that much rum was  when iain thornber bought me a couple of bottles at Christmas. I was really feeling it but after spending over a year focused on the ultimate goal and mostly keeping tea total, well orange juice and lemonade / coffee total, it was good to let my hair down. Well when i say letting my hair down i actually mean having it clippered to within an inch of its life.

That evening i was in for yet another surprise, a party in the boathouse complete with disco, all spontaneously organised and derek fleet had driven from Manchester to join us for an evening of misbehaviour. My time at silloth was certainly going to be one I'd never forget including the the walk back to sues from the station in the early hours of the morning. Linked arm in arm we all marched in the dark along the promenade and when i began to feel the ground raise beneath me and suddenly vanish sending me crashing to the ground all Derek and sue could say was "that was a good roll, i give it 9.5 out of ten", not "oh adam are you ok". I hadn't known, i mean how could I  have, there were concrete steps directly in my path.

22nd March day 381

For the second day running i was feeling the worse for wear. Sues morning wake up call could also do with a lit polishing. Thump thump thump "if you want to go on the boat we have to be there in 15 minutes". I'm still not sure how but i managed to get myself dressed and staggered down stairs. Derek looked considerably better than i felt. With no time for coffee we headed back to the station.

Immediately upon arrival sue set about organising some much needed caffeine, i don't seem to function well without it. Then it was time to climb into fleeces and dry suits and fasten up my buoyancy aid before climbing on board the b class rib ready for my first excursion on an rnli lifeboat. Getting to see first hand how the lifeboat crew worked as a team to save lives was a trek ambition I'd had. I was now going to fulfil this ambition to its fullest.

The launching of the lifeboat was a fairly simple affair, the calm  weather helping enormously. The station tractor pushed the boat laden trailer down the slipway and into the water, mel oriented me and ensured i was comfortable connecting me up to the intercom and attaching an alarm cord to me. Sitting at the rear of the boat the alarm cord is used should something happen if a rogue wave decided to throw me overboard. The guys at the front wouldn't have a clue i was overboard, a simple but effective safety measure.

The whole process took only a matter of minutes and before I knew it the throttle was opened and we'd launched. Sat at the back I could see everything, derek was just in front of me and mel to my side. As the power went down on the two enormous engines the bow lifted and we began skipping over the waves along the solway and out to sea. The purpose of the exercise was to plot the large metal bouys on the boats gps instruments. In no time at all we arrived at the first. Slowing to a halt i could see the power of the incoming tide as it ripped beneath the bouy trying it hardest to move it in towards the estuary.

Then we moved on to the next. It  didn't take long at all. Looking back at the shore i could bearly make out the houses, mere dots in the distance. We then turned away and headed over to the Scottish side of the solway aiming for a  familiar looking lighthouse I'd walked passed the week before. It looked different from this side, smaller.

As we slowed i was called up over the intercom. It was my turn at the helm. I disconnected myself with mels help and went up front. After a quick induction we were off. My task, to keep in the deep channels that carved their way through the sandy sea bed. It wasn't as easy as the crew had made it look. With one hand on the throttle, one eye on the depth gauge and another eye on the shoreline we set off.

Although the lifeboat was able to sit in very little water avoiding the shallows was extremely difficult and i found myself relying on the instructions and experience  of the crew. It was great fun and with perfect weather conditions a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was then the turn of derek to return us back to silloth.

Approaching the lifeboat station i was once again called forward. Derek slowed to a stop and mel lowered herself  into the water, I followed. Entering the solway with one hand on the rope which went around the rib i released trapped air from my dry suit and pushed off floating away. It was a relaxing experience, a perfect hangover cure. Mel took my arm and we lay back bobbing up and down casually conversing while the boat went away occasionally passing us send the wake our way. I was in my element.
After about 5 minutes, although it felt much longer, the lifeboat returned. It pulled up slowly and controlled along side us. Mel and i swam in closer. I wondered what the procedure was for getting out of the water. Mel went first. She headed to the stern so i followed. Loosing her grip mel began floating away. Immediately i reached out and grabbed her helmet to pull her in. It was a natural reflex. Reaching up mel took hold of a handle and began to haul herself up out of the water. I went behind to the far side and did the same. There was no elegant method of boarding the boat once you  were in the  water.

It was harder than you can imagine and took all my strength to pull myself up, grabbing onto anything i could and scrambling onto the inflated tubes that kept the boat buoyant. Mel was having a little more difficulty. After a couple of attempts she was tired and dropped back into the solway. Her pockets had filled with water and had caught on something preventing her from easily getting back on board. Pulling herself back round to  the side she used a strap the crew had attached to the side of the boat and hooking one foot in pulled herself out landing on the deck like a fish out of water.

It was a fantastic experience and one i will never forget. Looking out fromthe boat i was quite amazed at how far mel and i had drifted in the current.  The boat house was quite some distance away. That afternoon back at sues i relaxed and downloaded the footage I'd captured on my gopro to produce a short video sharing the experience with everyone following the trek.