Wick Lifeboat "The Roy Barker II"
Caithness Amateur Radio Society are taking part in the SOS radio week 2012. Members of the club are activating the Wick lifeboat station using the club callsign MS0FNR.
Activation will be over the weekend of the 21st-22nd January.
Everyone is welcome to come along to give support at Wick Lifeboat Station.
Thier progress can be followed on the dedicated website http://www.sosradioweek.org.uk/
Pictured: James Durrand setting up some of the equipment that will be used to contact the various radio stations during the event.
High School Pupils Raise Money For RNLI
Wick High School
pupils raised a £180.00 for Wick RNLI, at their weekly cafe.
They held a “Brew for the Crew”
event in their Cafe within Wick
High School. The day
started off extremely busy and remained so for the rest of the event. It was so
popular that there were requests for the Cafe to stay open for longer. After
opening at 10am and closing the doors at 12.40pm they had raised an amazing
£182 and sold over £80 worth of RNLI merchandise.
The pupils started their cafe project in
October last year. It was the brain
child of Miss Donna Swanson who works within the pupil support department. The idea behind the cafe was to build the
confidence of the pupils by taking on the role as member of staff rather than a
pupil. Their duties include setting up
the cafe for example washing table clothes, cleaning the room, setting
tables. Pupils also prepare the tasty
and healthy food within in the school.
Then its uniforms on, notepads out and it’s off to work to serve the
staff, pupils and on occasion special guests.
Donna Swanson says “I feel the pupils are
really benefiting from learning a little of what it’s like to work in the real
world. At the same time they are
improving their numeracy, literacy, social and communication skills but most of
all are gaining confidence.”
The staff of the ‘Wickers Cafe’
then made their way down to visit the Lifeboat crew and to present the money.
They were met by Coxswain Ian
Cormack and crew member Karl McFarquhar and treated to a VIP tour of the
lifeboat shed and the lifeboat and an unforgettable light display.
Grant Sutherland chief brewer of
the ‘Wicker Cafe’ says “I am glad we raised money for the lifeboat, it was good
fun and when I am older I would like to be a volunteer.”
Lifeboat aids Creel Boat
Wick RNLI lifeboat responded to a
Mayday call from the local fishing vessel, Star of Staxigoe on Tuesday 12th July.
The vessel, which was single manned, fouled
its propeller whilst fishing close to rocks, near Noss Head north of Wick, and
was in danger of running aground.
Another local vessel the “Vital Spark 11”
also heard the call for assistance and arrived on scene a few minutes before
the lifeboat and managed to get a tow aboard the casualty to hold the vessel
cleat of the rocks.
The tow was then passed to the lifeboat and
the vessel was towed to its home harbour at Staxigoe, arriving safely at
3:10pm.
The lifeboat then returned to its base in Wick Harbour
where it was quickly made ready for service once more.
Motor Cruiser rescued at Pentland
Skerries
Wick
RNLI lifeboat responded to a call from help from the 32 ft. Motor Cruiser, Fair
Morn, on Monday 2nd May. The vessel, which had three persons on
board, was on passage from Kirkwall to Wick
when it suffered engine failure very close to the Pentland Skerries, 14 miles
north of Wick.
The
fishing vessel Sulu Sea was in the vicinity
and it also responded to the call for help and initially took the casualty in
tow until the arrival of the lifeboat. Upon arrival on scene the tow was then
taken over by the RNLI vessel and the casualty was taken to Wick, in freshening
weather conditions, arriving at Wick Marina
at 4:15pm after a three hour tow.
Lifeboat aids Fishing Vessel
Wick RNLI lifeboat responded to a call from help from the Keiss fishing vessel, Golden
Dawn, on Thursday 28th April. The vessel, which had two of a crew, had been fishing two
miles off the Caithness coast to the south of Duncansbay Head when it suffered engine
failure. As there were no other vessels in the area to help, the skipper called up the
Coastguard for assistance.
The lifeboat was requested to launch and left Wick harbour on service at 1009 and
reached the casualty, approx 10 miles north of Wick, by 1040. Once on scene a tow was
established and the stricken vessel was towed to its home port of Keiss, arriving there at
1130. The lifeboat then returned to its base in Wick Harbour where it was quickly made
ready for service once more.
Retired doctor successfully completes London marathon raising funds for the RNLI and Wick Lifeboat.
Peter
Joiner, a 65 year old retired doctor from Lybster in Caithness has
successfully completed the London marathon in a time of 4 hours and
thirty eight minutes.
Peter has to date raised £5,500, and with
some sponsorship and donations to be collected is confident of a final
total of over £6,000.
Dr
Joiner presents Anne Dunnett, Lord Lieutenant of Caithness with a
bouquet of flowers after drawing the raffle he organised as part of his
fundraising for the RNLI, a list of the winners can be found here https://sites.google.com/site/wicklifeboat02/raffle-prizes
Wick Lifeboat was called out on Monday night 07/03/2011 to a creel boat which had suffered engine failure 1/2 mile South of Wick Harbour.
The lifeboat found the boat at anchor, fixed a tow and took the boat with it's two crew back to Wick harbour.
New! http://www.youtube.com/user/officialrnli
Winner of our Christmas hamper Isaac Mcphee of Corner Cresent Wick is presented with the hamper by fundraising chairman Hamish Steven. 2nd prize of a £50 Co-op voucher was Michelle Foubister of Brown place Wick, and third prize a large framed photograph of Wick Lifeboat was won by Charlie Mclean of Papigoe. £1200 was raised by the event.
Wick lifeboat was called to a stranded family cut off by the tide on Friday 15th Oct. The family of three had been fishing at the "Trinkie" and did not realise that certain areas got cut off by the rising tide.
Harpsdale Fishing Competition 2010
2010 Clay Pigeon Shoot
Wick Lifeboat entering Wick harbour with the Yacht "Pickerel" in tow
The yacht put out a mayday call after taking on water 13 miles off the coast, Wick Lifeboat reached the scene to find the yacht in dificulties, seas at the time were confused with a 3-4 meters swell.
Ian Cormack Coxswain of Wick Lifeboat recieves a cheque for £3,700 from the Helmsdale fundraisers at thier harbour day
Bill and Ros Bruce, have undertaken a challenging sponsored cycle ride from Land’s End to John’O’Groats to raise £1,410 for the RNLI.
Lifeboat Operations Manager Bruce Tait said: ‘This was a tremendous achievement, and we thank Bill and Ros for the generous donation.’
Their journey of 900 miles took them 14 days it total with an average of 65 miles covered a day, including one leg of 94 miles. Their story began back in February when they had decided that to undertake the adventure and begin the serious training which would see them through the trip. They encountered dry weather through most of the trip with head winds all the way North until they entered Caithness.
Bill & Ros would like to thank everyone who gave them their support.
New photo's of crew on crew page
Training exercise May 10th
John Robertson and Mark Cormack receive their long service medals from divisional inspector for Scotland Waveney Crooke
John Begg on his retirement serving as treasurer of the Wick branch for 17 years
