By Isle of Wight Observer
Volunteer crew member, Alex Pimm, became the latest fully qualified coxswain on Yarmouth’s Severn class all-weather lifeboat on Monday.
Having joined the crew aged 17, 12 years ago, Alex has followed in his grandfather, father and older brother Richard’s footsteps, and has dedicated most of his free time volunteering with Yarmouth RNLI.
Having already passed out as a deputy mechanic, Alex didn’t stop there when it came to his training, completing as many assessments and training modules as he could, including qualifying as a navigator in January of last year.
At the earliest opportunity, Alex began the training for his coxswain assessment, which has also included courses attended at the RNLI college, in Poole.
Alex’s final assessment included a series of tasks including a simulated search for a vessel followed by a person in the water, a man over board recovery, anchoring, demonstrating what needs to be done during emergency procedures, and testing on his local knowledge,
boat handling and leadership skills.
Alex said: “A huge thanks goes to all my fellow crew for their guidance, patience, and support over the last few months. I really appreciate each and every one of you.”
Mal Butler