Image: RNLI Banner
Image: Severn class in a storm
The RNLI alternate universe was created by me, it is not the only AU I have created, but it is the largest and because it is set in Britain, it is perhaps more alternative than some others.
On this page is some background information and recourses for this AU
The RNLI was founded in 1824, it provides lifeboats, both off shore and in shore, around the coasts of Britain and Ireland and seasonal life guards on over 100 popular holiday and surfing beaches. The RNLI is now and always has been entirely funded by voluntary contributions and legacies (aided by tax concessions). The majority of crews are volunteers. Typically the lifeboat station will have one full time crew member (the mechanic) and the remainder of the crew are volunteers, who respond to a call out – known as a ‘shout’ – when their pager goes off. They must live and work with in a set travelling time of their boat. Once most crew came from marine backgrounds, but these days the majority of crew members have land based jobs, teachers, police officers, hair dressers, publicans, farmers, shopkeepers, accountants, artists etc. The commander of a lifeboat is known as a coxswain. Today there are over 230 lifeboats, 4600 crew, including 300 women. There is even a lifeboat on the Thames in London. The RNLI rescue an average of 22 people a day.
Lifeboats regularly put to sea in weather so bad no other boat or ship would go out in it and such heroism is not without risk or loss. Since1871 ten lifeboats have been lost with the loss of 108 lives. This includes the 27 men from 2 boats that were both lost in one rescue in 1886 and the 8 men of the Penlee boat in Cornwall who died in 1981.
I want to mention this disaster above all the others, only because I remember it, it happened in Cornwall where the AU is set, I took some inspiration from the events of that night in my story ‘New Crew’ and because it demonstrates not only the great courage that is shared by all lifeboat crews, but also their level headed understanding and acceptance of the risks they take and their feeling of being part of one big lifeboat family.
On the night of December the 19th 1981 one of the worst storms in living memory battered the coast of Cornwall. A ship, the Union Star, with 8 on board was in difficulties. When they called for help, the Penlee lifeboat responded, along with a navy rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose. The weather conditions were too bad for the helicopter to be able to winch anyone off the ship. Despite the appalling conditions the lifeboat made repeated attempts to get the four crewmen, the captain, his wife and her two children off the ship. They radioed that they had, with amazing seamanship and bravery, in 50 foot seas that twice put the lifeboat on the deck of the ship, taken off four men and were turning back to get the others. At that point the transmission ended. Everyone on both vessels were lost, only eight of the sixteen bodies were ever found. Twelve men responded to the lifeboat call, one was 17 year old Neil Brockman, but he was not taken, because the weather was so bad, coxswain William Trevelyan Richards didn’t want to take more than one member of any family and Neil’s father Nigel was already on the boat. Neil is (as off 2008) the coxwain of current Penlee lifeboat. When it became clear that the lifeboat was missing, three other lifeboats set out in hurricane force winds, to begin a search and rescue operation. The public response to the disaster was instantaneous and generous, with sufficient money being donated to replace the boat and provide for the widows and orphans. To this day the famous Christmas lights of Mousehole (pronounced ‘mow-zall’), the home town of the Penlee lifeboat, are put out for one hour every December the 19th as a mark of respect.
Not all lifeboat stories of heroism end in tragedy; in 1899 the Lynmouth Lifeboat was hauled cross country, over Exmoor to Porlock. It took them over 10 hours to get the boat there, and once there they put to sea and stood by until dawn, when a tug could reach the stricken ship. In 1907 four lifeboats rowed out repeatedly to the SS Suevic, which had hit a reef of the Cornish coast, for sixteen hours the men rowed back and fourth, rescuing all 456 people, including 50 babies.
Image: Team strip
Chris has been Coxswain of the Four Corners life boat for some time, and would have been on the ill fated St Julian the night she was lost had a tree not block the road and delayed his journey.
Chris owns a farm and riding stables, he raises organic lamb - he has lucrative contract to supply the Waitrose supermarket chain. A man called Harry helps him with the sheep. Chris owns a sheep dog called Fly. The stables are run for him by Casey Wells.
Chris' wife Sarah and son Adam were both were killed in a hit and run accident, the driver responsible has never been caught. Buck and Chris have been friends for some years. They used to play rugby together and still play cricket on the same team.
After school Chris did a gap year in Australia and India, he went back to India and later Africa after university to work with farmers. He met Sarah in Africa.
Horse - Shadow, quality horse, black, has a tendency to canter crab like if Chris lets him.
Car - old but reliable Land Rover
Buck was also due to be on the St Julian the night she was lost, had he not been injured in a rugby game that afternoon.
He was born near the naval dockyard at Devenport, his mother worked as a prostitute until Buck was in his hate teens, when she 'retired' and they moved to Four Corners.
He was still in his teens when she died in what was officially termed an accident - Buck has never accepted this verdict - after this he left the town to join the Navy, where he served as a chef. On returning to FC he purchased the Lifeboat Inn. JD also lives at the Inn, and Buck treats him as a brother and is very protective of him.
He owns a retired, very lazy, black greyhound called Mac.
Buck runs everyday, but he likes to run alone except for Mac
Although he's a fine chef, Buck almost never cooks for the pub, except for summer Bar-B-Qs. He does cook when it's his turn to do cricket club teas, he's a Marmite addict.
He learned how to ride, shear sheep etc, while trying to keep the farm going after Sarah and Adam were killed and Chris was drinking heavily.
Buck has a prominent scar on his back and a large surgical scar on his chest. He has a George Medal but won't say what he got it for.
He claims his mother called him Buck because his father was probably an American Navy sailor.
Horse - Max - belongs to Chris, big, grey, Max and Buck have an understanding, Buck is an amateur and Max is the pro, Max knew best.
Car - Yellow Volvo Estate, ageing.
Vin is a Welsh speaking Welshman; he didn't speak any English until he started school. After his father was sent to prison he and his mother moved back to live with her parents on a remote hill farm. After she died suddenly when he was 5, Vin lived with his elderly grandparents. After his grandmother died he lived on with his grandfather until the old man was no longer able to care for him. After this Vin was put into care - this was a very traumatic time in his life. After leaving school he joined the Marines and became a commando. Although he won the Queen's Award for Gallantry - how is classified, he left the Marines because he didn't have the real 'killer instinct' for the work he was being asked to do as a sniper.
After training with the RNLI to be a mechanic he was due to serve in his native Wales but there was a problem and he was transferred to FC. Unlike the rest of the crew, who are unpaid volunteers, as the senior mechanic, Vin is a full time RNLI employee.
He lives on his large vintage yacht The Lone Star. He finds it hard to talk to strangers, especially women. He is forever hungry and can eat vast amounts of food, his excuse is 'I'm a growing boy'. He is especial fond of Nettie's Cakes and any Curry.
Horse - Pike, belongs to Chris, big blaze face black, bad equine maners, previously ill-treated, Vin and Casey love him, everyone else hates him.
Car – Kawasaki motorbike, it can go off road and is light enough to be stored on the deck of the Lone Star.
Father Sanchez is the catholic priest in Four Corners; he combined this with his duties to the lifeboat until he felt it was time to give younger men a chance. After the tragic loss of the St Julian he was asked to return and agreed. Josiah has had an interesting life, working all over the world, before settling in Cornwall. His bishop disapproves of his pastoral style and his involvement with the lifeboat, however after Josiah received a medal from the Pope for his heroism there is little the bishop can do about it.
In what little spare time he has, Josiah likes to play golf. He has a very capable curate called Father Liam Connery.
Horse - Punch - belongs to Chris, dark chestnut, a big, strong willed horse, half thougherbread, half Suffolk Punch.
Car – Citron C3 hatchback – which belongs to the parish and is shared with Fr Connery.
Nathan trained to be a doctor in Cambridge and London and never dreamed of leaving the city until he met his Rain - a new age traveller. She has opened up his horizons and he went on the road with her for sometime before they settled in FC. Nathan works part time at the cottage hospital and provides cover for local GPs; this gives him time to be on call for the lifeboat. He and Rain live over the shop she runs. Nathan is a member of the town's cricket team. He learned to ride a horse to impress Rain.
Horse - Ben - belongs to Chris, dark bay, 'a big teddy bear of a horse'
Car – Toyota Prius.
Ezra was once a high flying City banker, he went to Eton and is an Oxford graduate with half blues in rugby and cricket. Ezra's City carrier ended in scandal and innuendo. Despite this Ezra is rich and continues to dabble in the Stock Market via the Internet. Ezra plays on the town's rugby and cricket teams. He also plays the piano.
He rides and has his own horse. He lives in the gate house of the manor house his mother owns - she got it when her husband died and left it to her. She hates it, it's grade 1 listed, she can't change it in anyway, nor can she sell it with out giving Ezra first refusal - a condition of her husband's will. This husband was the only stepfather Ezra had any kind of positive relationship with.
Horse - Cromwell - chestnut, quality horse, lives in the stables at the manor house.
Car - Range Rover
Born in Ireland, JD was raised by his housekeeper mother in other people's houses in Britain. This was the only way she could keep JD way from his drunk and abusive father. Academically gifted, JD graduated from university before he was 18 and only just before his mother died of cancer. Needing a total change he returned to FC, were he had spent many holidays, and volunteered for the lifeboat, where his is responsible for navigation. JD lives at the Lifeboat Inn and he sees Buck as the big brother he never had. When he turns 18, JD will start to working behind the bar at the Inn as well as working for Rain. He says he will start work on his dissertation one day, but not yet.
He took riding lessons as a way to get to know Casey.
Horse - Mexico - belongs to Chris, piebald polo pony, fast but safe.
Car - Fiat Bravo
Casey Wells - lives on the farm next to Chris and runs the riding stables for him, she and JD are an item. Rides a skewbald called Rodeo; she and JD look like cowboys together.
Nettie Wells - Casey's aunt, she owns the farm next to Chris, and has taken a shine to Vin. Nettie is on the RNLI fund raising committee.
Orin Travis - Chairman of the local RNLI committee. His son Steven was commanding the St Julian when she was lost.
Mary Travis - Steven Travis' widow, mother of his son Billy, she is the editor of the local paper and active on the fund raising committee for the RNLI.
Rain - Nathan's common law wife, she runs Aquarius, a successful new age shop in town, JD works for her.
Inez - Cook at the Lifeboat Inn, she lives in a flat above Buck and JD's, she and Buck have a very tempestuous working relationship, but she loves him really. Drives a small VW.
Mac - Buck's dog, a very lazy, black greyhound whose principal aims in life are getting people to feed him, getting his tummy rubbed and avoiding any physical exertion.
Gloria Potter - relief cook at the Life Boat Inn.
Rev Carter - Church of England priest of St Mary's.
Father Liam Connery - Josiah's curate, young but very capable.
Image: RNLI homes
Image: Crew Cars
Image: severn class
A Severn Class All Weather Boat, she is called the St Nicolas, and is moored in the harbour, which is a deep water harbour, meaning it as water in it even at low tide.
The Severn Class it the largest boat in the RNLI fleet, it is 55’9” long, 18’ in the beam, has a draught of 4’6” and displaces 40 tonnes. Powered by 2 diesels engines. Top speed 25 knots, range 250 nautical miles (460km). The Seven class is a self righting boat, even if turned over prow/stern first.
Inside a Severn Class Lifeboat
Severn class lifeboat - Below decks
Four Corners also has an inshore boat, a D class, which is housed in a boat house on the harbour beach and launched by trailer.
Four Corners is small fictional seaside town on the south coast of Cornwall, somewhere south of Helston. The old centre of the town is enclosed by a medieval wall. The town is built around a rocky headland on which stands the sparse ruins of a small castle. The headland helps to protect the harbour. Four Corners has a small cottage hospital, a police station, a train station and thriving rugby and cricket clubs. It is well served by shops, pubs, restaurants, banks etc as well as hotels, B & Bs, guest houses and self carting holiday accommodation. While the summer is the busiest time of the year, the town gets visitors all year, especially during the school holidays – last week in October, Christmas and New Year, mid February, Easter, and the last week in May. Just off the coast is the island of St Just, home to a Monastery, a small number of tenant farmers and a summer population of visitors, mostly bird watches and day trippers. There is a lighthouse on the island, but it is fully automated. As well as the current monastery there are ruins of the previous monasteries, which succumbed to pirate raids and the reformation. A small fleet of ferry boats serve the island, but in bad weather the lifeboat can be called on in emergencies. It take about an hour to cross to the island – in good weather.
Image: FC Harbour
Image: FC and StJ
The part of Four Corners is played by Tenby, the part of St Just Island is played by Caldey Island
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