Hi-tech lifeboat sets sail (From Penarth Times)

Hi-tech lifeboat sets sail

TENBY'S new Tamar class RNLI lifeboat, the first in the UK to be allocated to a lifeboat station, sailed into Cardiff Bay on Thursday to the delight of onlookers.

The volunteer RNLI crew at Tenby took the £2.5m lifeboat home to Pembrokeshire on March 2.

They have since been busy getting acquainted with every aspect of the new lifeboat, which is to be named Haydn Miller in honour of the donor.

On Thursday, the lifeboat sailed from Tenby to Cardiff Bay, enabling the crew to practise various exercises and rescue scenarios along the way.

The lifeboat docked in the bay for a short period before embarking on the return journey to Pembrokeshire.

The Tamar which will replace Tenby's current Tyne class lifeboat Sir Galahad was welcomed by the RNLI's Stormy Stan and staff from the RNLI's regional fundraising office in Cardiff.

Simon Hayes, RNLI Deputy Divisional Engineer who accompanied the crew on Thursday's training passage says: "The RNLI gets so much support within the Cardiff area, we thought it would be nice show our appreciation and show the public the latest RNLI lifeboat.

"It was good to see so many people come along to have a look at her."

Compared to the Tyne class the Tamar is bigger - 16 metres as opposed to 14 - and has a faster response time, with a speed of 25, rather than 17 knots.

The Tamar has more safety features built in to protect the crew, including a new seat design that will reduce loadings on crew members' spines in rough weather.

A new on board computer known as SIMS (Systems and Information Management System) further improves safety because a lot of the lifeboat's functions can now be managed remotely.

This means the crew do not have to move around the lifeboat while underway, reducing the risk of accidents. TENBY'S new Tamar class RNLI lifeboat, the first in the UK to be allocated to a lifeboat station, sailed into Cardiff Bay on Thursday to the delight of onlookers.

The volunteer RNLI crew at Tenby took the £2.5m lifeboat home to Pembrokeshire on March 2.

They have since been busy getting acquainted with every aspect of the new lifeboat, which is to be named Haydn Miller in honour of the donor.

On Thursday, the lifeboat sailed from Tenby to Cardiff Bay, enabling the crew to practise various exercises and rescue scenarios along the way.

The lifeboat docked in the bay for a short period before embarking on the return journey to Pembrokeshire.

The Tamar which will replace Tenby's current Tyne class lifeboat Sir Galahad was welcomed by the RNLI's Stormy Stan and staff from the RNLI's regional fundraising office in Cardiff.

Simon Hayes, RNLI Deputy Divisional Engineer who accompanied the crew on Thursday's training passage says: "The RNLI gets so much support within the Cardiff area, we thought it would be nice show our appreciation and show the public the latest RNLI lifeboat.

"It was good to see so many people come along to have a look at her."

Compared to the Tyne class the Tamar is bigger - 16 metres as opposed to 14 - and has a faster response time, with a speed of 25, rather than 17 knots.

The Tamar has more safety features built in to protect the crew, including a new seat design that will reduce loadings on crew members' spines in rough weather.

A new on board computer known as SIMS (Systems and Information Management System) further improves safety because a lot of the lifeboat's functions can now be managed remotely.

This means the crew do not have to move around the lifeboat while underway, reducing the risk of accidents.