Brian Whatcott wrote:
On Fri, 6 Jun 2008 21:33:16 +0100, "Dennis Pogson"
wrote:

... On UK television tonight we had a film of the
rescue services (lifeboat) going out to a £500,000 motor yacht,
allegedly the first in this country to be driven by biofuels.
...
Dennis.

The UK is a small country, no doubt. Nowhere more than 150 miles from
the sea possibly. But I was struck again, visiting Walsall and
Birmingham in the Midlands last week i.e as far as it gets from the
ocean, how the Lifeboat service is never far from their consciousness.

I saw collecting boxes in the pubs and a poster on some public
building. Then there were the radio marine gale forecasts - for
Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Thames, Cromarty, Forth, Dogger Bank
Biscay, Dover, Lundy, The names allbecome familiar from long
repetition.

Brian W

Yes, it's interesting to see the way our emergency services have developed
as compared to the US. Hard to say which is the best way to go. The way our
lifeboat service co-ordinates with the other services (eg Coastguard
helicopters) must be unique. The BBC radio forecasts are still used by most
mariners, although there are now so many alternative sources, including your
mobile phone, that any yachtsman who puts to sea without knowing the weather
would be an idiot.

On the only-150-miles-from-the-sea thing, we all had a laugh this week when
an American Travel brochure, discussing Aviemore (in the Scottish
Highlands), stated that it was "quite close" to Tower Bridge, Buckingham
Palace, and the Houses of Parliament.

Aviemore is around 600 miles from all of these places, and with gas at
$10.38 a (British) gallon, your tourists would find it an expensive trip in
their hired BMW!

Can't blame them for trying though! We need the tourists!


Dennis.