Harbour master Captain Peter Gill, left, and deputy harbour master Captain Tony Pattimore in the rescue co-ordination centre. (Picture by Brian Green, 1170913)

LIFEBOAT crew members act as heroes for the local community, the harbour master has said.

And deputy harbour master Tony Pattimore said the volunteers had to be prepared for any situation, no matter how dangerous.

They were commenting after the recent case of missing French yachtsman Alain Gouard, whose yacht was found adrift at Pleinmont before he was later found dead, because it was an example of crew members having to think outside the box.

‘When we got there and discovered there was nobody on board it was no longer a rescue mission,’ Captain Pattimore said. ‘The circumstances changed completely.

‘The crew had a look around and realised no one had been on board for quite a few hours so we had a lot of background and forensic work to do because he could have been kidnapped or fallen overboard – it became a criminal investigation.’

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