'How big can these seas get?'

“How big can these seas get,” was a thought that crossed the mind of RNLI crewman and mechanic Simon James when he first joined the team over 30 years ago. 

“That’s the thought that I now fondly recall from one of my first shouts,” he added. 

For the RNLI's 200th anniversary celebrations, RNLI crew members from Torbay were asked to recall their most memorable moments with the team. For Simon, that moment was his very first rescue mission.

He said: “We headed out to assist a Brixham trawler 37 miles off Berry Head, in a proper south-westerly gale. It was one of my first shouts when I had less clue that the seas could get that shuffly.

“I remember being on the stern of the boat and looking up, looking up, looking up, and the wave was still above me. It was terrifying but an awesome moment.”

Born and raised in Brixham, Simon James only left the bay for work in the electronics industry but moved back at the first opportunity. 

Simon said: “I never fully left Brixham but I was always busy doing strange things in strange places. But then I changed jobs, which allowed me to come and join the crew.”

Having been around boats since childhood, Simon was a keen mariner. However, none of his experience would have fully prepared him for the challenges he would face working with the Torbay RNLI. 

“I’d always been around boats, but I’d never been out into the open channel. The first time I went out into a storm in the channel I was shocked. It sounds stupid now but I just had no idea what it would actually be like.

He added: “You get used to it, it just all becomes part of the job. The sea will always win if it wants to win, but what’s great about the RNLI is that we work as a team on board at all times, and everybody watches everyone's back.”

Having now worked with Torbay’s RNLI for over 30 years, Simon has become a crucial part of the team and is on call at all times. 

He said: “The rule is quite simple, if you're in Brixham and the pager goes off, you turn up. 

“But working for the RNLI over the years, I feel very blessed. With all the jobs that I’ve been involved with over the years, I’ve experienced so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise, whether it be the very worst news or the best times.

“Now that I've retired from my day job, it’s certainly better than gardening.”

Simon will be at the events on March 3 and 4 to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI. On Sunday 3 March, a historic 'Blessing of the Fleet' will unfold at the RNLI station in Brixham, where all lifeboats from the South Devon coast will convoy along the Breakwater to Torbay RNLI's berth where a special blessing ceremony. 

On Monday, March 4, a celebration will be held at Brixham's All Saints Church, where bells will ring for 200 seconds at 18:24 to symbolically mark the 200th anniversary. 

Simon added that: “the celebrations will be two events to remember.”