Dominic Gregory volunteers for the RNLI as part of the crew of the Dungeness lifeboat. Many of the families with whom he serves have volunteered for generations. These are remarkable yet ordinary men and women – who serve as shore crew, or boat crew, or who keep the records and brew the tea. All, in their different ways, give up their time, livelihoods and safety to brave wind, tide and storms, not to mention the peril of navigating between the vast floating skyscrapers that make up so much of modern shipping.
Lifeboat at the End of the World is the first book to depict the experience of what it is like to volunteer on a lifeboat: the smells of the water, the little knots when an alarm comes, how the crew is trained, the teamwork and trust, the ethos of the service. But it is when inflatable dinghies – overloaded with people – begin arriving on the shores of Dungeness that the lifeboat crew must face perhaps their greatest test. The author’s account offers extraordinary power and immediacy. While most of us will never serve in a lifeboat, we might find ourselves thankful for their unflinching and fearless assistance at sea.
Chaired by Lulah Ellender, author of Elisabeth’s Lists and Grounding.
