June 2010
My day at the seaside began at nine fifteen when I left home.
I was living at Scarborough at the time having decided after fifty years in Essex if I hadn’t made my way to live at the sea side by now I never would.
Crossing the main road I made way for the donkeys trotting their way down to the sea to work on the beach. Katie their owner had a farm above me where they grazed. As they pass their legs look like young girls with high heels and they wag their bottoms.
I followed down the road passing the hotels and down the twisting incline to the beach. I like to walk along the sand which is firm and soft and to be along the edge of the sea is totally vitalising.
It’s the North Sea, so usually rough and chilly even in mid-summer. It’s quite a stretch to the life boat station where I meet the mechanic hosing down the boat. He has such pride in her and sometimes regrets having to take her out in an emergency, because she will get all covered in sand again.
He is a strong young man and the only member of the crew that has a take home pay.
I meet my partner for the day and we open the shop which is tucked in beside the boat. It’s really exciting having it tower over us and I feel quite proud to be a part of the team.
We are right on the beach and at times the tide reaches into the building so far that we have our feet wet. We can also see the kids on the beach. However cold we feel, watching them they always strip off and surge in the freezing water. Meeting so many folk in from everywhere and all feeling happy to be on holiday, they are cheerful and generous. All think this charity does the most good, saving lives. We sell a fair selection of maritime paraphernalia but our best sellers are always the Christmas cards, being requested from April, how sad is that.
We have to make up stories at times, they seem to be expecting excitement and adding a little colour does no harm. Of course there is always the clever dickie who asks all the technical details so I pass them over to an old time life boat crewman who seems to hang about every day as he cannot bear to be away from the sea. All are concerned that the mast of the boat is higher that the opening in the shed. We sometimes tell them they have to lift the roof to launch the boat not that the mast turns on a swivel sideways.
Having completed my shift I have a snack, usually finishing with a huge ice cream while sitting on the wall of the shed. Suddenly I heard a call from inside the boathouse. It was a shout. Within minutes the lifeboat crew were arriving on whatever transport was available. All went to their designated posts, some starting the tractor to tow the boat into the water, another collecting all the equipment, one undoing supports and starting the engines. Within eleven minutes they entered the water and were away in this case to rescue a fishing boat fourteen miles out that had lost use of its rudder.
We were all eager for them to succeed but the look of pride on their faces said it all, that they loved it.
Walking home seemed a bit tame after the excitement but it was very special paddling my toes in the waves and watching all the young families having their good out at the seaside.