Oban RNLI lifeboat coxswains reach collective 100 years of service milestone

The Oban Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) coxswains have been celebrated for reaching a collective 100 years of service.

Each of the five men spent several years on the crew before embarking on months of additional training to gain the necessary qualifications to take command of the lifeboat.

Oban’s volunteer crew covers 500 miles of coastline, including 100 islands and 17 sea lochs.

Last year, the lifeboat celebrated 50 years of saving lives at sea. Now the RNLI is celebrating the crew’s achievements by sharing more details about the crew.

Who are the coxswains of Oban’s RNLI crew?

Full-time coxswain: Ally Cerexhe

Despite having no seagoing experience when he began volunteering for the RNLI at Portpatrick in 2001, Mr Cerexhe trained and qualified as a mechanic and deputy coxswain there before moving to become Oban’s full-time coxswain.

He believes the extensive experience and training of the crew means the lifeboat is always in safe hands.

He said: “It’s great having this amount of experience around you at sea; colleagues who really know these waters who you can bounce ideas off.

“It’s also brilliant knowing that, when I’m not on duty, the station is in safe and capable hands whichever of the deputies is on duty.

“People have dedicated years of their lives to responding when the pager goes off and have made a lot of sacrifices along the way. Each one is a credit to this lifeboat station and to the institution as a whole.”

Local fishing boat skipper: David Isaac

With more than 23 years of experience, David Isaac, a local fishing boat skipper, is the longest-serving of the deputy coxswains.

He said: “What makes it so rewarding is being part of a crew of volunteers. We are here because we want to be.

“Whatever role we are in, and often one of the others is taking the lead, we are all simply here to do a job and to help when someone needs us.”

Royal Yachting Association in Scotland head: Finlo Cottier

Finlo Cottier was until recently a professor of oceanography at the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

Now he is moving to head up the Royal Yachting Association in Scotland and first met the crew of the Oban lifeboat before even setting foot in the town.

He said: “I was sailing here, and I ended up getting towed in by the Oban lifeboat. I have been doing my bit to pay them back ever since.’

CalMac ferry captain: Mark Scott

In his day job, Captain Mark Scott is in charge of a rather larger vessel – the Master of CalMac’s Isle of Lewis. It makes the journey between Oban and Barra.

He serves on the Oban lifeboat during his time off.

Mr Scott said: “I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to train and progress to becoming a coxswain. It’s a rewarding role made so much easier by being part of such a great crew.”

Yachtmaster instructor: James Hardie

Yachtmaster instructor James Hardie settled in Oban after many years working abroad.

He said: “The Royal Yachting Association qualifications are the basis for coxswain training, with additional specific lifeboat and RNLI command training.

“One thing we all learn though, however experienced we are, is to prepare for the unexpected. Anybody and everybody can get into trouble, and you can’t rely on experience alone.”

What next for the crew?

This is not the first time the crew has received praise for their efforts.

In September, the Oban crew featured on series 7 episode 3 of the popular BBC 2 show Saving Lives at Sea. You can watch their adventure on iPlayer.

But the crew will soon be getting a long-awaited lifeboat upgrade.

Last week, the crew received news it would be getting a more manoeuvrable and agile lifeboat – replacing the one it has had since 1997.

As one of the coxswains put it: “We salty old sea dogs are going to be learning some new tricks”.