Celebrating A New Lifeboat Helm At Cowes RNLI Station

Photo: RNLI/Sophie Bluestone

Josh Matthews, a dedicated volunteer at Cowes RNLI Station, has achieved the highest role of inshore lifeboat command after successfully passing his final assessment to become the station’s newest helm.

Josh joined Cowes RNLI in 2020 and has worked his way up through multiple roles, including shore crew, boat crew, and now helm. A helm is the position of highest responsibility on an inshore lifeboat.

The helm is in command at all times during exercises and shouts, leading their boat crew and making critical decisions, often in tricky conditions and with lives at stake. The helm is responsible for the safety of their crew and casualties.

They lead the briefing and debrief meetings before and after an exercise or shout, review what happened, and create space for crew members to share reflections and lessons learnt.

Training is rigorous and often takes years, with multiple stages of assessment completed by professional RNLI assessors. Today, in his final assessment, Josh was evaluated on his skills, including towing, navigational skills, boat handling, anchoring, man overboard procedures and more.

Josh joins five helms currently operating at Cowes RNLI. He said:

“It has been a long journey and I am so proud to have qualified as helm today. Since I joined the RNLI six years ago, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to train and hone our skills at the highest standard.

"This achievement today is the culmination of many years of training involving the commitment of crew and shore crew alike. I am grateful to the RNLI for the training they have provided, and for the volunteers at Cowes RNLI Station and my family who have taken time to support me on this journey.

"I look forward to putting my skills to use, and to supporting others in their training, as well.”

Mark Southwell, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cowes RNLI, said:

“We are very proud to have Josh join our team of capable helms in Cowes. Every time our lifeboat launches, whether on exercise or on a shout, the helm takes the enormous responsibility of the safety and wellbeing of their crew, their boat, and their casualties.

"All our crew members are volunteers and we are very grateful to those who take time out of their lives, work, families and free time to contribute to our mission. Josh’s time and his abilities will allow us to launch more often, train more, and be available to save lives at sea.”