Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station
News release
Issued by Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer
|
Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station |
|
News release |
|
Issued by Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer |
|
A wave of talent: Rye Harbour crewman wins award in RNLI Pentax Photographer of the Year (2007) competition.A Rye Harbour lifeboat volunteer has been awarded a prize in the RNLI Pentax Photographer of the Year competition* at the London Boat Show.Antony Peters won the Best Photograph by an RNLI volunteer inshore lifeboat crew award. This was one of the five categories with his shot taken during a rescue on 3 June last year. The Rye Harbour lifeboat was called out to a fishing vessel, Donald John, whose engine drive plate had sheared off and had disabled the vessel. The visibility was virtually nil so the vessel was towed back into Rye Harbour by the lifeboat. During this activity Antony took the award-winning picture of the Donald John being towed by the Rye Harbour lifeboat. Antony Peters said: ‘I am delighted to receive this award – it’s great for Rye Harbour lifeboat station and helps put us on the map.’ Exhibited for the first time at the 2008 London Boat Show (on the RNLI’s stand N030B), the overall and category winners photographs give visitors to the show a unique snapshot into the training and rescue work of RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew and lifeguards, as witnessed by them. Entries to the competition have been submitted by RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew members and RNLI lifeguards and document the work of the lifesaving charity. Now in its second year, the RNLI Pentax Photographer of the Year competition was developed to document the rescue work of the lifesaving charity. All RNLI lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland are equipped with digital waterproof Pentax cameras to enable appropriate real-time, high quality images of their life-saving activities to be captured. The overall winning photograph was taken by Bobby Renaud, an RNLI lifeguard from Cornwall and shows a lifeguard based at Treyarnon beach, Cornwall battling through the surf on an Arancia inshore rescue boat during a training exercise in the summer of 2007. Founded in 1824, the RNLI has a long history of capturing rescue images of its volunteer lifeboat crews at work, with the earliest photograph in the RNLI’s archive dating back to 1865. Well over a century later, in 2005, the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews of both all-weather and inshore lifeboats trialled Pentax WP digital cameras around the coast. The trials proved so successful that in January 2006 all RNLI lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland were equipped with digital waterproof cameras from Pentax’s Optio ‘W’ series. RNLI lifeguards across 71 beaches in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and North Norfolk also now have access to Pentax digital cameras to capture rescue and training exercises. Commenting on the RNLI Pentax Photographer of the Year, Andrew Freemantle CBE, RNLI Chief Executive said: ‘Digital film and photography are now utilised by the RNLI to record search and rescue operations and exercises; this greatly assists the vital training of our volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards. Appropriate, real-time, high-quality digital images of the life-saving work of our volunteers are not only crucial to operations but also in raising public awareness of the charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service. I wish to pass on my thanks and congratulations to the winner, runners-up and all RNLI volunteers that have taken part in the 2007 competition.’ David Moore, Managing Director of Pentax ( UK) said: ‘We wish to congratulate the overall winner and runners-up of the RNLI Pentax Photographer of the Year competition. All entries submitted by the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards in 2007 were of a very high standard, but RNLI Lifeguard Bobby Renaud’s photograph is a really striking image that captured the attention and imagination of all the judges. The winning image certainly shows that our Optio W-series digital cameras are capable of surviving the elements and can enable users to capture quality photos in difficult shooting conditions!’ Prizes for the winning lifeguard and volunteer lifeboat crew members were provided by Pentax and presented by David Moore, Managing Director of Pentax (UK) to winners and runners-up at the RNLI’s stand (N030B) at the London Boat Show, ExCel exhibition centre on Friday 11 January 2008. END Photo caption: (Click option to see photo) Award winning photo: Rescue of Fishing Vessel ‘Donald John’ Notes to editors *Other prizes were also awarded for ‘Best of’ photographs submitted by RNLI volunteer all weather and inshore lifeboat crews, and RNLI volunteer shore helpers in each of their respective categories; plus an award for Best RNLI Rescue image. Runners-up in these categories were also announced; along with a highly commended award for a shot of a classic yacht being rescued by RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew, as it had been washed up onto the beach in Eastbourne.
For more information please contact Amy Ross, Media Relations Manager for the East, on email: Amy Ross |
VisionTo be recognised universally as the most effective, innovative and dependable lifeboat service.Royal National Lifeboat Institution headquarters: |