A CREWMAN at Frinton and Walton Lifeboat has qualified as a coxswain after two years of intense training.

Dale Steggles joined as a RNLI volunteer at Walton in 2008 initially as a member of the station’s shore crew team helping to launch the all-weather lifeboat.

He become a fully qualified lifeboat crew member in 2010 and since then has been enthusiastically continuing to develop his lifeboat skills, working his way through specialist role training as a navigator and also in casualty care.

Dale began the demanding coxswain training plan offered by the RNLI two years ago and has now completed the qualification.

He said: ‘I am delighted and relieved to have come through the training and to have been judged competent by the RNLI assessor.

“The program of training specifically training for this role has been a two-year adventure and I am grateful for the support my fellow crew members have given me throughout.’ A coxswain is the commander of the lifeboat when at sea and is responsible for the safety of the crew, the lifeboat, and the casualty.

The training involved learning how to manage the crew and assess risk in any incident, as well as refining helming and navigation skills.

Specific training at the RNLI College in Poole includes sea survival techniques honed by jumping into a deep tank in conditions that simulated rough seas at night.

Dale said it is “rewarding helping others in danger at sea” and that he “loves the sense of achievement after a successful call out” with his fellow crew members.

Walton and Frinton RNLI lifeboat operations manager Stewart Oxley congratulated Dale for achieving his qualification.