Diary of a Shopkeeper, 25th October

The Duchess of Kent, courtesy of RNLI Archives

As I write this on Sunday morning, Storm Boelo is skelping us with 65mph winds and heavy rain. It’s undoubtedly a day for staying inside warm and dry. Unless, that is, you’re a member of the Stromness lifeboat crew. Every Sunday I see them head out on a training run, usually speeding off eastwards across the Flow. No doubt they’ll be keeping to their routine, despite the storm. After all, what better weather to practise for rescues in severe conditions than a day when Graemsay is entirely hidden by flying spray and slashing rain. It’s rare to encounter real heroes, but if anyone deserves the word its the courageous men and women who set out to sea in conditions when anyone else would be stooring back to shelter with all possible haste.

I learned this lesson as a young boy, growing up in Fraserburgh on the Buchan coast. In January 1970, the Fraserburgh lifeboat, Duchess of Kent, answered a mayday call issued by a Danish fishing vessel, the Opal. It battled through a force 9 severe gale and was within sight of the Opal when a huge, ten-metre wave caught it, sending it somersaulting bow over stern. The bodies of four crewmen were later found in the upturned hull. One, Jackson Buchan, was on deck acting as lookout when the wave struck and was flung clear. Miraculously, he managed to cling to the keel of the boat, and survived. The body of Frederick Kirkness, a Rousay man, was never found.

The loss of so many lives cast a pall over the town, reaching even us youngsters in the Central Primary School. As bairns we cheered when new fishing boats were launched from the shipyard, and watched, fascinated, as they unloaded their catches at the pier by the fish-market. Many classmates had fathers who worked on those boats. No one was untouched by the tragedy. There had been two major losses of life within living memory in the Broch, but still volunteers came forward to man the lifeboat and put their own lives at risk to save the lives of others.

Their heroism is matched by that of lifeboat crews around the coast of Britain, not least in Orkney. Any of us who go anywhere near the sea – which must be all of us, here – owe them heartfelt gratitude. Which is why the recent anti-RNLI protests, mostly on the south coast of England, make me feel sick to my stomach. The sight of black-clad, balaclava-wearing thugs threatening lifeboat volunteers and vandalising lifeboat stations is repulsive.

Worse still are the words of politicians, liked the leader of the Reform Party, which lend encouragement and succour to the anonymous thugs. Speaking on GB News, Nigel Farage said the RNLI was being used as a ‘taxi service’ for illegal trafficking gangs. No it’s not. The RNLI is doing exactly what it’s meant to do: saving lives.

I’d hope that no one in Orkney, even supporters of Reform, would have the temerity to daub the word ‘traitors’ on RNLI buildings, or subject volunteers to a barrage of insults and threats, as has been happening in parts of southern England. If they did, they would not only be putting future lives at risk. They would also be dishonouring the dead of past lifeboat disasters, including not just the Duchess of Kent but also the Heroes of Longhope, the eight men who went down with the TGB in March 1969.

Within the past 48 hours there have been 25 RNLI callouts from various lifeboat stations around the UK. The Girvan lifeboat, the Shannon-class Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan, was launched at 12.42am this morning.     It set out into winds of force 11 (violent storm) gusting to force 12 (hurricane-force) after reports of a man in the water off Ayr. We know what force 12 feels like. We know that anyone setting out to help another in those conditions is a hero, not a traitor.

(I can hardly believe I have to write that sentence, but these are the sad times we are living in.)

Last week’s Orcadian outlined the possibility of the current Stromness lifeboat, the Severen-class Violet Dorothy and Kathleen, being replaced by a smaller, Shannon-class vessel in 2030. Whether that’s a sensible decision I have no idea. I’m happy that the Stromness volunteers’ views are being taken into account with the support of our MSP and MP. Whichever vessel those volunteers are crewing, they will continue their heroic work to save lives at sea. They will deserve the wholehearted support of every Orcadian.

On the RNLI website you can make donations and see a map of the latest callouts. There have been 32 this week, including Fraserburgh lifeboat, launched yesterday at 2.01pm and Lerwick at 12.50am this morning, Sunday 1st November.

This diary appeared in The Orcadian on 29th October 2026. A new diary appears weekly. I post them in this blog a few days after each newspaper appearance, with added illustrations, and occasional small corrections or additions.