STORM FORCE: Mission Munchies

THE RNLI MAGAZINE FOR KIDS

Issue 159 | RNLI.org/MissionMunchies

: S E I H C N U MISSION M

G N I V A S E F I L

GRUB!

PLUS: STARRY SKIES, RADIANT RESCUES AND SOME DAZZLING DETAILS ON FRANCE

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n o i s s Mi s e i h c n u m

Sailor's tea As any lifeboat crew member, lifeguard or rescuee will tell you, a hot cuppa does wonders when you’re wet and bedraggled. But back in the 18th century, seafarers had a different traditional drink. On long voyages, water contained bacteria and sometimes algae, so rum was added to make it safe to drink. This mix was known as grog, after Old Grog – the nickname of Admiral Vernon, boss of the British Navy. Next time you hear someone say they’re ‘a bit groggy’, you know where it comes from.

SAVING LIVES IS THIRSTY WORK. AND IF YOU’RE OUT AT SEA OR ON THE BEACH FOR HOURS, IT’S HUNGRY WORK TOO. DO LIFESAVERS PACK BISCUITS ALONG WITH THEIR BRAVERY? OR STASH SOME STAMINA-BOOSTING SNACKS? WE TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS (AND WAS) ON THE MENU.

It's no picnic

Good grub When our all-weather lifeboat crews launch into the unknown, they’re never sure when they’ll be back. Instant porridge, sweets and Pot Noodles keep them going. But back in the day, sailors in the navy weren’t so lucky. The teeth-breaking biscuits they were given were so hard that sometimes they would have to suck on them instead. In the days before choc-chip, it wasn’t unusual to find a grub in your grub (white, black-headed beetle worms inside your cookie). Mmmmmm.

Just heat Hard cheese One Halloween, after Padstow Coxswain Patch Harvey and his lifeboat crew helped to rescue eight French sailors from scary conditions, Patch found the damaged yacht’s fridge full of cheese.

Helpfully, he took the cheese back to the lifeboat station for safekeeping. The next day, with no sign of the French crew, who had been airlifted to hospital, Patch and his crew tucked in – just as two of the French sailors arrived at the station to say ‘merci’. Oh crackers!

At sea, the only snacks about are what you take with you. RNLI crews (like explorers and other windswept types) have been known to rely on a bit of magic at mealtime. Piercing specially made cans of food, crew would set off something called an exothermic reaction – a fancy term for when water mixes with limestone – that would heat up the food! What invention would you come up with to stop stomachs rumbling? A McSailThru? Drone-delivered doughnuts? Launcheroo?

See page 15 to find out how to send in your ideas.

All-weather lifeboat crews can at least shelter in the wheelhouse. But inshore lifeboat crews are exposed to the elements and sometimes in need of a pick-me-up. When both boats are called into action for the same rescue, the all-weather crew will often pass some treats to the inshore crew. ‘A chocolate bar soon perks them up,’ says Padstow Coxswain Richard Pitman. The volunteers also carry glucose in their first aid kit, in case the person they rescue is diabetic and in need of a boost themselves.