Portaferry RNLI has passed out a new helm at its inshore lifeboat station on Northern Ireland’s Ards Peninsula.
Scott Blackwood (29), originally from Newtownards, moved to Portaferry in 2020 to be closer to his partner Nicole and joined the lifeboat crew shortly afterwards.
As a RNLI helm, Scott is now a senior member of the volunteer crew and will not only take charge of the inshore lifeboat at sea, but will also be responsible for the safety of the crew onboard, and for decisions made during a rescue.
Scott said: “I’m very proud to take up this new role. I’ve spent a lot of time around boats throughout my life and it’s something I always wanted to achieve.
“Nicole is also an RNLI volunteer and it was her who sparked my initial interest in joining. I’m really glad I did. We have a great crew at Portaferry lifeboat station and I’m grateful for all their support during my training.
“I’d like to thank Lenny Fourie, a coastal lifeboat trainer for Ireland who travelled up from Kinsale to carry out the assessment and pass-out, and James Gillespie, a lifeboat helm from Bangor who kindly came to helm the boat during my pass-out.”
Heather Kennedy, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager said: “Scott has shown great maturity in stepping forward to train as lifeboat helm. He has worked incredibly hard, completed extensive training and passed rigorous assessments to qualify for this role.
“In stepping up to helm, he will continue to be a great asset to Portaferry lifeboat station.”
