Mark Criddle has served on the crew since 1988 during which time he has worked his way through the ranks from being a member of the crew to be employed by the RNLI as a full time station mechanic and 2^nd coxswain to station Coxswain.  Mark spends a lot of his time by the water, and on the water both on the lifeboat or fishing in the English Channel!  Substituting waterproofs for a wetsuit and a boat for a surf board the challenge is on!

Mark started training for this challenge in the summer of 2009 when he dived into the water off Breakwater Beach after a half mile run, in his under ‘crackers’ to rescue a swimmer in difficulty! 

 With the ability to ‘out paddle’ the others will Mark be the first to catch a wave?

Roger Good has been on the crew since 1986 and works next door to the station for MDL Marina as maintenance engineer.  As 2^nd Coxswain, Roger like the other Deputy Coxswains are on duty to take the boat in Mark’s absence; or as back-up coxswain and senior crew on shout. 

With a full crew to take on this challenge, Mark hand-picked Roger as 2^nd Coxswain and senior hand to organise the rest of the crew and command Mark’s surfboard should he need too!   

Will Roger find the time and be the first to catch a wave?

Gary Fletcher has been on the crew since 1997 and worked as an engineer for the Royal Navy for several years before becoming a Paramedic for the local Ambulance service.  Without a mechanic, the boat cannot go to sea and as one of the secondary mechanics, Gary will be looking after the massive amount of horsepower produced from the 'twin arm and leg motors' and keep them well lubricated to prevent over (or more likely under) heating!  In charge of the whole vessel Gary will also maintain the non-slip surfaces on the deck. 

Taking this seriously Gary has been in the gym for an hour already this week, will he be the first to catch a wave?

Kevin is regretfully unable to take part, however Mat Tyler is going step in and take his place.  Mat joined the crew in 2005 and like Mark is employed full time by the RNLI as the station mechanic. Prior to this he was a deep sea fisherman for several years after leaving school.

Although Mat is the station mechanic, because he is stepping in for Kevin, he will be taking on the navigator’s position to ensure the safe navigation of his surfboard at all times.  This means keeping a constant lookout and tracking his position at all times in relation to other vessels and surfboards; in particular any craft not under command and out of control!  Matt will of course be on hand to provide some guidance to Gary on the ‘wax on/wax off’ procedures and help with anything major that happens like the loss of a fin! 

With the least amount of preparation time, but a marathon runner will Mat be the first to catch a wave?

Matthew Maxted has been on the crew since 2006 and works for Trinity Sailing Trust organising sailing trips and providing sail training on heritage ships which takes up a lot of Matt’s time.

Matt will form part of the crew and spare hands to do what ever is required of him and his duties will include the launching, recovery and ensuring every crew member is strapped to their vessel and do not become detached from their board! 

The others will have the advantage of beating Matt into the water whilst he sorts the leashes for the others, but Matt has vowed not to go down without a fight, will Matt be the first to catch a wave?

James Hoare joined the crew in 2007 and works in Brixham for 4most Ltd as an Independent Financial Adviser.  James is a typical ‘1 in 10’ RNLI volunteer who has not worked in a professional maritime occupation!  Swapping his posh fountain pen for a write on anything chinagraph pencil James will be trading his usual seat as navigator or crew for the communications hot seat for the day; keeping you up to date with what’s going and what their position is at regular intervals.  

Can we pry James away from the computer for long enough to go surfing, or will he be just like the Guinness advert and run into the water and seconds later out again! Will James be the first to catch a wave?

Keep track on the guys progress, pictures and most importantly who the first person to stand up and catch a wave was! 

Friday 29^th January at 00:01hrs the challenge is on so be part of it and keep track of our progress and don’t forget to sponsor the Torbay Lifeboat crew for the RNLI SOS 2010 Challenge. 

The day will be well pictured and recorded by fellow Torbay crew member and RNLI photographer Nigel Millard who will also be joining us on this epic adventure!