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Nether Nether Land

Paul Lemmer joins the Netherlands Coastguard for a once-in-a-lifetime day in the life of experience to work alongside some of the most experienced boatmen of this modern generation.
t Ribex 2007 I had the good fortune to be o ered a ride in the Dutch KNRM lifeboat RIB, and upon returning to the Cowes Marina berth a er an interesting, if somewhat wet, ride across a very choppy Solent, I was greeted by a genial Dutch gentleman by the name of Paul Hollander. At around 58 tall, with a smooth, virtually hairless head, Paul looks like a younger, tter and better looking version of yours truly; what is more, he is a total RIB nut and spends his working life at sea in a Dutch Coastguard cutter, the ships RIB, or teaching specialist boat handling for commercial, military and private personnel in RIBs of all types and sizes. I have met many waterborne experts in my travels around the world but I have found few who re-

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ally can turn their hand to just about anything that relates to small-cra handling; Paul Hollander is one such man and he would be top of my list for expert tuition or to partner me on a tough RIB mission. Paul is the chief engineer on board the 43m (142 ) coastguard cutter Zeearend (Sea Eagle), based in the port of Hoek van Holland, and he invited me to visit him on board the ship to see rst-hand how the Dutch authorities patrol their waters on the other side of the Channel. One major di erence between the Netherlands and the UK is the interesting all in one system for the various services. Unlike the UK where the Coastguard, Customs and Immigration all have their own separate sections and therefore o en their own cra for patrolling

our waters, the Dutch have a member of each of the services aboard one vessel. is allows one cra to cover all the major authorities and endows its personnel with powers to stop, search and arrest without having to resort to communications with other authorities. Paul met me at Schipol airport and we headed directly to the port of Scheveningen, near the Hook of Holland. On rst seeing the Zeearend moored alongside the quay, I was surprised how small she looked from the stern, but looks can be deceiving and as we boarded her I realised this was one very special and spacious cra . e main living quarters, which span the entire width of the ship, are situated amidships where there is the least movement when at sea, and this lounge/dining area is

very comfortable for the crew to relax in when not on duty. Next to these quarters is a very well- equipped galley where, as I was to nd out during my time on board, excellent food is prepared by the chef. Believe me, these guys really do eat very well; I had two meals whilst on board during my visit and both were of top restaurant standards. ere are a total of twelve berths in the main accommodation area of the ship, and I was impressed by the high standard of the facilities for the crew, the equipment at their disposal and the layout of the vessel (evidently the result of unusually close cooperation between the ships crew and the shipyard). One by one I was introduced to the crew which consisted of coastguard personnel (captain, chief engineer, rst mate, rst engineer, sailor and cook), their duties being to operate and maintain the vessel, and ve boarding crew comprising members from the di erent authorities. Having been given the all clear to look around the ship by the captain, Paul was keen to show me the engine room, one of the sections of the cra that comes under his control. We descended the steps into the heart of the ship, and as we stepped through the engineroom door I realised why he was so keen to show me this section of the cra ; the engine room is massive (it takes up about a third of the length of the under-deck area of the vessel). With full standing headroom, this well laid-out area is a model of e ciency and the array of machinery was seriously impressive, but what surprised me most was the clinical cleanliness of everything. Despite the thousands of hours

You could get sucked under the ship and, if really unlucky, through the props. Ouch, one hell of a manicure!

that she had been in service, there was no evidence that the engines had ever been run and I did look very carefully around every nook and cranny of the engine room; there wasnt a trace of dirt. e two main engines are a pair of Caterpillar 4176 bkW diesels, complemented by two 180kVA generators, one being heavily silenced and almost inaudible. When patrolling at their slow speed of 12 knots, the ships engines are remarkably economical, burning only 200 litres per hour, but at the higher patrol speed of 18 knots this jumps to 500lph, and at top speed, 24 knots, 1000lph! With 32,000 litres (7000 gallons) of fuel on board this gives an approximate maximum range of 2000, 1200 and 800 miles respectfully. As the Zeearend usually patrols for up to 60 hours before returning to port, with such a large fuel capacity, even maintaining her higher cruising speed of 18 knots she could, in theory, stay out for the whole of the patrol period without refuelling. Obviously that would never occur, for despite her amaz-

ing seaworthiness - she can maintain 15 knots in a Force 9 - she would never be called upon to maintain such high speeds for such a long duration. ere was an operation when the Zeearend tracked a vessel under surveillance all the way from Belgium to the British territorial waters o Aberdeen, but this was a one o and normally the ships personnel are expected to have a 10-hour rest period in every 24 hours, except under exceptional circumstances. e fully enclosed wheelhouse/bridge has one of the most panoramic views I have ever seen on a vessel. Sitting up high, with 15mmthick toughened glass windows protecting the crew from the elements, this is a great place to survey everything going on in the vicinity. ere is a quiet, relaxed, business-like atmosphere in this airy and light nerve centre of the ship, and the battery of navigational, commu-

nication and surveillance equipment leaves you in no doubt as to this vessels purpose. ere are two instrument stations, one forward for the helmsman, captain and watch to steer and navigate the vessel, and a second station behind for additional crew to track, monitor and listen in to tra c in the area. I was allowed to helm the cra (well, at least sit in the helmsmans seat) whilst patrolling and I could easily see why this is a sought-a er job for the lucky select few! All this was happening on a at, calm sea and I am sure it is a di erent story in rough seas, especially when having to stop or slow to check out a vessel or launch the onboard 8m standby RIB, which brings us to one of the main reasons for the visit. Right on the stern to port, nestling beneath a substantial looking Caley type crane system, is an 8m Duarry commercial RIB tted with

a Volvo D6 diesel sterndrive. e RIB was carefully chosen and strongly built to give the best results for its duties as a quick-response vessel and, to ensure correct balance in all sea states, it has the engine mounted ahead of the helmsman, under the forward section of the custom, aluminium steering console, coupled via an intermediate drive sha to the duo prop sterndrive. Ahead of the helm position, a substantial keel-mounted aluminium frame protrudes from below the deck, on top of which is the crane quick-release/attachment device for rapid launch and recovery in all but the roughest of seas. e one-man leaning post for the helmsman is supplemented by two basic fold-up seats for another two crew, but in reality the two or three other crewmembers invariably stand around the console and hold onto the various grab handles attached to it. I donned my two-piece Helly Hanson drysuit and Crewsaver lifejacket and climbed aboard the RIB as it sat semi-suspended, high in its cradle on top the ships side. With the Zeearend travelling at around 12 knots, and following brief instructions from Paul on the launch procedure, we were li ed by the crane and swung out over the side of the ship, whereby Paul started the RIBs engine, engaged gear and shouted for me to pull the lanyard attached to the quick-release coupling a few seconds a er we had hit the water. It went like clockwork, for as we touched the water the RIBs propellers gripped, and as the cra broke free from the coupling we were travelling at the same speed as the mother vessel and under our own control. Simple really, or is it? Paul is an expert at this kind of operation and teaches this procedure professionally so it is not surprising that it seemed easy, but things can and do go wrong. If the crew are not familiar with procedures, the quick release

or the painter line may be let go at the wrong moment in relation to the waves, with obvious consequences. If the helmsman has not got the cra in gear or, worse still, got the engine started, the RIB could be released and immediately swept into the ships wash with resulting chaos. Proper training and experience can make the most di cult manoeuvres look easy, and once again this was demonstrated as Paul repeatedly piloted the RIB up to the side of the ship whilst it travelled at its 24 knots full speed. Whilst undertaking this type of manoeuvre is not new for me on RIB-to-RIB exercises, it was a whole new ball game coming alongside a fast 43m coastguard cutter at 24 knots. e huge wash and spume created by the Zeearend was relatively easy to read and deal with, but the deep trench le at waterline level on her topsides was another matter, especially as this can change with the speed of the ship and different sized waves as the vessel rises and falls in rougher seas. Paul expertly brought the RIB alongside and away again at varying speeds and then sug-

gested I try a simulated boarding exercise onto the ship from the RIB at a steady, or perhaps not so steady, 24 knots. We came alongside and, grabbing a tight hold of the ships guard rails, I stepped from the tube top of the RIB straight onto the deck of the Zeearend without a moments apprehension or hesitation; it was that easy. Bear in mind that this was a calm day and I had done boat to boat before but, as Paul pointed out, if you slipped or missed whilst doing this exercise from RIB to RIB you would probably just get wet, whereas from RIB to Zeearend you could get sucked under the ship and, if really unlucky, through the props. Ouch, one hell of a manicure! One of the crew thought that being British I would appreciate a mug of tea and duly obliged by handing me one as we came alongside the ship on one of our high-speed passes; amusing and a novel picture for the album. Evidently, whilst we were playing, the Zeearend had been trying to contact by radio a 50 cruiser that they had spotted motoring some distance away but could get no response.

e Zeearends captain suggested we might like to pay them a courtesy visit, so we returned to the ship to pick up the customs and immigration crew so they could board the cruiser. ree burly, armed, drysuited gures lowered themselves into the RIB and we were o in pursuit of the cruiser. We approached from the cruisers stern, apparently unnoticed, as our three stealth o cers positioned themselves and boarded the cra , two going into the cabin whilst the third member climbed the steps up to the helmsman on the y bridge. e poor chap up top must have had the surprise of his life as he was confronted by a big, drysuited gure requesting him to slow down. Paul and I stood o a short distance while the o cers went about their business which, depending on what they nd, usually takes between 20 and 40 minutes, and sure enough, a er about 25 minutes, we were beckoned back alongside the cruiser to pick up the o cers. Everything on the cra checked out correctly but then, as we were about to head back to the Zeearend, we diverted to a shing vessel, and a er a brief conversation with a crewmember I was asked to jump aboard her and take some pictures of the RIB coming alongside in a simulated boarding exercise. Photo session over, we headed back to the ship and I jumped aboard so I could get shots of the RIB being recovered back onto the mother vessel. Paul expertly placed the RIB on the port side of the ship while the quick- release/attachment hook was lowered from the crane, and in one linear movement the cra was attached, li ed from the water and securely stowed to its cradle beneath the crane. In these calm conditions the recovery took less than a minute but I would imagine it is a di erent story when the sea is rough. With everything secure and with darkness closing in, we headed back to Scheveningen at a sedate 12 knots. In the warm wheelhouse with the lights from the radar, GPS and other screens providing a pleasant glow, and the twinkling lights from the shore and moored ships adding to the atmosphere, I felt a great sense of well-being. ere is something rather haunting about night passages on a ship but even more so when on the bridge of a vessel with clear vision in all directions, and this was a tting way to end a great experience with the Zeearend and her crew; except the day was not quite over! Once securely back on her berth, the entire crew, including the captain and yours truly, enjoyed an excellent dinner on-board in a friendly and chatty atmosphere. anks to the Netherlands Coastguard and Paul Hollander for putting up with me during my time aboard and for putting themselves out for me with my requests. e Zeearend is a very capable cutter and she is handled by a very experienced, professional crew, but what a sensible set-up to have all the main legal services on one vessel; it makes so much sense and it really works in practice. Paul Lemmer