They are the selfless volunteers who venture out in all weathers to save lives at sea and Scotland's dedicated lifeboat crews rescued a record number of people last year.

 

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) figures revealed that crews from the country's 47 lifeboat stations rescued 1,175 people in 2014. A total of 51 lives were saved, up from 29 the year before.

The country's coastal lifeboat crews attended a staggering 1,004 call-outs, up from 995 in 2013, with Broughty Ferry, with its two lifeboats, being the busiest station in Scotland with 74 calls.

However, the country's busiest single all-weather lifeboat was Oban's Mora Edith MacDonald.

Covering a complex stretch of water on the west coast, in a vast patch stretching out as far out as the Corryvreckan whirlpool, and including a myriad of islands, Oban lifeboat responded to 68 calls in 2014.

Praising the commitment of all RNLI volunteer crews, Oban Coxswain John Hill, said: "You don't know what the shout is, the crew don't know until they are actually at the lifeboat station, but when the pagers went off in a Force 9-10 earlier this month we had a good turnout of crew, I could have filled the boat twice over. It's all about having confidence in the crew and confidence in the boat."

Deputy Coxswain Ronnie MacKillop added: "Most of us do it because we want to give something back to the community.

"A lot of the crew are involved with the sea in some way, whether it's leisure or work and anybody with a connection with the sea recognises that it's very important to be able to call for help if you get into trouble.

"When the pager goes there is always a little burst of adrenalin happens. You get to the lifeboat and it could be something really simple, or something really major, but I have never found it really scary. I have never known a guy say I am not going to go."

Fellow deputy coxswain Mark Scott, whose son Andrew, 17 has just joined the Oban crew too, added: "People ask me why I do it, but I have been involved in the maritime industry all my life and I feel that I am putting something back in to it.

"We have got a really good bunch of competent crew, it's almost like a family, we know each other and depend on each other."

When the pagers go off it can be a worrying time for the partners left at home.

Ann Matheson, whose husband Donald, known as DM, is a long serving member of the Oban crew, said: "They are classed as an emergency service, but the bottom line is that when nobody else will go out, they will go out.

"When it's rough weather it's a worry, you feel it, your heart does a flip."

She added: "They don't get paid for it, but I have a big sense of pride that somebody is actually willing to put their life on the line for no reward."

Eleanor Wilson, whose husband Colin, a doctor, is another long serving member of the crew at Oban, said: "It's been over 20 years now and initially I was a bit scared, but over the years you get less worried because you know how well the crew look after each other.

"It's trust in the crew and trust in the lifeboat that makes you less worried. The lifeboat is a safe vessel and you know that they will look after each other."

Ronnie MacKillop's wife, Kristin, added: "When the pager goes off there's always an element of entering into the unknown, but you have to put your faith in the extensive training, experience and local knowledge of the coxswain and the crew.

"Naturally when the weather gets really wild, there is an added element of difficulty for everyone, including those of us who get left shoreside."