Surviving the Storms: Extraordinary Stories of Courage and Compassion at Sea

by Nikki Girvan

‘There’s water in the engine,’ he said. ‘The engine has stopped.’
This changed everything… Surviving the Storms brings together incredible first-hand accounts of rescues carried out by the remarkable RNLI lifesavers. In this collection of heart-wrenching and life-affirming missions, we hear blow-by-blow descriptions of some of the most dramatic rescues from the last twenty years. We experience these through the eyes of the lifesavers as they must make life-or-death decisions, face fierce conditions and tackle difficult and dangerous situations. But we also see the optimism, passion and courage that is crucial to a successful rescue, and experience the genuine joy felt by the volunteer crews and lifeguards in being a part of something so important. Each remarkable story is one of bravery, jeopardy and an unrelenting commitment to battling the forces of nature and saving every life. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the RNLI – men, women, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers, all forming one big crew determined to protect perfect strangers. They are ordinary people doing the truly extraordinary.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 11, 2020

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting compelling and emotional book about struggles of the sea and rescue by RNLI

[Fionnuala · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid little tribute with some fascinating and impressive stories. The writing wasn't exactly mindblowing and each one was pretty indistinguishable from the others in terms of tone; the stories are taken from individuals involved but have been written up by the same person, who has declined to keep any personality in their voices. This makes for an easy and streamlined read, but it does mean that if you read several at a time (or the whole book in one day, as I did) it can get a little flat. I was also not a fan of the seemingly random use of italics. Sometimes it made sense, such as when it was representing an inner thought, but 90% of the time it was randomly used and seemed to only be there as decoration or to draw attention to each instance and break up the page (it happened every few pages, sometimes multiple times per page). I don't really like feeling as though the author believes I have the attention span of a hyperactive toddler, so I can't say I enjoyed this.

As for the stories themselves, however, they're all fascinating and worthy of praise. They did all follow pretty much the same formula, complete with all of the feats getting (well-deserved) awards, but there was enough about the history of the men and women themselves, their motivations, and their personal lives to keep it interesting -- quite impressive when working within such a strict formula. The decision to have the final account told from the perspective of one of the people rescued was brilliant, changing things up right at the end and really highlighting the importance of the work being done by the RNLI -- not just to the individuals rescued, but to subsequent generations who otherwise wouldn't be born. Reviewed solely for this aspect the book is a solid four-stars, but I did unfortunately find the issues mentioned above to be distracting and frustrating.

Overall it is still very much worth a read. The RNLI is a charity and relies solely on donations for its work to continue, and a lot of people likely don't consider the work they do. Many people visit coastal areas briefly as holidaymakers and usually don't see them at all; those of us who live in coastal areas are more likely to see them around, driving past their stations or occasionally seeing them head out on a rescue. Still, none of us can truly appreciate what it is they actually do until something like this puts it into perspective. They are quite literally an emergency service, and it's bonkers that they rely entirely on donations to operate.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read. Just a very small glimpse of the incredible work done by volunteers, risking their own life’s on our beaches and seas to save those who find themselves in peril. Incredible accounts from those serving on the Lifeboats, Lifeguards and those in difficulty.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read, showcases the RNLI and it's brave staff and volunteers well. Respect.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I welled up (for some reason RNLI rescue stories always make me cry!).

[Garry Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

First up I'm biased as long time supporter of the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute). So excuse my delight in reading this series of accounts of various rescues around the coast of Great Britain and Ireland. The bravery shown by what are ordinary people, often unpaid volunteers in saving the life's of others at sea is incredible. The dedication shown is for me amazing. It shows humanity at it's best.

The books only weakness is the individual stories while are all the above, reading one after another can make it seem a little repetitive. so my advice is to dip in and out read a couple of stories and take a break read something else then come back it's worth it.

[Matt Emblen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a straight forward and easy read, with each chapter delivering a different rescue from a variety of stations.

Each chapter follows a similar format so became a little predictable.

It doesn’t however detract from the bravery of the men and women of the RNLI and details the extraordinary actions taken by ordinary people to save lives at sea.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book. I've had to try and stop my self from finishing it all in one go. The stories are amazing and give a big insight to how the crew put themselves at risk for others. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank You RNLI for everything thing you do.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written collection of dramatic and incredible rescues by the RNLI, given depth by the personal accounts and backgrounds of the crew members.
Only criticism is - I wish it was a longer book, found it difficult to put it down, so I read it far too quickly!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent three days in TEARS reading this book. Four stars for the book itself but a million stars and more for the RNLI. The work they do is incredible. It feels hard to believe that this amazing institution is a charity, primarily manned by volunteers and simply wouldn’t be there without public donations. This book recounts 11 rescues over the years and provides a fascinating first hand accounts of the challenges and dangers crews face and the bravery with which they face them. I think it is rare in this life to come across occasions when you can genuinely describe someone as heroic - in reading this book, such a word seems totally inadequate to describe what the heros in the RNLI do every day.

[Moon Breed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down and read it in an evening. Each retelling was gripping and I couldn't imagine being in the situations these volunteers and lifesavers were in. I already had an appreciation for the RNLI but this just cemented it further. Its just unbelievable that they get no government funding and these heroes (who don't see themselves as such) would risk their lives in the ways this book tells of for others, for no pay. Its a really eye opening book and the last account in there really got to me. Definitely worth a read

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, despite the fact there was always going to be a certain level of repetition in the tales of brave lifeboat volunteers telling their stories of times they had to show extraordinary braveness and dedication, but did so because they feel it their calling. There was something slightly odd about the style of the stories - as if an editor had formatted these various diverse voices all in a particular style, but it didn’t detract.

[Deborah Pye · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful view into the lives and heroism of our unbelievable RNLI volunteers.
I bought this book happy to contribute to a good cause. I wasn't expecting the stories to be so gripping and enlightening.
Reccomend to anyone and everyone who is interested in a behind the scenes look at our RNLI teams, and anyone who simply enjoys tales of heroes.

[Becca Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is well worth a read. The RNLI is one of the two charities I support wholeheartedly. I already respected the organisation but to hear their stories, and one from a casualty, its phenomenal that they go and do what they do, putting their own lives at risk.
They are all heroes and we are lucky to have such people in our communities.

[Sherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic accounts detailing the bravery of the RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards. Well worth a read, if only to gain a deeper understanding of the level of skill and courage that these crew members possess, along with a healthy respect for the water.

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about some of the modern medal winning rescues of the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute). Featuring 10 rescues as told by the medal winners. The final chapter has a story by the rescued, a lady who was heavily pregnant who, along with her fiancé was cut off by the incoming tide.

[Jack Paton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read if only to support the excellent cause of the RNLI.

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic selection of stories from all over showing what the RNLI do. One of the narrators on the audio book was a bit monotone but no complaints otherwise.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words will do this book justice. You just need to read it with a box of tissues next to you!

Heart warming and eye opening.

[Sue White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about great people and rescues

[Sheila Timms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book.

[Jackie Northall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, makes you realize how brave the RNLI really are. Unforgettable accounts of real life situations at sea.

[Gwyn Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting glad I bought it.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to rate the book anything other on the account of their heroic actions!

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the stories are very good and the writing is excellent. Its really heartwarming.

[Myami Connery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read , so inspiring. If you like the show you will enjoy this . The last chapter had me in tears 😢

[Jade Broughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading the real life rescues of RNLI volunteers and how they put their lives at risk to save others on a daily basis.

[Chloe Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book!

[Ian Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring stories and incredibly brave RNLI volunteers.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book - the stories are filled with such emotion, it's hard not to get swept-up (not intended as a pun) by it all. The bravery of the RNLI volunteers shines through, and each story is told in a very compelling voice - each one unique in style. I was struck with all of these stories with the compassion for strangers each and every RNLI member showed - braving the sea to save whoever was in danger.

Heart breaking and warming in equal measures, a must-read!