Major RNLI award for Baughurst man

William Maltby, together with his two sisters, undertook a 175-mile sailing trip in 2009 to raise money for the RNLI

A BAUGHURST man and his two sisters have received a major Royal National Lifeboat Institution award, in recognition of their efforts to raise £75,000 for the charity.

In June 2009, William Maltby and his sisters, Caroline Roe and Sophie Ross, undertook a 175-mile sailing trip down the River Thames, in a tiny, 11ft Bembridge scow boat. Their nine-day journey raised £75,000 through sponsorship and other funding towards a £1m new lifeboat station in Bembridge - now fully operational - on the Isle of Wight.

Mr Maltby said they thought it would be fun to sail down the Thames - after some modifications to his sisters' boat:

“We had to shorten the tiller, and rigged up a system to allow us to quickly drop the mast in a hurry, to get under some of the low bridges we knew we would face. We also tried to tackle the issue of seating – which actually turned out to be nothing more complicated than just taking along a few cushions!” he said.

Due to calm weather conditions and a lack of wind, the three ended up rowing approximately 130 miles out of the total 175.

“The Bembridge scow is a terrible boat to row - it just doesn't go anywhere at any speed. We also had to work hard to make sure we caught the tide; we had a best case and worst case plan and we pretty much hit the worst case dead on!” said Mr Maltby, adding: “To get that level of donations while we were having so much fun was really a great outcome.”

Last Thursday (May 19), at the RNLI Supporter Awards ceremony at London's Barbican, The Duke of Kent presented Mr Maltby with the group category award.

The siblings are the third generation of their family to spend holidays on the Isle of Wight, as do their children, which has fostered a strong emotional connection to both Bembridge and the volunteer lifeboat crew who safeguard its waters.