A BARMOUTH RNLI volunteer has committed to a life at sea by joining the Royal Navy.

Former chef Martin East is no stranger to the open waves.

His dad Michael, better known on Barmouth quay as ‘Copper’, was a lobster fisherman, so he got his sea legs early on in life.

Martin worked as a chef for 17 years and was very sought after by local hotels and restaurants and, at the suggestion of the coxswain, he joined Barmouth RNLI in 2014.

After attending courses at the RNLI Training College in Poole and with the hands-on training he received in Barmouth, he soon became an integral member of the crew, serving on both the all-weather and inshore lifeboats.

In September 2015, Martin played a vital part in the rescue of two people from a 22-foot sailing boat stuck on a sandbank on Fairbourne beach near the entrance to Barmouth Bar.

He was featured on the BBC’s programme Saving Lives at Sea bravely leaping from the lifeboat to board the yacht which was being pounded by the waves in force 6 to 7 winds.

Martin’s heart was always with the sea, and after speaking with a crew member who had served in the forces, he applied to join the Royal Navy in 2016.

He was accepted and joined HMS Raleigh, the RN shore-based training establishment stationed at Plymouth.

Martin completed his phase one training on 11 January of this year and now begins his profession training as a hydrographer, using the latest methods and equipment involved in exploring and managing the seabed. He hopes to be assigned a ship in May 2019.

Martin said: “I can thoroughly recommend volunteering for the RNLI to the young people of Barmouth.

“The first-rate training I received in Poole and the practical training with the Barmouth crew provided a stepping stone for me and gave me the knowledge and confidence to apply join the royal Navy.

“I will always be grateful to coxswain Peter Davies and the Barmouth team and shall miss not being there to see them receive their new Shannon in March, but I look forward to them teaching me all about it when I am home on leave!”