A RETIRED Barmouth RNLI mechanic has used his parting gift from the crew to help save the life of his brother-in-law.

When Llew Griffin retired from his post with the Barmouth RNLI in 2015, little did he think that his present would turn out to be so useful, so soon.

A keen single-handed sailor, Llew was looking forward to spending his free time sailing his yellow trimaran, Cayman, which he kept in Barmouth harbour.

As such, the Barmouth RNLI crew deemed it appropriate that his farewell gift from the coxswain and crew should be an ergonomic ocean life jacket with light and hood and a personal locator beacon for use when he is braving the elements alone offshore.

Towards the end of last year, with a light easterly Force 2 to 3 breeze, Llew decided to take out his brother-in-law Simon, who was visiting from America, for a trip out in the bay.

His guest was not an experienced sailor, so before they set off from the quayside, Llew sensibly offered him his new life jacket to wear as they set off to the mooring in their inflatable dinghy.

It is well known that one of the most common causes of ‘man-overboard’ incidents occurs between the shore and the parent vessel, and as his brother-in-law was transferring from the dinghy to the trimaran, he fell into the water.

What ensued, according to Llew, was like watching one of the RNLI training videos on Man Overboard Recovery procedures.

One of the first things to look out for is cold water shock, the body’s short term involuntary response to being suddenly immersed in cold water.

Although the water wasn’t particularly cold, Simon displayed one of the classic physiological responses – a ‘gasp’ response which can sometimes result in water being breathed rather than air.

Instinctively, Llew’s RNLI training came into use.

He knew that these responses can contribute to a feeling of panic, but as soon as Simon hit the water, the life jacket immediately inflated and his head was kept above the water.

They were fortunate that the wind and tide conditions enabled them to drift slowly back to the harbour where they landed safely on the slip.

“It shows that it could happen to anybody”, said the retired mechanic.

“In over 25 years of sailing and serving on the lifeboat I have seen it happen to others, but this was a first for my boat, and the life jacket worked so quickly, he didn’t even get his face wet.

“I am grateful for the training I have received from the RNLI over the years and will continue to insist that life jackets should be worn, for even the shortest of trips.

“It’s also essential to keep rearming kits for each life jacket on board so that they can be ready for use again straight away.”