The lifeboat stations that guard the coastal waters of Angus, Dundee and Fife are a blessing for the communities that they serve.
Without the constant vigilance of the volunteer crews who man the stations, countless more lives would have been lost in the Tay and out over the bar into the cold expanse of the North Sea itself.
The Tay is Scotland’s biggest river.
And, as it opens up into the North Sea, the mouth of the estuary far exceeds a mile in diameter.
It is a body of water which can look incredibly serene and beautiful on the surface. But one which masks wicked and powerful currents that have the capacity to pull a person
under within seconds.
At its worst, the North Sea at Arbroath is an inhospitable and unforgiving place, capable of driving fear into the hearts of the most seasoned of sailors.
Against that backdrop, new plans revealed by this newspaper to remove one of the two all-weather lifeboats currently stationed at Arbroath and Broughty Ferry once they reach the end of their useful operational life are a major concern.
The plan is to replace the all-weather vessel when it is taken off service with an inflatable rib.
While an impressive piece of kit, a rib simply does not have the same capability as the larger craft.
And that means one of the stations – which are regularly among Scotland’s busiest – will be compromised.
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry lifeboat crews put their lives on the line
Inevitably it is a numbers game, with a rib costing less than one-tenth of the £2 million
needed to fund a new all-weather boat.
In an organisation kept afloat by public fundraising and donations, the proposals make it clear money talks.
But what price is life?
The crews who man our lifeboats put their own lives at risk in order to save others who find themselves in distress.
They deserve every protection in that fine work.
The RNLI needs to think very carefully before it acts here.
It must explore every avenue available to ensure the lifeboat stations at Arbroath and Broughty Ferry remain as operationally capable as they are today.
After all, lives depend on it.
Conversation