The Early Days
The service was started by Mr Philip-Gordon Pierce Smith who still (at the time of writing - July 2008) runs the service he started nearly 47 years ago.
Venturers started on limited funds and equipment, patrolling Poole Harbour with a small prototype Deep V soft bottom hulled inflatable developed by David Doderell of SWMF in Poole. It proved to be a fantastic hull until the bottom stretched or the wooden keel snapped. The crews had RAF Lifejackets and anoraks, navigation was done with a AA road map and hand held compass, a far cry from the current standards. Since then the service has developed, seeing many different rescue boats and hundreds of crew.
Read more about this topic: Venturers Search And Rescue
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