Dunbar: Mechanic Phoebe Douglas makes lifeboat history

Phoebe Douglas has taken up the role and, once fully trained, will be responsible for maintaining the station’s two lifeboats, as well as serving on the crew.

The 23-year-old is a mechanical engineering graduate who previously worked for the face-to-face team raising funds for the charity that saves lives at sea.

Phoebe was delighted to take on the role and said: “I’ve always wanted to work on boats and wanted a job where I could be outside and hands-on practical rather than being in an office.

“It’s an ideal job for me in many ways.

“I also wanted to join the crew but thought that might come later in life.

“I didn’t think I could get a job where I’d be able to combine being a volunteer too.”

Phoebe Douglas getting to work on the engine of the boarding boat used to access the ALB. (Image: Dunbar RNLI/Alistair Punton)

Originally from North Yorkshire, Phoebe studied at the University of Edinburgh, where she was vice commodore of the sailing club, running the yachting side and organising expeditions on the west coast of Scotland, in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, as well as weekly yacht races.

An experienced sailor, she is a qualified dingy instructor and skipper.

She said: “I have been sailing since I was 11 years old and every year back in Yorkshire I taught dingy sailing on a reservoir near Whitby.”

Phoebe’s interest in engineering was sparked at a young age.

She said: “There was a scheme called Engineering for Girls while I was at primary school.

“There were loads of projects, visits and trips aimed at young girls.

“I was always mathematically minded in subjects and so it was the obvious choice for me.

“I was 10 years old at the time and that scheme was a massive influence on me.

“I wanted to study engineering because I like practical stuff, learning about engines, getting hands-on and finding out how things work.

“At university it was very theoretical and research based, so this job is coming back to the reasons I wanted to get into engineering in the first place.”

'Great so far'

Phoebe is currently undertaking intensive training but, once passed out, she will be looking after the station’s in-shore lifeboat (ILB), tractor and Land Rover at Dunbar, and the all-weather lifeboat (ALB), boarding boat and launching davit at Torness Power Station.

She takes over from Gipper Ainslie, who left last year after 10 years in Dunbar, and will work alongside full-time coxswain Gary Fairbairn.

While there are already female volunteer mechanics operating at Scottish stations, Phoebe is the first full-timer and becomes the sixth woman to join the RNLI team at Dunbar.

Phoebe said she was already enjoying life in Dunbar.

She said: “I have a lot of training to do but I spent a lot of time at lifeboat stations with the fundraising side of things so I know how they work.

“It’s been great so far.

“Dunbar is a very strong community and, although I had only visited the town a couple of times while fundraising, I liked what I saw and only heard good things about it.”

Ian Wilson, lifeboat operations manager for Dunbar, welcomed the new addition.

He said: “We are delighted to have Phoebe on board and we’re sure she’ll do a great job once she’s fully up to speed.”