In 2013 a small, 3m long RIB was returned to the college, made of plywood and in a poor state of repair it was painstakingly restored by staff, students and ex-students of the college.

The first experimental RIBs built by the college were often donated to local sailing clubs as rescue boats. The Lifeboat provided to Kamaishi, Hahn 001 “Wales Go” was the first of a new class of IRB built at the College but can trace its heritage right back to the very first RIBs.

This death toll is almost two thirds that of malnutrition and well over half that of malaria – but unlike these public health challenges, there are no broad prevention efforts that target drowning.” (World Health Organisation, Global Report on Drowning: Preventing a Leading Killer, 2014)Ītlantic Pacific exists to tackle this crisis and eliminate death by drowning by providing Lifeboats and trained crew to areas of need. “Drowning is a serious and neglected public health threat claiming the lives of 372,000 people a year worldwide. The work to deliver this project opened the founders’ eyes to the problem of global drowning. Former and current staff and students of UWC Atlantic coming together to provide an Inshore Rescue Boat for the decimated town of Kamaishi. Today, over half a century later green shoots of something similar are returning.Ītlantic Pacific has its roots in responding to the 2011 Tsunami that devastated Japan. Their history as rescue craft begins nearly sixty years ago, in a bay in South Wales at UWC Atlantic, then Atlantic College an international sixth form college on the coast of the wild Bristol Channel.

Every mariner, sailor and fisherman knows the Rigid Inflatable Boat, ubiquitous the world over in commercial, military, leisure and rescue operations.

Virtual sailor 7 lifeboat