After nearly 40 years of heroic service, Paul, a lifeboat legend from Cromer, is set to retire this Friday. A man who’s been mechanic, Coxswain, trainer, and assessor, Paul has led from the front, shaping generations of lifesavers. The lifeboat went off service just once in all those years — for his own father’s funeral.
Sabotage Silences the Lifeboat
Paul’s dedication? Unmatched. He weathered storms, rushed to emergencies, and trained new crews tirelessly — even aiding other stations to prepare future Coxswains. Right up to this week, he was mentoring the man he hoped would take over: a respected, proven lifeboat leader ready to step in.
But it didn’t happen.
One individual, for no good reason, blocked the natural handover. No crew consultation. No care for continuity. Just a quiet sabotage that now means the lifeboat will go off service the moment Paul walks away.
Power Games Endanger Lives
This isn’t about a shortage of qualified people, nor about procedure or policy. It’s about petty power plays that have no place in a lifesaving service.
Paul has stayed silent out of loyalty. But the community deserves the truth. The lifeboat won’t sail — not due to breakdown or weather — but because of ego.
Cromer’s Lifeboat in the Dock
When the pager goes off, people expect the lifeboat to answer. Right now? Cromer has one less.
The man who spent four decades answering that call — and training others to do the same — deserves so much better.
