AFRAS Award Ceremony 2002 On 13 November, 2002 in Washington, D. C., the Association for Rescue at Sea (AFRAS) awarded its Gold Medal and a cash prize to United States Coast Guardsmen Christopher D'Amelio, Boatswain’s Mate First Class and Eric Forslund, Aviation Survival Technician First Class for a heroic joint rescue off the mouth of the Columbia River.

This was AFRAS's first year to award its Silver Medal to a United States Coast Guard Auxiliarist for extraordinary bravery in a rescue at sea. Auxiliarist Henry ‘Cleve’ Chandler was the recipient of this award.

AFRAS also presented its AMVER plaque to the captain and crew of the Norwegian-flagged M/V TAMPA for exceptional humanitarian service in a rescue at sea.

The award ceremony and reception were co-hosted by The Honorable Howard Coble, co-Chairman, Congressional Coast Guard Caucus. The reception was made possible by a grant from AFRAS’ sister charity Maritime Rescue Institute (MRI).

AFRAS was delighted to have in attendance at the ceremony The Honorable Norman Minetta, Secretary of Transportation, Admiral Thomas Collins, Commandant US Coast Guard, plus Congressmen Frank LoBiondo, Howard Coble, Brian Baird, Henry Brown, and Sam Farr.

Gold Medal Awardees

Christopher D'Amelio and Eric Forslund are cited for heroic achievement on the afternoon of 2 September 2001 in the rescue of four persons ejected from their 22-foot recreational fishing boat by a 20-foot wave in the vicinity of peacock Spit at the mouth of Oregon's Columbia River.

Christopher D’Amelio

Petty Officer D’Amelio was serving as the Surfman on board Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat (MLB) 47248. Arriving on scene, he found four people clinging to the overturned vessel. He then skillfully maneuvered the MLB through the breaking 15-18 foot surf to within 200 yards of the overturned vessel. To prevent the MLB from being rolled by the breakers, he headed into the surf and then attempted to back the MLB to the survivors. He spotted a set of smaller breakers and seized the opportunity to dash the MLB at maximum power to the survivors. Petty Officer D'Amelio expertly maneuvered his vessel near the capsized boat while Petty Officer Eric Forslund from Coast Guard Helicopter 6008 swam the survivors to the motor lifeboat where they were recovered.

Once all four survivors were on board, Petty Officer D'Amelio sought calmer water where he and his crew evaluated their condition. One survivor needed immediate medical attention, so Petty Office D’Amelio quickly coordinated and directed the survivor’s transfer to the hovering Coast Guard helicopter.

Petty Officer D'Amelio's superb Surfman skills and leadership in the most demanding of circumstances were directly responsible for the rescue of four people.

Eric Forslund

Gold Medal Awardee Eric Forslund is cited for his actions in the same rescue while serving as Rescue Swimmer aboard Coast Guard Helicopter CG 6008. Upon arrival, the crew of the helicopter CG 6008 found all four persons clinging to the side of an overturned hull in the 15-20 foot surf. Within seconds, a devastating wall of water washed one survivor off the boat's hull. Petty Officer Forslund immediately went into the water from the helicopter, swam through the breaking waves, found the survivor, and then swam 30 yards using a cross chest carry to the MLB CG 47248.

During the minutes that followed, Petty Officer Forslund swam back and forth through the breaking surf to retrieve the remaining three survivors. As Petty Officer Forslund rescued the second survivor, an enormous wave broke on top of them. Despite being completely submerged and having his mask torn away from his face, Petty Officer Forslund maintained a tight hold of the survivor, signaled for the MLB to throw its life ring to get the survivor aboard the motor lifeboat, and quickly returned to the remaining survivors.

Since the two remaining survivors shared a single life jacket, Petty Officer Forslund was forced to swim through the exceptionally dangerous seas towing the two at the same time. During that arduous swim, the powerful surf propelled Petty Officer Forslund and the survivors perilously close to the MLB. With a great presence of mind and extraordinary physical effort, Petty Officer Forslund maneuvered the two survivors clear of the violently tossing motor lifeboat and safely delivered them to its crew.

Petty Officers D’Amelio and Forslund demonstrated by their joint heroic efforts under the most trying of conditions their high level of personal and joint preparedness for such operations and a readiness to risk themselves in order to save others.

Silver Medalist

Henry ‘Cleve’ Chandler

Auxiliarist Chandler is cited for a uniquely heroic rescue on 13 July 2000 at risk to his own life.

While with a group of children on a boating trip at Lake Tangipahoa, Mississippi, Auxiliarist Chandler saw a Plymouth van slide down an embankment next to the dam and into the lake. While racing his boat to the scene, Chandler briefed the other adult on the boat on what to do.

Diving into the water, Auxiliarist Chandler quickly arrived at the passenger window and observed an elderly couple, frozen in terror, sitting in the van. Based on Chandler's direction, the other adult from the boat put a life jacket on the male driver and assisted him from the van, which was now taking on water at an increasing rate. The female passenger, besides being terrified to the point of hysteria, was overweight and had had a knee replacement, which immobilized her leg. As the driver was pulled out, the van suddenly sank with a gulping sound, taking down with it both the female passenger and Auxiliarist Chandler.

The water depth by the dam ranges from 20 to 30 feet, and the van disappeared from sight. After resurfacing for a moment, Chandler dove back down again and finally came up with the rescued victim. Park Rangers and Police provided emergency medical assistance to the semi-conscious woman. She recovered fully.

Auxiliarist Chandler's rapid response, skillful direction, and unselfish actions are most heartily commended. They demonstrate the very best of the readiness of the volunteer United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to meet a wide variety of needs and service.

AMVER Plaque

Norwegian-flagged M/V TAMPA

The Association for Rescue at Sea was also pleased to present its AMVER plaque to the captain and crew of the Norwegian-flagged M/V TAMPA for a rescue that made international headlines. The AMVER Safety Network is a voluntary, worldwide ship reporting system, which is operated by the United States Coast Guard and involves ships from over 140 nations.

On 26 August 2001, in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia, the master and crew of the 800-foot combination roll-on/roll-off and container ship M/V TAMPA were advised via a distress alert from Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) Australia on the Inmarsat-C terminal of a grossly overloaded 20-meter wooden boat with a disabled engine that was taking on water.

Upon diverting and making visual contact, Captain Arne Rinnan observed that, fortunately, most of the people were below deck or otherwise the vessel would have capsized. Captain Rinnan provided a lee for the distressed vessel, and backed down alongside. Using his main engine and the forward and aft thrusters, he brought his major vessel skillfully alongside the stricken vessel without endangering further its overload of Afghan migrants.

The transfer of survivors was accomplished via the ship's accommodation ladder. Because the ladder had to be kept above the boat for fear of it getting fouled, the passengers had to be lifted by hand one at a time from the distressed vessel. Three strong crewmen of M/V TAMPA took turns lifting each person from the boat onto the ladder. This personal effort and splendid ship handling helped avoid panic and a disastrous capsizing. It took fully two hours to embark everyone on board. The final count of survivors was 438: 369 men, 26 women and 43 children. Despite the poor physical condition of the survivors, the rescue was accomplished without injuries.

AFRAS salutes Captain Rinnan and the crew of M/V TAMPA for responding in the tradition of AMVER, for the great skill and seamanship involved, and for having in the crew three men capable of lifting 438 people to safety in two hours.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

This year’s Awards ceremony was a superb celebration of the valor shown by mariners coming to the aid of others in distress on the seas. Gold Medalists BM1 Christopher D’Amelio and AST1 Eric Forslund were excellent representatives of the USCG and its traditions. Henry Cleve Chandler—the first member of the USCG Auxiliary to be awarded the AFRAS Silver Medal—was recognized not only for the rescue which won for him the Silver Medal, but for a subsequent rescue as well. The AMVER plaque was awarded to the master and crew of the Norwegian-flagged M/V Tampa. Secretary of Transportation Norman Minetta and several members of Congress again graced us with their presence and offered some key remarks on the work of the Coast Guard and of what might be expected under the new Department of Homeland Security Agency (the bill was being voted on as we met in the Longworth Building of the US House of Representatives.) (Please see pages 1-4 for a description of the AFRAS awards ceremony).

The conference of Caribbean volunteer SAR organizations took place in Miami 5-8 December. The conference, which was hosted by the USCG Auxiliary and was put together by former AFRAS board member Commodore Everette Tucker and his staff, far exceeded my expectations as to where we would be in the Caribbean Initiative this early in the game. The conference drew representatives from twenty-two nations, 19 of which were Caribbean states. Sixty-eight persons attended. Many of the nations represented do not have as yet a volunteer rescue service, so in almost all cases a representative of the local coast guard, marine police, or navy came to learn more about the benefits to be gained through having a volunteer organization to respond to local SAR requirements.

There were many excellent presentations on setting up such a volunteer organization, developing initial operational capabilities, sources of funding and interaction with local maritime law enforcement and other government bodies. One of the major areas of discussion was cooperating with other organizations with an interest in Caribbean SAR. To this end, conference participants from the USCG, USCG Auxiliary, the International Lifeboat Federation (ILF), the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) played a major role in encouraging the Caribbean participants to move toward greater cooperation in equipment purchase, operations, and training. In fact, so great was their success, that the participants agreed to form in an informal exchange of information on the internet to be called CSAR and facilitated through the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.

I wrote down in large letters in my conference notes that these fledgling volunteer rescue services of the Caribbean need money. Many are already well on the way to getting organized but lack a source of funding. The ILF, RNLI and KNRM (as well as the French SNSM which has volunteer crews in the French Antilles) have programs to provide such support. Both AFRAS and the Search and Rescue Charitable Foundation (SEARCH) indicated that they would work to raise funds to support these new volunteer rescue associations. I thus appeal to our valued AFRAS members to once again reach into their pockets to support a worthy cause. I already have in hand a couple requests for funding and am likely to receive others. I am exploring the feasibility of these projects (most entail the purchase and installation of SAR communications equipment) and I will provide additional information later.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has provided excellent coverage of the conference through its on-line newspaper SITREP. It can be found at www.teamcoastguard.org.

A final note on the valor of some of our volunteer rescuers: At the conference I met William Jeffrey—a harbor pilot and member of the Auxiliary. In March 1999, he and three other Auxiliarists boarded and brought safely to anchor the runaway M/V MINT QUICK which was headed towards St. Thomas at 12 knots. The captain and the crew were all suffering from severe ciguatera (seafood) poisoning and all were either semi-conscious or unconscious and convulsing or exhibiting severe symptoms. The ship was stopped only 200 yards from the ecologically sensitive coral reefs and medical aid and evacuation to a hospital were provided. This incident only brought home to me the operational environment of the Caribbean with so many large cruise ships, charter and private yachts, fishing, and coastal shipping, plus military and law enforcement operations ---and the so few and far between rescue services. By and large, today it is the local salvage companies, pilots and fishermen in many of the Caribbean waters who come to the aid of others in distress. Air and surface units of the USCG are ready to respond to major disasters, but they are frequently several hours away.

THE ORIGINS OF AFRAS

(Editor’s note: This brief history of AFRAS was compiled by John Chomeau, based on documents provided by Bill Wilkinson, Ian Ventham, and others. AFRAS is indeed fortunate still to have active on its board “plankowners” and others from the early days such as VADM Thomas Sargent III, USCG (ret.), Captain John Fuechsel, USCG (ret.), Nicholas Ludington, and William Wilkinson.

The Association for Rescue at Sea had its origins in an informal reception for the US Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Owen W. Siler held at the US Embassy in London in the spring of 1976. Vice Admiral Sir Peter Compston addressed the gathering on the role of the RNLI and Captain Nigel Dixon and Ray Kipling of the RNLI were receptive to the suggestion of setting up an American-based charity to support the RNLI. Patrick Howarth, the public affairs director of the RNLI took the lead along with Ray Kipling to work with a group of American executives living in London to set up such an organization.

Mr. Howarth was an extraordinary writer whose credits included a history of the RNLI. He had served in the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during WW II and produced a history of that service as well. The impetus behind the creation of this ?ppeal committee was the euphoria surrounding the ?merican Bicentennial on both sides of the Atlantic. As of 1975, the British economy was in a slump, the RNLI was short on funds, and there was a realization that many Americans living in the UK did not realize that the RNLI, unlike the USCG, had to depend upon public appeals to raise funds to perform its rescue operations. The appeal, which would last one year, was to be both to Americans living in the UK and to friends of Britain in the USA.

The RNLI formally proposed the creation of the American/British Lifeboat Appeal committee in June 1976 and the first meeting was held in the American Embassy in London on 19 July 1976. It was chaired by VADM Sir Peter Compston and Americans attending included Captain John Fuechsel, USCG representative in London, Nicholas Ludington, and Professor W. Flexner. Mr. Geoffrey Connor of the London office of the New York law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton, who would play a major role in the creation and early operations of AFRAS, plus the RNLI’s solicitors (attorneys) advised that since most of the funds raised by the appeal would come from bank accounts in the US, trustees including a president and a secretary/treasurer should be set up in the US in order to qualify for a US tax exemption. VADM Thomas Sargent III, USCG (ret.) was invited to serve as the president of the “American Friends of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Inc.” Captain Nigel Dixon, the Director of the RNLI, invited William Wilkinson, Director of the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA and a long-time friend of the RNLI, and James Wegeler of Price Waterhouse to become trustees.

At the 18 August meeting of the Executive Sub-committee of the American/British Lifeboat Appeal in London, chaired by VADM Sir Peter Compston and attended by Captain John Fuechsel, USCG and Mr. Nick Ludington, the following offered to serves as US trustees:

Bruce Mitchell

C.J. Silas

Frank Goodhue

Nicholas Ludington

Captain L. W. Goddu, USCG (ret.)

William Wilkinson

James Wegeler, honorary secretary/treasurer

The next meeting of the American/British Lifeboat ?ppeal Committee was held in Poole on 29 September 1976, with VADM Sir Peter Compston in the chair. VADM Thomas Sargent III accepted the invitation to become the president of the American Friends of the RNLI. This organization was being registered as a charity in the state of New York and the next step was to apply to the IRS for tax exempt status. (Editor’s note: You may be having problems tracking the American/British Lifeboat Appeal Committee and the American Friends of the RNLI. The former was the creation of the RNLI and operated primarily in the UK. The latter was the organization created to operate within the US or to provide a mechanism for tax exempt gifts from US citizens living in the UK. It was the American Friends of the RNLI which eventually became AFRAS).

Two bright and dedicated attorneys Michael Frankel and Nora Ann Wallace from the New York firm Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton, working closely with Geoffrey Connor in London did some marvelous pro bono work to get the new association registered with the State of New York, including drafting our By-Laws, articles of incorporation, and filing for the tax exempt status as a 501 (c) (3) with the IRS. One of the major issues among the many legal problems encountered and overcome with the help of Cleary, Gottlieb included the implied lack of discretionary powers in an organization such as “American Friends of the RNLI” and the fact that the IRS no longer permitted foreign charities to establish branches in the US. Moreover, it was recognized that although contributions might be solicited from US corporations and individuals in the UK, their checks would probably be drawn on US banks. The Cleary Gottlieb attorneys drafting the papers for incorporation came up with the solution to set up an independent, tax-exempt association in the US with no formal ties to the UK or the RNLI. Thus, a Certificate of Incorporation for “The Association for Rescue at Sea, Inc.” was filed with the New York Secretary of State on 10 November 1976. Many problems, however, still needed to be resolved with the IRS and it was not until 15 April 1977 that Patrick Howarth reported that the IRS had granted tax-exempt status to the new Association.

On 22 November 1976, the initial organizational meeting of AFRAS was held at the British-American Chamber of Commerce in New York City. Bill Wilkinson took the chair. Other directors present included Captain L.W. Goddu, USCG (ret.), Anthony W. G. Lord and James Wegeler. Also present were RNLI officials including Deputy Director, John Atterton, Public Relations Officer, Patrick Howarth, and Chief Inspector of Lifeboats, W.L. Gerard Dutton; plus Michael I. Frankel and Nora Ann Wallace of Cleary, Gottlieb. Nora Ann Wallace acted as secretary and took the minutes. VADM Thomas Sargent III, USCG (ret.) was elected president and James Wegeler, secretary/treasurer.

Meanwhile, the American/British Lifeboat Appeal Committee remained active in its efforts to raise funds. Patrick Howarth had proposed during the organizational meeting of AFRAS in New York “to provide a life-boat to mark the many expressions of friendship and mutual goodwill between American and British peoples”. It was decided to raise about 200,000 pounds sterling to purchase a 44-foot Waveney class lifeboat, based on the design of the USCG 44 foot lifeboat. This boat was to be named The Spirit of ’76 in commemoration of the American Bicentennial. Gerard Dutton—an expert on the 44-foot lifeboat—and at the time the number two man in the RNLI -- assisted in this effort. Captain Robert Witter, USCG (ret.), who had a major role in the design and production of the USCG 44-foot lifeboat and was instrumental in the transfer of this design to the RNLI, has worked closely with AFRAS from its beginnings and currently serves as one of our board members.

A large fund-raising event held in the UK on 1 December ’76 was a reception in the Mansion House in the presence of American Ambassador Ann Armstrong, the Lord Mayor of London, the Sheriffs, the Committees and members of the RNLI. RNLI lifeboat crews were also brought in. Although there was not much overt fund-raising during the reception, there was a profit of some 1,000 pounds sterling and donations of 650 pounds. Other fund-raising efforts included a reception in the Banqueting Hall at Whitehall, attended by the president of the RNLI, the Duke of Kent, the Commandant of the USCG, Admiral Owen W. Siler (who would become a president of AFRAS after his retirement from the Coast Guard and remains a member of our board), and a pro-am golf tournament. Two former British Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and Edward Heath were persuaded to join the committee and both gave support and attended a couple meetings. Various American luminaries such as CBS’s anchor Walter Cronkite lent their names to the fund-raising effort. By the end of 1977, about 10% of the money needed to purchase a 44 foot lifeboat had been raised.

On 1 September 1977, Corporate Resolutions of AFRAS were presented in the state of New York, with VADM Sargent as president, Nick Ludington of the Navy League as honorary secretary, and Anthony W.G. Lord of the Crocker International Bank as honorary treasurer. Other trustees included Bruce Mitchell of Bank of America, C.J. Silas of Phillips Petroleum Co., Mr. Frank Goodhue of National City Bank, Captain L. W. Goddu, USCG (ret.) and William D. Wilkinson, director of the Mariners’ Museum. The AFRAS office was established in the home of James Wegeler in New York City. H. Nelson Kent, a graphics designer, produced the AFRAS logo, color scheme and type face. It was based on photos of an Arun Class lifeboat—at the time the newest boat in the RNLI fleet—forwarded by Ray Kipling. Bill Wilkinson was working on the design and purchase of ties for the Mariners’ Museum and AFRAS used his contacts to procure our AFRAS ties. Likewise, both AFRAS and the British/American Lifeboat Appeal produced brochures which were printed by the RNLI. The first social fundraiser in the US was held on 25 September ’77 in honor of the Silver Jubilee of H.M Queen Elizabeth II in Madison Square Garden, with the Grenadier Guards and pipers of the Scots Guards, and the proceeds going towards the purchase of the new lifeboat.

Alas, by May 1980, both AFRAS and the American/British Life Lifeboat Appeal had to face up to the realization that they were far short of the 200,000 pounds sterling needed to purchase a Waveney class 44-foot lifeboat for the RNLI. The decision was made to purchase two smaller Atlantic 21 lifeboats. (The Atlantic class rigid-hull inflatable lifeboat (RIB) had been developed at Atlantic College). The American/British Lifeboat Appeal became the “American Branch” of the RNLI and later renamed itself the “International Branch”. It continued to try to engage the US community living in the UK to support the RNLI. It was decided to keep AFRAS in being, as a means of raising funds within the US to support the RNLI.

The naming ceremony for the American Ambassador took place at the Atlantic College on 6 May 1983, with the American Ambassador John K. Lewis, Jr. and AFRAS board member, RADM Donald Engen, USN (ret.) present at the ceremony. Following a service of dedication, Ambassador Lewis said:

“The task of saving life at sea transcends national boundaries, ignores races and creeds and is truly humanitarian. The sea is said to be a cruel master and your RNLI crews are challenging the dangers and moods of the oceans to try to prevent that cruelty from spreading too far.”

The christening of Spirit of America took place at Hunstanston, on 11 May 1983.

Both Geoffrey Connor and Michael Frankel continued to give excellent service to AFRAS in the years following its creation. It was thanks to Mr. Connor’s efforts that his father, John Connor, a former secretary of Commerce and President of Allied Chemical, agreed to head up the initial appeal to US corporations. Some twenty years later, Michael Frankel, who was working with the Chairman of the Pall Corporation, Maurice Hardy, persuaded him to make a million dollar gift through AFRAS to the RNLI to be used in part for the purchase of a new lifeboat.

The International Lifeboat Federation Conference 2003

16 March – 21 March Cape Town, South Africa

For further information please contact Conference Manager Krista French

Phone: +27 21425 2225

Fax: +27 21 425 2005

Email: nsrikris@iafrica.com

NSRI, PO Box 154, Green Point,

8051 South Africa

International Marine Search and Rescue Competition

Milwaukee, WI 5 October 2002

AFRAS was proud to be a sponsor of the 2002 International Marine Search and Rescue Competition held in Milwaukee this past October.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary recently announced that a Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary team from Richmond, British Columbia was declared International Winner of ISAR 2002, the Third Annual Marine Search and Rescue Competition for volunteers.

The Competition was hosted by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary at US Coast Guard Group Milwaukee. Twelve teams representing the Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliaries participated in various events ranging from dewatering pump operation to line heaving and from chart work to first aid.

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary National Commodore Viggo Bertelsen, an AFRAS board member, announced the winning team during an award ceremony following the competition. He added: “Today’s event demonstrated the real value, contribution and dedication of over 42,000 active Auxiliarists in North America.” Other AFRAS board members present were Chris Bungener and Henri Chomeau IV.

The National Winner for the United States was a Coast Guard Auxiliary team from Illinois representing the Auxiliary’s 9th Western region.

The combined forces of the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliaries support the Safe Boating and Search and Rescue programs of the Coast Guard in their respective countries.

Every year, Canadian and U.S. Auxiliarists are credited with saving 600 lives and helping out thousands of mariners facing difficulties at sea.

A Memorandum of Agreement between the two organizations was signed in 1999 and paved the way for joint training and exercises between the two volunteer organizations.

For your information. . .

The chief executive officer of the Royal New Zealand Coastguard Federation, Kevin J. Rangi, notes that he reads our newsletters with interest and wishes to report that six of the ex-RNLI Waveney class 44’ MLB’s (Motor Lifeboats) mentioned by LCDR Gerard Dutton in the previous newsletter are still in service in New Zealand.

44-009 operated at New Plymouth by Taranaki Volunteer Coastguard

44-017 operated at Wellington by Mana Volunteer Coastguard

44-019 operated at Auckland by Waiheke Island Volunteer Coastguard

44-020 operated at Raglan by Raglan Volunteer Coastguard

44-021 operated at Napier by Hawkes Bay Volunteer Coastguard

44-022 operated at Kaikoura by Kaikoura Volunteer Coastguard

VISAR NEWS

Alex Hewitt-Jones informs us that VISAR is looking to commission a new, slightly larger, (9.5m) RIB to be based in their Road Harbour station. They are looking specifically at the steady numbers of responses they execute to medically oriented search and rescue. It is their intent, once said new vessel has been dedicated into service, to relocate the current Tortola boat to Spanish Town (thereby giving them a slightly better craft) and establish a third station elsewhere in the BVI, probably in North Sound, Virgin Gorda. In order to do everything at the quality and level they would like, they expect to need $300,000 in contributions.

Members…

Just a reminder that it is time to renew your AFRAS membership.

Please mail dues to

AFRAS

PO Box 5604

Arlington, VA 22205

JOIN AFRAS!
Afras is here to provide you with a means of supporting worldwide voluntary lifeboat services and at the same time, providing you with a tax deduction here in the United States.
AFRAS offers two basic membership packages:

The first, a joint membership with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for dues of $100 per year will provide you with a quarterly subscription to the RNLI’s Lifeboat journal, their annual Watermark catalogue and other RNLI press releases and mailings throughout the year. We will also send you periodic AFRAS newsletters, press releases, and an invitation to our annual Gold Medal/Silver Medal/AMVER award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The second, a sole AFRAS membership for $20 per year will entitle you to all Afras mailings including newsletters, press releases and miscellaneous information from our counterparts throughout the world.

All dues and donations given through AFRAS are tax deductible in the United States.

If you are interested in joining AFRAS please email us at afras.org webmaster.