RNI 1999

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Radio Northsea International in 1999

Issue: 2 Updated: 4 January 2008

First of the commemorative broadcasts of RNI & in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from the former Trinity House Lightship number 18 christened Mebo 3 as tribute to the original radio stations ship of the 1970's

The 1999 Radio Northsea International jocks in order of appearance as you view the photographs play from here or the RNI logo above & find out how many DJ's you named in the role call at the foot of the page

The speck on the middle horizon is the LV18 seen from the breakwater at Jaywick the operations base of Doug Wood our supply tender provider

The LV18 with her then ever present port list every orifice on board was checked to get her onto an even keel whilst we were at sea all to no avail

The LV18 with Jaywick in the background built by Philip & Son Dartmouth in 1958 she was the first of five constructed with a tubular lantern tower attached to which were two loudspeakers which periodically broadcast sea bird alarm calls to discourage them from landing on the vessel

One of three continuously running diesel generators powered the light & the compressed air fog horn

The last Trinity House manned vessel the 18 was sold to Sea Containers in 1994 to be preserved as part of the Harwich Heritage Project She's now in the hands of the Harwich Pharos Trust

Dennis Jason & Bob Le-Roi

Yarning with Dennis Jason

Doug Woods son Martin on the tender bow prepares to heave alongside with supplies & a crew change

Dick Palmer, Bob Le-Roi & Stuart Dobson

Acting skipper Dick Palmer left with Stuart Dobson ships engineer right preparing to take supplies aboard

Offshore we've always enjoyed tender visits

Here Doug Woods daughter Dawn along for the ride reminds us why

LV18 T'arial

LV18 Lantern House & the T'arial above

The main on air studio using the original Laser 558 Gates panel

Clive Boutell Graham Vine & Kevin Turner in deck conference

Dick Palmer & Bob Le-Roi

Seeing the tender off

We monitored the tenders return to shore visualy & by radio

The three pictures taken from the tender above were sent by Ben Meijering who was to join us in for the RNI 2001 broadcast

Hi Bob,

Attached you'll find pictures that I made last Friday when my wife and myself and myself visited RNI. I'd like to thank you for your hospitality and the tour on the ship. We really have a very enjoyable stay on board. Actually on Saturday we visited the Ross Revenge, very different, the visit to the MEBO III was much and much better. Visiting the Ross Revenge is like visiting a museum, very dull!

I've also really enjoyed listening to the sound of RNI, the format that you're presenting really is excellent, thank you for your excellent hospitality. You've brought pirate radio back.

Kind regards Ben Meijering

Tender leaving

Dawn hauls in a line as Bob Nokes Dennis Jason & Chris Baird leave us & admire a stern view

Phil Mitchell having a weed & preparing the rip off & read news

Jet-Skiers found a novel way of delivering requests

Mid-day programme on RNI

A Maldon Barge making her way home from Harwich

No not an oil painting but a spectacular sunset across the North Sea from the LV18

Mac at work on the rig

Clive Boutell & Graham Vine try without success to counter that list

Kevin Turner on News prep' note the ships plans an original feature on the wall

Also see Kevin Turner in Radio Sovereign Italy

Stuart Dobson with Dick "give us a twirl" Palmer fooling around on deck

The port list had been prevalent until late in 2002 & was finally corrected with the discovery that the Fog Horn compressed air tank had not been drained of water after pressure testing by Trinity House

A torrential downpour hits the LV18

Dick Palmer prepares to ascend the ladder to the lantern house

At the top of the lantern house

Bob's Berth typical of the ten on board

Buzzed by the Alert 3 who initially refused to take traffic a most disconcerting feeling having on a number of occasions been pursued by her in the past!

LV18 port bow showing Trinity House mooring arrangement

Leaving the LV18 with just a yacht for company

The 1999 RNI jocks were: Norman Barrington, Dave West, Paul Graham, Chris Baird, Dennis Jason, Kevin Turner, Bob Le-Roi, Mike Read, Phil Mitchell, Dick Palmer, Tony Currie, Paul MacLaren, Dave Rogers & Ray Anderson

Thanks to Paul Graham for providing the airchecks from station the logging tapes

The broadcast was in aid of the RNLI

To find out more about the Royal National Lifeboat Institution here or from their logo above

21/07/07 - I have been an anorak all my life & enjoyed many trips to the Ross Revenge during the 80's. I have spent 2 hours looking through your web site & it brought back so many memorys. I even found a picture of myself & a few friends putting up the antenna for Paul Graeme on the LV18. I just wanted to say Thank You for the super website, you must have the best collection of 60's offshore pictures any where in the world. Best Regards, Tony Horsman...

P.S. I think we met when I setup Coast FM in Clacton with Ernie & you did some shows on the station.

Hi Bob, Met you on RNI off clacton, we arrived on Mike Read's first broadcast, got the photos to prove it. Nice to meet you and grateful for the help up and down the side of the ship! LV18 photos not bad, took a number on board & on leaving ship. Last picture shows the boat tied to the stern, I believe it sunk that night. Had a very rough ride back with the two ex Caroline jocks on board from Ireland, a quick look at the shop on Clacton Pier, then down to Southend to the Ross. Caroline were also off the air owing to lighting, whilst you stayed on air, the two jocks joined us there a good day out I certainly would like to go to Sealand one day, perhaps he will do B & B Let me know when CD out on Sealand - Bill Pryor North Devon & Bob Pryor Ramsgate

I especially enjoyed the BIG L 97 & RNI 99 scapbooks which brought back recent good time memories on board that now seen so long ago as we continue on our journey to oblivion. Best regards Chris Baird

Some nice RNI pics in the latest scrapbook....ah young Dawn. What memories/mammaries!!! Peter BFBS

There's a slide show with audio & details of the RNI 1999 CD in the Offshore Shop

Also more of the LV18 in RNI 2001 & the lightships that served at Tongue Sands & it's fort in Caroline 1983&4 & Eurosiege

There's a picture of the LV 18 at Harwich in 2003 in a feature on Sealand navigate from Sealand One

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