Not everyone who slipped out of Poole Harbour on a stormy night was a smuggler!

The lifeboat crews are put to sea in all weathers to save sailors who run into trouble.

Unlike other emergency services, the lifeboats are maintained and crewed by volunteers, often using fishermen and sailors who understand the sea.
Crews practice with their specially designed lifeboats to ensure that in an emergency the launch is as perfect as the weather permits.

The old lifeboat station is now a museum. Poole is home to the RNLI's Headquarters, and from this spot you can often see their new lifeboats moored up or riding the waves at high speed.