The Sea. It sthe sea that has shaped the life of the inhabitants of the British Isles forcenturies. It has a profound influence on the country s history. The seadefended the British from enemies and provided them with sea routes that helpedEngland to become a mighty empire that maintained a strong navy to defend itsinterests.Besides that there has been the economic significance of the sea forthe country. The state received great sums of money from the usage of traderoutes and the powerful trade fleet that dominated any other until the 20thcentury when its significance began to decline.
The sea in Great Britain is believed to be apart of people s life. Many people are into shipbuilding. They work inshipyards and it s typical of the British coast. Besides that a lot of peoplehave a family tradition to have the same profession for generations saying thatit s a belief that the sea is in their blood. Many British have their own vessels,varying from big yachts to dinghies.It is extremely popular in Britain tosailing for it is considered to be really exhilarating and a good relaxation.It provides one with a good opportunity to escape from everyday routine.
But at the same time the sea can bedangerous. In Great Britain it is not obligatory to have safety equipment on avessel. That s why accidents are not rare in the sea. In order to save peoplespecial life-boat stations are scattered throughout the coast.There are about200 of them and every of them has its own rescue crew. Every crew consists of14 members among whom only one is a real professional, mainly coxswain mechanicand others are volunteers.
Having received an alarm it takes just 6 minutes tolaunch a life-boat and leave the mooring.Rescue crews are called out 5000times a year and save 1500 lives during that period of time. These people areespecially addicted to the sea, because nothing can be compared with anextremely rewarding feeling of satisfaction after saving one s life. The sea makespeople respect it and it can beat anyone if they try to equal it. Alexander V. Myskin, gr.3o1.