At the turn of the 20th century, the US Life-Saving Service manual required weekly drills on the use of rescue methods. The purpose was to make the men rescue-ready to spring into action even on the darkest and most bitter cold nights. Thursdays were reserved for the beach apparatus drill. This involved use of a ring buoy with canvas breeches sewn in, hence the alternate name, breeches buoy drill. The breeches buoy was used when seas were too rough to launch

Cape Cod National Seashore rangers perform a reenactment of the beach apparatus drill every Thursday evening in July and August. During the drill a projectile with a line attached is fired from a small gun out over a simulated mast of a ship. The full crew gets involved in rigging up the equipment, tying knots, and tying off a line to the simulated ship to allow the buoy to travel back and forth to haul in a "victim."

In this slide show you'll see the many steps involved in this rescue method, as well as the specialized equipment which is on display at Old Harbor. You are invited to come to Old Harbor to see the drill in person and experience an historic activity that occurred at this station. This site is the only location in the US performing this reenactment to 1902 specifications, so it is a truly unique opportunity to step back in time.

Click to view Beach Apparatus Drill Slide Show