A LOUD cheer has gone up at Cowes lifeboat station after Jason Hughes was announced as the station's fifth qualified helm.
Jason became a lifeboat commander after a grueling day and night-time examination on the Solent, lasting two hours under the experienced eye of RNLI assessor Tom Pedersen.
Jason, a commercial property developer from Gurnard, has been with Cowes lifeboat for over four years. He has an RYA Yachtmaster offshore qualification, raced across oceans, and owns a 36-foot motor cruiser.
Jason said the response at the station to the news he had become a helm was met with a loud cheer and handshakes. 
"It was quite overwhelming," he said.
Station operations manager, Mark Southwell, said, "The more helms we have the more we are able to offer a 24 hour cover and still allow committed volunteers time for themselves and their families."