It was these challenges that Marine Rescue volunteer Chris Christou used to call his domain.

In six months the former skipper will receive his 20 year service pin for his time at the Forster Tuncurry branch.

But in recent years he has manned a different Marine Rescue vehicle and faces a different storm which is just as unrelenting and fierce, the public's appetite for sausage sandwiches and bacon and egg rolls.

On Wednesday he was at the Forster break-wall serving sausages and eggs at Marine Rescue Forster Tuncurry's water safety awareness day.

About four years ago Mr Christou saw an opportunity to raise some funds for Marine Rescue Forster Tuncurry, so he built a barbecue into a trailer that can be taken around to different community events.

“I gave up going out on the boats because we need the money,” Mr Christou said.

“And there's money to be made in the barbecue.”

Mr Christou will have manned the barbecue five times this January to help raise the $120,000 a year that the Forster Tuncurry branch needs,.

As a skipper Mr Christou was part of the duty crew, who were on call 24/7 until the next crew was rotated in.

“On Christmas day I was sitting down, knife and fork in hand about to eat my Christmas lunch, and I got called out,” he said.

He also has two shirts now, his barbecue shirt and another one with three stripes on the shoulders to show he is a captain.

When I asked him if it was a big change going from the skipper to spending most of his time on the barbecue, he said; “at least.”

Someone came and ordered a sausage sandwich so his response got cut off.

The sandwich was served and he came back, tongs in hand and replied jovially; “at least I don't get called out at all hours of the night any more.”