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Use our online tool to locate the precise location of your loved one's name on the letters and numbers of Invergordon’s lifeboat.
Contact us at [email protected] if you require assistance.
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Your Launch a Memory Invergordon updates
Welcome to your updates page, where you can keep track of the Invergordon lifeboat.
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Invergordon lifeboat station tours
Scheduled tours of your Launch a Memory lifeboat will be available to book between 12 April and 1 November.
These can be booked through Eventbrite and are free of charge. You can also keep up to date on Invergordon RNLI through the station's Facebook page.
Congratulations Reece
In April, after a demanding programme of training and assessment, Invergordon volunteer Reece Porter qualified as a coxswain on Launch a Memory lifeboat Agnes AP Barr. Reece demonstrated the leadership, technical ability, and calm decision-making required to take command of the RNLI’s most advanced all-weather lifeboat – the Shannon class. In his role in charge of lifeboat 13-37, Reece leads the volunteer crew during emergencies, and ensures that the vessel and crew are always ready to respond. His progression to coxswain reflects years of dedication as part of the volunteer crew, developing his seamanship in often challenging conditions on the Cromarty Firth and surrounding waters.
Beach rescue
Not every RNLI emergency takes place on water. In May, Invergordon’s Shannon crew was tasked to an injured walker who had a suspected broken ankle. Arriving at Shandwick Beach, volunteer crew members went ashore using the Shannon’s daughter craft to assess the injured walker and help with casualty care. Also in attendance were crews from the Scottish Ambulance Service and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, who assisted the casualty to the ambulance.
Previous updates
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A medical evacuation
At the end of last year, the crew of your Launch a Memory lifeboat Agnes AP Barr were tasked with a medical evacuation from an oil rig in the Cromarty Firth. Arriving on scene, the RNLI volunteers safely transferred the casualty to your special lifeboat 13-37. Casualty carers onboard the lifeboat treated the person on the way back to Invergordon, where the casualty was handed into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
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Jac makes history at Invergordon
Jacqueline Macfarlane has joined Invergordon’s team of launch authorities, helping to ensure your Launch a Memory Shannon and crew can launch whenever they’re needed. Jac is the first woman at Invergordon to hold this volunteer role and hopes to pave the way for many more. She says the role has opened her eyes to how much goes into launching a lifeboat.
‘The launch authority role is much more than just saying “Yes” to the Coastguard. It’s about understanding tidal information, sea states, weather, and the rescue itself. If it’s unsafe, the crew will not be authorised to launch.’
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Invergordon crew shortlisted for Highland Heroes award
The lifesavers at Invergordon were nominated for a prestigious award, after a rescue involving your lifeboat that took place last summer. The crew were paged to assist two people onboard a yacht that had suffered engine failure and was stranded by the Moray's Firth Rift Bank.
The crew boarded the yacht and helped raise the anchor. They then, with assistance from Kessock lifeboat crew, secured a towline and pulled the yacht to safety.
‘It’s an honour to be nominated and shortlisted for the emergency and crisis services award,’ says volunteer Crew Member Mike MacDonald. ‘Every time we are called out, we entrust our lives to one another with the shared goal of saving or helping those in distress at sea.’
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Read more about the 4th anniversary
Four years of your Invergordon lifeboat
At 1.37pm (1337) on 1 November 2020, your Launch a Memory lifeboat arrived home at Invergordon. Every year since, Invergordon’s volunteers gather together on this anniversary at exactly the same time to remember your loved one and all those named on their special lifeboat.
Speaking about the 2024 ceremony, Andrew Shepherd, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Invergordon, says: ‘It was an honour and a privilege to place the wreath and remember those who sail with us each time the lifeboat goes to sea.’
Read more about the 4th anniversary
Learn more about their training
A trio of new recruits
Meet Lee, Danny and Andy – new members of your Invergordon crew. After months of training, all three passed their 4-hour assessment just in time to be on call over the Christmas period. It’s a crucial milestone in a crew member’s training, and one the trio are extremely proud of.
For them, joining the Invergordon crew means becoming a part of an incredible lifesaving family, made up of not only the crew at the station but the 9,896 lifesavers who are always right by their side – including your loved one.
Learn more about their training
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Royal Seal of Approval for Invergordon 50th anniversary
In the lead-up to its 50th anniversary, Invergordon RNLI launched the RNLI 200 Highlands and Islands Baton Relay on 1 August 2024 at 6.24pm (1824). The relay started at Invergordon Lifeboat Station and travelled to various RNLI stations in Scotland, before returning to the station. The baton was then presented to His Majesty The King’s Lord Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty, Mrs Joanie Whiteford, who delivered a message of heartfelt gratitude to the RNLI staff and volunteers from His Majesty The King.
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Buy a keepsake
Invergordon keepsakes
The Launch a Memory Invergordon retail range is now sold out. But don’t worry, you can still commemorate your loved one by purchasing a special lifesaving keepsake. Choose from a collection of beautiful wall art and photo gifts featuring the Invergordon lifeboat, designed to help you remember your loved one in the most meaningful way.
Buy a keepsake
Get the most from Launch a Memory
You can now purchase a lifesaving printed keepsake to commemorate the special person you've remembered on the Invergordon Shannon class lifeboat.
Design-wise, you can choose the individual letter or number that your loved one's name is in or the full lifeboat decal.
Design-wise, you can choose the individual letter or number that your loved one's name is in or the full lifeboat decal.
Browse the Launch a memory Invergordon prints
Many people have shared heart-warming stories about why they chose to include the name of someone they miss on the lifeboat – as well as celebrating their or their loved one’s connection to the RNLI.
Add a dedication
An RNLI Forever by the Sea tribute fund is an online space for you to share treasured stories and photos of your loved one with family and friends. If you want to, you can also use it to help raise funds for the RNLI in their memory.
Share your memories and raise funds