Historic lifeboats on parade for Angle RNLI's open day
Angle RNLI’s open day sailed to success on Saturday (August 5), with nearly 300 visitors touring the station and a parade of four lifeboats completing the event in style.
The parade was led by Angle’s £2.7 million Tamar class all weather lifeboat Mark Mason, which was followed by the ex-RNLI Watson class lifeboats Richard Vernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds and Pentland, and the ex-RNLI Liverpool class lifeboat The Chieftain.
The Richard Vernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds, which is owned by Bevis Musk, is a former Angle lifeboat built in 1956. She served at the station from 1957 to 1987, when for some years among her volunteer crew members was Danny Richards, who is now Second Coxswain of the Tamar lifeboat.
Danny has over 43 years’ service with the RNLI, having also served in the Tyne class lifeboat The Lady Rank at Angle from 1987 to 2008 and in various relief lifeboats sent to the station.
For the open day parade Danny joined the Pentland, which is owned by the Rev Mike Brotherton, retired Royal Navy Chaplain and Deputy Launch Authority at Angle RNLI.
The Pentland was built in 1957 and was based at Thurso, Scotland, from 1957 to 1970; The Mumbles, Swansea, from 1974 to 1985, and then Workington until 1990.
Oldest of the veteran lifeboats was The Chieftain, which was built in 1948 and was stationed at Barmouth from 1949 to 1982.
This year’s open day coincided with Angle Regatta and the Mark Mason led the veteran lifeboats into Angle Bay to the delight of the crowds lining the shore outside the Old Point House inn.
Open day visitors, who were welcomed by Lifeboat Operations Manager Julian Hammond and Coxswain Lewis Creese, met crew members and enjoyed tours of the station and the state-of-the-art Tamar lifeboat.
They also viewed the relief £41,000 D class inshore lifeboat, Northern Light, which is on duty at Angle, while the station’s own inshore lifeboat, SuperG II, undergoes maintenance.
Volunteer crew members Richard ‘Rags’ Davidson and Paul Smart operated a barbecue near the entrance to the station and refreshments were served in the crewroom by Linda Hammond, Daphne Bush, chairman and press officer of Pembroke Ladies Lifeboat Guild, and Hooi Stringer.
RNLI souvenirs were sold by the station’s Treasurer Linda Foulstone, and there were also several activities for children and competitions to ‘Play Your Cards Right’ with volunteer shore crew member Ian Foulstone and ‘Guess the Bear’s Name’ with Sharon Duffield.
Note to editors
RNLI media contacts: For more information please telephone Ted Goddard, Angle RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, on 01437 763675 or Eleri Roberts, RNLI Public Relations Manager, on 01745 585162 / 07771 941390 or email [email protected].
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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