North Devon to get £2.7 million new lifeboat

By ojones

A new £2.7 million lifeboat is coming to North Devon, the RNLI announced today.

Appledore RNLI confirmed that it will receive a new Tamar class all-weather lifeboat.

The lifeboat, which is due to arrive next year, will replace the existing Tyne class lifeboat George Gibson that has been at Appledore since 1988.

The RNLI says The Tamar is of the very latest in lifeboat design.

She has a top speed of 25 knots giving a vastly improved response time on that of the existing lifeboat at Appledore.

The boat has new safety features including an advanced seat design to reduce stress on the backs of the volunteer crew members when they are at sea.

New onboard computer controls mean remote management of many of the lifeboats functions and better task sharing amongst the crew.

Wendy Dale, RNLI lifeboat operations manager at Appledore, says: 'This new £2.7 million lifeboat represents a huge investment in the life saving work of the RNLI in the area.

"Last year was the busiest year ever for the Appledore RNLI and 2009 looks like following suit.

"Appledore is also the busiest lifeboat station in the Bristol Channel and the new Tamar will help the volunteer crews significantly. It is a safer, faster, better equipped boat and it can reach the casualty more quickly than our current Tyne.

"However apart from additional fundraising to help with the costs of the new boat, the station will need to undertake much additional training to enable the crew to become proficient with the new lifeboat as quickly as possible."

Coxswain Martin Cox and Mechanic Keith Wilson will make frequent visits to the new Tamar whilst it is being built to enable them to understand all aspects of the new lifeboat, even before it arrives on station.

The Appledore Tamar will be the fifth one to go on station in the south west.

Two are already operational in Padstow, Cornwall and Salcombe, Devon, with a third arriving on station in St Helier, Channel Islands this spring and at Sennen Cove, Cornwall at the end of the year.

Appledore RNLI currently has two lifeboats, an all weather Tyne class lifeboat, the George Gibson, and an inshore B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat, the Douglas Paley.

It also has a boarding boat which is also often used for low water estuary rescues.

These cover a coastal area from Welcome Mouth on the Devon Cornwall border to Morte Point and out to sea up to 100 miles or half way to Wales.