18 Fowey RNLI volunteers pass-out on Atlantic 85 lifeboat

The crew have worked hard with weeks of training both at the RNLI college in Poole and at the station in Fowey. They have converted their current roles on the station’s inshore D class lifeboat so that they are now also able to crew the station’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat.

The crew are helms and navigators: Jan Philp, Callum Pritchard, Kai A’Lee, Adam Russell, Amelia Luck and Ross Jezard. Inshore navigators: Paul Birkby, Luke Watts, James Dowrick and Graham Middlewood and Tier 2 Crew: Liam Barron, Martin Jezard, Peter Parry, Will Maher, Gary Jane, Oli Luck, Jack Taylor and Elliot Toms.

Fowey Coxswain, Jonathan Pritchard said ‘I am very proud of what our crew have achieved in the last couple of months. It has been a difficult time preparing to say farewell to our Trent lifeboat after 30 years but our crew have stepped up and shown their commitment to Fowey lifeboat station. They have been training on the Atlantic 85 almost every day over the past few weeks in order to prepare for their assessments and have put in a huge amount of effort. I would like to thank and congratulate all of them for such an incredible effort.’

Throughout the UK and Ireland from 1970 to the beginning of July this year, the Atlantic 85 B class lifeboat has launched 99,140 times and saved 10,276 lives.

The current generation of B class lifeboat is called the Atlantic 85, because of its length – nearly 8.5m, and it is the third generation of B class lifeboat, introduced to the fleet in 2005.

The B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat is one of the fastest in the fleet, with a top speed of 35 knots powered by two 115hp 4-stroke engines.

Although she’s an inshore lifeboat, designed to operate in shallower water, the Atlantic 85 class can handle fairly challenging open sea conditions too – force 7 near gale winds in daylight and force 6 at night. The Atlantic 85 is also capable of being beached in an emergency without sustaining damage to her engines.

The Atlantic 85 has a manually operated righting mechanism in the event of a capsize which involves inflating a bag on top of the roll bar. Her engines are inversion-proofed so that they shut down should she capsize and can be restarted after she has been righted.

On Saturday 2 August, Fowey’s new relief Atlantic 85 lifeboat will be on display in the harbour and on the pontoon for the public to view as Fowey celebrates lifeboat day, with music, refreshments and activities at the lifeboat station.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.