Volunteers at a Norfolk lifeboat station have been supplied with a relief vessel to ensure they can maintain vital lifesaving cover while their station's craft undergoes a refit
RNLI/Chris Bishop
Relief lifeboat Irene Cornford heads out across the beach at Old Hunstanton
B-Class fast inshore craft Irene Cornford arrived at Hunstanton RNLI on Tuesday, 9 September, after a five-hour journey from the RNLI's HQ at Poole in Dorset.
She will replace the Norfolk station's resident lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk while she is away on the Isle of Wight for her overhaul.
Driver Ash, from Dorset-based Elvy International Marine and Heavy Haulage, lifted
Irene Cornford gently off his articulated lorry with help from the Hunstanton crew.
Spirit of West Norfolk was then backed in on her carriage to be lifted onto the trailer, before Ash lifted her relief vessel high over his trailer and lowered her perfectly onto her launch rig.
After kitting up Irene Cornford, it was time for a sea trial to check all was ship-shape before the crew gave her the thumbs-up and she was recovered, washed down and placed on service.
Spirit of West Norfolk then set off on the long haul to the RNLI's Inshore Lifeboat Centre at Cowes, where 70 skilled boatbuilders, fitters and electricians work to build and maintain up to 80 boats a year.
Regular rescues, exercises and hostile seas all take their toll on the RNLI's lifeboats, so it's essential that they receive regular maintenance and upgrades so that they can carry on saving lives.
But the charity that saves lives at sea operates a reserve fleet to ensure like-for-like cover is maintained whenever one of a station's assets needs to go away for a refit.
Editor's Notes
Hunstanton lifeboat station operates the fast inshore lifeboat and the search and rescue hovercraft
Hunstanton Flyer.
Its volunteer crew covers The Wash, a tidal estuary of some 200 square miles fed by five main rivers, along with parts of the north Norfolk coast.
Like more than 200 RNLI crews around the coast of the UK and Ireland, their lifesaving work would not be possible without the kindness of those who donate to the charity that saves lives at sea.
RNLI Images
Pictures of lifeboats being exchanged and Irene Cornford heading out for her sea trial.
Please note credit: RNLI/Chris Bishop
RNLI Media Contacts
For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219 or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
RNLI/Chris Bishop
Irene Cornford is lifted over Spirit of West Norfolk onto Hunstanton RNLI's launch rig
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.
