The RNLI’s latest 13m Shannon class lifeboat, The Barry and Peggy High Foundation, arrived at her Ilfracombe station on 6 June to be welcomed by hundreds of people lining the harbour.
Escorted by the lifeboat she replaced, 12m Mersey Spirit of Derbyshire, she demonstrated her manoeuvrability before being recovered in the harbour by the Supacat Launch & Recovery system.
After a period of intense training, the new lifeboat was declared operational on 18 June, and on 26 June she was formally named by donor Barry High and dedicated in front of more than 350 invited guests. The naming ceremony, unusually, took place inside the lifeboat house due to the rain.
