St Annes Lifeboat Station is the RNLI all-weather base. Find it on the seafront, adjacent to the YMCA swimming baths. The RNLI building houses the Lifeboat and the Gift Shop with the Museum upstairs, accessed through the Gift Shop.
In the above photo you’re looking at it from the seaward side… The next photo is looking from the inner promenade.
Next to the RNLI building is a boating lake . There you can have all kinds of safe fun, messing about in the water. The annual Lifeboat Day is also held here.
New Vessel for St Annes Lifeboat Station
On Sunday 25 February 2018, the RNLI was delighted to welcome the new Shannon class all-weather Lifeboat for Lytham St Annes.
FREE Newsletter
FREE Newsletter
The volunteer crew and fundraisers from RNLI Lytham St Annes had been preparing for the arrival of Barbara Anne 13-24 for some months.
The Barbara Anne on sea trials (photo by RNLI / Steve Lowe)
The crew had previously spent weeks doing sea trials and crew training. That’s carried out at the Sea Charity’s Poole headquarters as well as the beach at St Annes.
On 20 February 2018 they left to collect the vessel from Poole. The passage was part of training for the volunteer crew members.
Arrival of the new boat for St Annes Lifeboat Station
On Sunday 25 February, Barbara Anne sailed from Holyhead, where she’d spent the previous night, to arrive off the mouth of the Ribble at lunch time. She was met by the Station’s two lifeboats. The Inshore lifeboat D-800 MOAM and the All-weather lifeboat Her Majesty the Queen, the boat which she replaced.
At exactly 13.24 (the Barbara Anne’s operational number, 13-24) Coxswain Gary Bird beached the Shannon for the first time, to be recovered by the SLARS. With the boat placed on the vehicle, she was driven to her new boathouse on South Promenade. There crowds gathered to welcome her “home”.
Launch and Recovery
SC-T13 is the Station’s own brand new £1.5 million Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS). That’s the combined tractor and carriage which launches and collects the lifeboat from the sea.
This bit of kit had arrived two weeks before the lifeboat. The crew learned how to use it with the help of relief Shannon lifeboat 13-21 Brianne Aldington.
A New Home for Her Majesty the Queen
The Her Majesty the Queen remained on station for a number of weeks. With training completed, full handover has been made to the Barbara Anne.
It is not known yet what will happen to the Her Majesty the Queen but the most likely scenario is that she will join the relief fleet of lifeboats for a short time before being sold by the charity.
A brilliant fundraising effort
Digby Moulden was Chairman of the Shannon Appeal to raise the balance of the money required to fund the new boat. He said, “Thank you to all who have contributed to our new lifeboat either in donations or fundraising. All have helped to save lives at sea. The Barbara Anne is larger, faster and safer to operate than her predecessor so has the potential to save more lives”.
While you’re here…
Have a look at the homepage of the Visit St Annes website for more of the latest updates.
Love the Fylde Coast? Sign up for your weekly email newsletter. Packed full of interesting things, it arrives in your inbox all 52 weeks of the year.
Join us on Facebook at our Visit Fylde Coast Facebook Group
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @visitFyldeCoast
We Need Your Help
We Need Your Help
