Visit to Hoylake Lifeboat Station
27/08/2013
MBF decided that they would like to support the local Lifeboat in Hoylake. We asked the Cox Dave Whitely of the Hoylake Lifeboat if they had any specific piece of equipment that we could buy them? Yes, was the answer,we would like a training chart of Liverpool Bay with all the lit beacons and buoys flashing their correct sequences. This was duly bought and delivered to them.
Chris Weston on the deck of the Lifeboat.
On Saturday 10th August we were very lucky to be given a private viewing of Hoylake's Lifeboat by Coxswain Dave Whitely and his wife Julie.
Hoylake Lifeboat station is one of the oldest stations in the UK and Ireland, they celebrated 200 years of service in 2003. Hoylake have 9 awards for gallantry. The station has seen tragedy with 9 people losing their lives in trying to save others. A station on Hilbre Island closed in the 1930's and an Inshore boat and station at West Kirby opened in 1966.
Hoylake Lifeboat is a Mersey Class boat boat called LADY OF HILBRE she is 11.2 metres long ( 38ft) and has 2x285 Caterpillar turbo charged engines, she carries 1110 litres of fuel which gives a range of 140 nautical miles (260 kms) for her search and rescue missions. Lady of Hilbre has 34 available crew members who either "man" the boat or the tractor/trailer. Lady of a Hilbre can launch, by carriage (tractor towed), on the slipway or afloat, she weighs in at 14.3 tonnes and gets up to 17 knots of speed.
Having been a sailor for an excess of 50 years I was seriously impressed to see how immaculately this 20 year old boat plus tractor and trailer are kept. She looked like a new boat and is a tribute to all the crew who maintain and look after her.
We pay tribute to all the crew for their dedicated hard work and service to the local area in helping save lives while putting their own at risk. It was a pleasure for the Montse Benitez Foundation to be able to help the RNLI and hope in future to continue on to help them where possible.
