Lifeboat Leicester Challenge III returns to Redcar RNLI
It’s an unusual sight but one the people of Redcar may have witnessed before. Thursday 23 February saw the return to Redcar RNLI of their Atlantic 85 lifeboat on the back of a lorry.
It was being returned from the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre on the Isle of Wight, where it had been undergoing a refit and sea trials since October 2022.
In an operation that took under one hour, Redcar’s Leicester Challenge III was swapped with the reserve boat and safely parked up in the lifeboat station ready to respond to its next call for help.
The Leicester Challenge III, is named after the city of Leicester and is the third lifeboat to be donated to Redcar by the people of that city. It entered service at Redcar in 2012
Mike Picknett, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar RNLI said, ‘The Atlantic 85 is programmed in for a refit every five years to ensure that the lifeboat remains in A1 condition and ready for our volunteer crew to respond to a call whenever they are needed. The refit saw a new A frame, communications kit, shock absorbing seats and radar installed. It’s an extensive refit and has taken just over three months to complete.'
During Leicester Challenge III’s time away the lifeboat station remained fully operational with its own D class inshore lifeboat and the on loan Atlantic 85.
RNLI Media Contacts
Andrew Watson, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Redcar RNLI: 07954 435834.
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The RNLI charity 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 142,700 lives.
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