Lynmouth lifeboat set to commemorate 125th anniversary of overland launch
Whilst the Royal National Lifeboat Institution celebrates its 200th year, the residents of Lynmouth in Devon are preparing to mark another momentous event in lifesaving history, the 1899 overland launch.
On 12th January 1899 volunteers from Lynmouth Lifeboat embarked on what would become one of the most audacious feats in the Institution’s history.
At 7.52pm they received a distress call from the Forrest Hall, a 1900 ton vessel bound for Liverpool with 13 crew and five apprentices on board, in danger of running aground at Porlock Weir.
The conditions at Lynmouth made a launch impossible, so coxswain Jack Crocombe proposed a bold solution. Lynmouth lifeboat would be taken overland to launch at Porlock Weir.
Few who complete the journey between Porlock and Lynmouth today can imagine the strength and fortitude required, hauling the 10 metre, 10 ton Louisa up and down the perilous hills on this route. Men and 18 horses from a local farm joined forces, reaching Porlock after an exhausting 11 hour journey.
The lifeboat was launched, rendered aid to the stricken vessel and as a result 18 lives were saved.
This incident proved the need for a lifeboat station in Minehead, which was constructed in 1901 and remains today as a key lifesaving asset, having just undergone major refurbishment thanks to generous donations.
On Saturday 13 January 2024, a crew of volunteers will haul the Lynmouth Sailing Club safety boat Gilbey from Lynmouth, leaving at 7.30am to negotiate the tricky and winding A39 towards Porlock. The main challenges on this route will be the vertiginous Countisbury and Porlock hills, both one in four and a stern test of the crew.
The haul finishes 13 miles later at the Bottom Ship in Porlock Weir, arriving at 3.30pm before an afternoon and evening of celebration with folk-punk band Skinny Lister heading up proceedings.
Community Manager Andrew Escott said: 'It’s wonderful that in the RNLI’s bicentenary year we get to celebrate this impressive lifesaving feat, which also helps raise money towards saving lives at sea locally too. All are welcome to visit the boathouse at Minehead to see how this history has shaped our station.'
More information on the historic 1899 launch here:
https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/timeline/1899-launch-from-porlock-weir
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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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