Ann Cleeves book launch very nearly scuppered by a lifeboat call out

As part of Ilfracombe RNLI's celebration weekend for the 200th anniversary, best-selling author of 'Vera' and 'The Long Call', Ann Cleeves, came to the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe to launch the paperback of her latest crime thriller 'The Raging Storm', set in North Devon.

The book features a lifeboat callout and is dedicated to RNLI Ilfracombe. For the launch event, Ann had requested two members of the Ilfracombe lifeboat crew to join her on stage to talk about real-life rescues on the North Devon coast. Ann's own husband was saved from a desperate situation by their local lifeboat crew some 40 years ago which is why the RNLI is a cause so close to Ann's heart.

But Ann's book launch so very nearly did not go to plan. Gillian Cole and Stuart Carpenter were the two crew members who were to join Ann on stage to talk about the lifeboat volunteering that they do. Just before the book launch, they were both at the lifeboat station, putting on their yellows in readiness for taking the stage. Suddenly, their pagers sounded, alerting all crew that the lifeboat was needed. A yacht had been seen in some difficulties near Lynmouth and the Coastguard had had asked for urgent assistance.

Gillian and Stuart had a tense few moments waiting to see how many of Ilfracombe's volunteer crew would get to the station in time. If enough crew could not get there, Stuart and Gillian would have had to leave Ann Cleeves in the lurch. "To be honest," Gillian admits, there was a moment when I thought I would rather go out on the lifeboat than face standing on the stage to talk in front of all those people!"

Fortunately, enough volunteers were able to get to the station in good time so that all-weather lifeboat, the Barry and Peggy High Foundation, could be launched and go to the rescue of the yacht. Gillian and Stu were able to join Ann at her book launch as planned.

While Stuart was talking to the sell-out crowd at the Landmark, his pager went off once more. Fortunately, he was able to reassure the audience that this was an alert to say that the lifeboat was coming back to the Harbour, having safely towed the stricken yacht to safety, and it was not another shout.

The other major event of the celebration weekend involved people, including lifeboat crew, their families and many locals, standing in the pouring rain on Capstone Hill spelling out 'RNLI 200'.