Filey's all weather lifeboat has left the town for the final time today.
After 350 launches over 30 years, Keep Fit Association left the boathouse on Cobble landing at 5am this morning for one final journey with it's crew.
John Ward from the RNLI in Filey explains where it's going.
The Mersey Class Keep Fit Association left coble landing this morning on a 130 mile journey to Lowestoft.
It's thought the vessel will join the RNLI's reserve fleet.
Filey says farewell to it’s all weather lifeboat after 217 years of having one. It will be replaced by an Atlantic 85 RIB.
Posted by This Is The Coast - Local Radio For The Yorkshire Coast on Wednesday, April 28, 2021
John Ward from Filey RNLI says it's emotional day for the crew some of who are also retiring after today's long journey.
The all weather boat was called into action earlier this week assisting North Yorkshire Police with a coastline search.
It's going to be replaced by a 40-mile-per-hour Atlantic 85 class vessel which will help reach casualties quicker and act as a first responder, but which wont have all weather capability.
John Ward says the new vessel is better suited to the types of work that the lifeboats have been undertaking in recent years.
At 35 knots the Atlantic 85 is twice as fast as the 17-knot Mersey and is said to be better suited to the rescues carried out by the crew of Filey Lifeboat Station. It can be launched more quickly than the Mersey, is easy to helm and should be able to reach people in trouble much faster. It will operate alongside Filey’s smaller D class inshore lifeboat.
It is 8.3 metres long and its design incorporates a radar system, VHF direction finder and two 115 horse power outboard motors. It carries four crew members and can stay at sea at full speed for 2.5 hours. It can operate in relatively shallow water and is highly manoeuvrable.
The decision to change Filey’s lifeboat was made back in 2013 following an in-depth review of lifeboat cover in the area. The five-yearly coast review involved a thorough analysis of the rescues carried out in recent years as well as changing trends in sea use off the Yorkshire coast and took into account the improved capabilities of modern RNLI lifeboats. At the time an examination of all rescues undertaken by Filey all-weather lifeboat from 2003 to 2012 showed that 94.4% could have been safely and effectively dealt with by the Atlantic 85.
The RNLI has introduced new Shannon class vessels at Scarborough and Bridlington over the last few years to provide all weather capability in the region. The organisation says the provision of these, along with five inshore lifeboats at Scarborough, Filey, Flamborough and Bridlington, will ensure the RNLI continues to offer the very best lifesaving service on this stretch of the Yorkshire coast.
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