Girvan, June 25 The second of the new 33ft Brede class lifeboats to go on station in Scotland was named Philip Vaux at a ceremony which took place at Girvan Harbour on Saturday June 25. Largely funded from a bequest by the late Mrs Elizabeth Vaux in memory of both her husband, Cdr Philip Vaux, OBE DSC RN, and their son, Lt-Cdr M. P. Vaux, DSC RN, the boat was handed over to the Duke of Atholl, chairman of the Institution, by one of the executors, Mr A. M.

Turton. She was accepted from the Duke into the care of the branch by the station honorary secretary, Mr T. L.

Wilson and named by Cdr Vaux's brother, Mr Harry Vaux.

More than 400 guests attended the ceremony with a background setting of the fishing fleet moored in the harbour.

The platform party was welcomed to the site by a guard of honour drawn from companies of both the Girls and Boys Brigades and proceedings were then opened by Girvan's chairman, ex-Provost A. C. H. Todd.

With music provided by Girvan Youth Brass Band and hymn singing led by Girvan Schools Choir, the service of dedication was conducted by the Reverend Robert Cook, Minister of Girvan South Parish Church, and Father Eugene Matthews of the Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

When Mr Harry Vaux was invited to name the lifeboat, it was one of very few times in the history of the RNLI that a boat had been named after a member of the permanent staff. Cdr Philip Vaux had been a distinguished inspector and chief inspector of lifeboats, particularly remembered for his work in the refurbishment and development of the lifeboat fleet following the end of hostilities in the 1940s; his work included the introduction of aluminium superstructures, making deck cabins possible, the installation of a new type of wireless and the accelerated programme of fitting diesel engines. In 1926, when inspector of lifeboats for the Irish District, Philip Vaux, then Lt-Cdr, had been awarded the Institution's bronze medal for gallantry for his part in a search for three men lost from the Welsh trawler Cardigan Castle, which struck a rock and sank off the west coast of Ireland while she herself was searching for survivors from another wrecked trawler. Upon his retirement in 1951 Cdr Vaux was awarded the OBE for the services he rendered.

The compass for this new Brede lifeboat, together with its fitting and first adjustment, was funded by past and present RNLI lifeboat inspectors and other members of staff who had known Cdr Vaux and worked with him.

With the champagne bottle broken and a Royal Navy helicopter paying her own tribute overhead, Coxswain/ Mechanic Michael Storey, recently of Humber lifeboat station, demonstrated the manoeuvrability of RNLB Philip Vaux which did her part as gracefully as had the coxswain's daughter, Clare, in presenting a gift to the namer.

Following a short trip afloat for the principal guests, everyone was enter- tained to tea when, following the traditional cutting of the cake by the wife of the coxswain, Mrs Dawn Storey, long service badges were presented by the Duke of Atholl to Girvan lifeboatmen who had given active service for 20 years or more.

With the formalities concluded, the crew rounded off the day by fulfilling a commitment to the town when they manned a lifeboat float, made by themselves, in the carnival procession; they were warmly greeted by everyone who lined the streets.

So ended a memorable day in Girvan: a day which saw the naming of a new boat for the first time in more than 30 years, and a day in which representatives attending from inland committees and communities at large confirmed and endorsed the truly family spirit of the RNLI.—K.T.

Penlee, July 18 Long before HRH The Duke of Kent, President of the Institution, arrived in Newlyn on Monday July 18, the quay was crammed with people from all over the country waiting for the naming of the new Penlee 52ft Arun lifeboat.

Every Cornish lifeboat coxswain was there to see his colleagues officially receive their new lifeboat which only two days before had been helping in the search following the tragic helicopter crash off the Isles of Scilly when St Mary's lifeboat rescued six people. An RAF Nimrod flew low over the harbour as a reminder of the co-operation between the rescue services and before the ceremony there was a moment's silence and a prayer for the victims of the crash.

Captain R. E. Goodman, president of Penlee station branch, then opened the proceedings, recalling that he had been chairman of the branch when the lifeboat Solomon Browne was named in 1960. Mr Colin Evans delivered a personal message from Mr David Robinson, the donor of the new Arun, in which he sent his regrets that neither he nor his wife, after whom the boat was to be named, could be present. Mr Robinson sent his warm greetings and his message concluded: 7 hope that the lifeboat I have provided will serve Penlee lifeboat station with distinction and maintain the great traditions of the past.' The Duke of Atholl, chairman of the Institution, thanked Mr Evans for presenting the lifeboat on Mr Robinson's behalf and asked him to convey the RNLI's best wishes to Mr Robinson, whose generous donation immediately after the 1981 disaster had given reassurance and support to everybody in the Institution at a very difficult time. In presenting the lifeboat to the station, the Duke of Atholl said: 'Coxswain Ken Thomas and his crew have worked hard in their training on the new lifeboat as well as dealing admirably with the press and public whose interest in the boat has always been met with patience and courtesy. I know the crew will use this lifeboat well and it is therefore with pleasure and confidence that I present her to the care of Penlee lifeboat station branch.' In accepting the boat Mr D. L.

Johnson, honorary secretary, reflected the station's gratitude to Mr Robinson and to the Duke of Kent, saying, 'We have thankful memories of the kindness shown to us at Mousehole by His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness, to whom we send our fond respect.' The service of dedication which followed was led by the Right Reverend Bishop Michael SSF, the Bishop of St Germans, supported by the Reverend H. Cadman, honorary chaplain to Penlee lifeboat station branch, Father J. O'Byrne, Roman Catholic Priest, Penzance, the Reverend J. P. Homer, Superintendent Methodist Minister, Penzance, and Mr D. Cole, Superintendent Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. Also present were the Reverend G. Harper, Vicar of Paul, and Father G. Elmore, Vicar of Newlyn.

Captain Goodman then invited the Duke of Kent to name the lifeboat. The Duke first conveyed the best wishes of the Duchess, who was unfortunately unable to attend the ceremony, and continued: 7 know that nobody in the lifeboat service will ever forget the tragedy suffered by the people of this station, nor the way in which they coped both with personal sadness and with the great glare of public attention to which they have been subjected.

Their strength is typical of lifeboat people and there is an admiration throughout the RNLI and I believe throughout the country for the station's resilience and courage.

'This spirit is perfectly exemplified by the determination of the people of Penlee to crew a new lifeboat as soon as possible and so to carry on the marvellous work of those brave men who were lost.

'Today, therefore, we open a new chapter in Penlee station's long history. The new Arun class lifeboat which cannot be launched down a slipway lies proudly afloat in Newlyn Harbour. Although she is quite different in size and shape to previous lifeboats which have been stationed here, her crew of volunteers, local men who know their local waters, will continue the superb tradition of the station and of the lifeboat service by answering calls for help whenever they are needed, regardless of the hour or the conditions.' Naming RNLB Mabel Alice, he pushed the button which sent the champagne bottle crashing on to her bows to the cheers of the crowds and, with impressive timing, a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose flew over, flying an RNLI flag on her winch wire.

The Duke of Kent then took a trip in the lifeboat, going around Mounts Bay to Mousehole where the Arun edged gently through the tiny harbour entrance.

The Duke spent some time with the crew going over Mabel Alice and seeing her equipment and engines.

When he disembarked he was greeted by children from the village school, waving RNLI flags they had made themselves. He chatted with some of the children as he walked to the Ship Inn for a private meeting with families of the men lost in the 1981 disaster.

Later, at a lunch in the Queen's Hotel, Penzance, the Duke of Kent was able to meet informally many of the station's officials and fund raisers, leaving the people of Penlee happy from a splendid day and relieved to be out of the public eye once more and able quietly to get on with their work.—R.K.

Humber: The Humber Marathon Committee visited Humber lifeboat station at Spurn Point on Saturday August 20 to hand over a fully-equipped recreational/ games room building. Gilbert Gray, who accepted the building on behalf of the Committee of Management, thanked the Humber Marathon Committee, the runners and supporters in the assembled company and then handed the building into the care of Superintendent Coxswain Brian Bevan, the crew and their families. The building has TV, video, disco, darts and table tennis facilities. A youth club and tuck shop have been organised and the building will without doubt be well used by the small and very isolated lifeboat community.

Craster: Saturday August 20 also saw the handing over of a new D class inflatable lifeboat to Craster lifeboat station. This single act linked the Royal Oak, Hammersmith, with the small Northumbrian fishing village famous for its kippers. Mr R. C. Knowles represented the patrons of the Royal Oak, and passed the boat over to the honorary secretary, John Browell. The event had been overshadowed sadly by the sudden death of the station branch chairman, John Craster. Dr Lishman, an ex-chairman, kindly took the chair for the occasion. The boat has already done great service; it was in her that Helmsman Neil Robson and Crew Member Keith Williams rescued three fishermen in a near gale on May 1, 1982, a service for which they were presented with framed letters of thanks. Off station service PENARTH CREW MEMBERS Fred Minchin (skipper), Martyn Bromley and Richard Minchin, with their friends Peter Webb, also from Penarth, and Dick Minchin from Geneva, were on passage from Perros Guirec in Brittany to St Peter Port, Guernsey, in the chartered 40ft sloop Shanaghee when, at 0420 on June 17, Martyn Bromley and Peter Webb saw what they thought was a red distress flare, away to the south. Informing St Peter Port Radio of the sighting and of her own position, Shanaghee immediately headed for the estimated position of the flare at best speed under power, about seven knots. No distress situation was known at the time but St Peter Port put out a PAN urgency call advising all stations.

Although all Shanaghee's crew were on lookout nothing was seen, even with binoculars, until 0504 when a red object was sighted 10 degrees off the starboard bow. By 0514 it became obvious that the object was a liferaft and by 0530 Shanaghee was alongside. They were now 14 miles south south west of Guernsey. The raft and its occupant, a French yachtsman, were recovered and within minutes Shanaghee was once again heading for Guernsey. The Frenchman had been en route from Sark to St Malo, singlehanded, when his half ton yacht Roumec, on a fast broad reach, had struck a nearly submerged cable drum and had been holed. He had bailed as best he could, had let off a flare at 2312 and finally had taken to his liferaft as his yacht sank at midnight. Later, he had been asleep when he had been woken by the vibrations from an engine through the raft hull; he had fired the second of his parachute flares, which had been seen by Shanaghee about seven miles away.

The French yachtsman and his raft were landed safely at St Peter Port at about 0930.—F.J.M..