Swedish lifeboat arrives for trials The Swedish Victoria class lifeboat, which is to be trialled by the RNLI as part of the RNLI's Lifeboats 2000 boat development programme, arrived in Poole on 15 February.

She was transported by sea to Southampton and then on to Poole by road but only after haulage contractor Malcolm Ely had removed the windscreen and stub mast to reduce her height! The main mast structure folds but, when she arrived at the Southampton quayside, the remaining stub was found to 10in higher than the clearance under the lowest bridge en route! The boat will have two Swedish lifeboat crew accompanying it and, after two weeks of trials in Poole, will be going north to Hartlepool, west to Conwy and on to Eastbourne before returning once again to Poole. The boat will be based at marinas in each location and will be evaluated against the RNLI's requirements for a new fast response boat. It will provide crews with the opportunity to handle a 35 knot water jet lifeboat in UK waters.

A team of RNLI staff members from the technical and operations department visited Sweden at the end of last year to trial the boat and to prepare for its arrival. A sister boat from the Swedish Sea Rescue Institution was seen in Poole in June when it took part in the 175'" anniversary flotilla of lifeboats from around the UK and overseas..