new FOR DARTMOUTH the establishment of a permanent lifeboat station at Dartmouth, Devon, has come one step closer, with the granting of planning permission for a boathouse.

the River Dart and its estuary are home to 3,400 local boats and up to 8,000 visiting boats a year. until now they have relied on lifeboats from torbay (10 miles away) and salcombe (13 miles away). it takes at least 30 minutes for their crews to reach the mouth of the Dart and the large all-weather craft are not ideal in such confi ned waters.

Dartmouth’s Lifeboat Operations manager Robert Clements says: ‘Local support has been tremendous and 25 crew members have already been recruited. training is intensive as we strive to maintain the standards set by our neighbouring stations, who respond to about 70 incidents a year in this area.’ RnLi lifeguards patrol the nearby beaches of Blackpool sands and torcross. they can rely on the back-up of an inshore lifeboat now and so provide a fully joined-up rescue service in the area.

the RnLi considered 11 locations for the new station, which would be the fi rst on the coast for 4 years. the site of an old tennis pavilion in Coronation Park was fi nally chosen, as a nearby slipway makes for convenient launching. a bespoke wooden building now houses a lifeboat, her launching and recovery equipment, crew changing facilities, and an operations and training room.

Deputy Divisional inspector tom mansell says: ‘it has taken a lot of effort and heartache from all concerned to reach this stage in Dartmouth. the volunteer crew and fundraisers have shown a huge amount of commitment. i am sure that having a lifeboat station at Dartmouth will prove to be a success, upholding all the traditions of the RnLi and helping to save more lives at sea.’ .