They were crying out to be saved.’ It’s the kind of phrase you’ll hear from our lifeboat crews after
a rescue. But there is another group who share this noble narrative – the lifeboat restorers

They’re depending on you, they’re crying out for your help,’ says craftsman David Hewitt, echoing the sentiment of our brave volunteers. Across the UK and Ireland, people like David and his brother George
are putting their hearts and souls into preserving our seafaring history; painstakingly sawing, sanding, polishing and painting until their hands are aching and their eyes are sore. For the lifeboats, it’s a salt-tinged breath of new life. For the restorers, it’s a ritual of respect.
A hero’s journey
The Lucy Lavers’s introduction to saving lives at sea was about as epic as they come. One of 19 lifeboats that joined the flotilla of Little Ships sent to rescue soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, she left Suffolk a greenhorn and returned a hero. For 28 years she proudly served the communities of Aldeburgh, Bridlington, Hastings, Flamborough, Wells and Rhyl. She saved 44 lives before retiring from duty – becoming a pilot boat and subsequently a dive boat in the Channel Islands. Her incredible history, along
with her paintwork, faded through the years. By 1997 she was stripped out, abandoned, and left to be burned, with only a handful of enthusiasts recalling her remarkable story.

That might have been the end of the Lucy Lavers if it weren’t for the Dunkirk Little Ship Restoration Trust, who saved her from the flames, and David and George Hewitt who had spent years searching for the heroic Liverpool class lifeboat they remembered from childhood. ‘She was always very pretty,’ David says wistfully. ‘And lucky,’ adds George. ‘It’s amazing she survived.’ When Graeme Peart bought the threadbare craft from the Trust for £1 in 2010, he joined forces with the Hewitt Brothers and Wendy Pritchard to form the charity Rescue Wooden Boats. They promised to have Lucy Lavers ready to join the next commemorative crossing to Dunkirk in 2015. Restoring the battered little boat would truly be a labour of love; it took more than 3 years to restore her. ‘You can spend a couple of days just getting a bolt out!’ David says. True to their word, in 2015 the Lucy Lavers made the crossing for the 75th anniversary of Operation Dynamo – looking more beautiful than ever. The Lucy Lavers is a testament to the enduring courage of our volunteer crews. Visit rescuewoodenboats.com to find out more about her heroic journey. Yesterday’s hero Nestled in a tranquil sea of trees and grass on the shore of Cuan Sound in Argyll, the 115-year-old Alexandra has undergone a very different transformation. A lifetime away from her lifesaving adventures in Hope Cove and Cromer, she has been lovingly converted by the Fothergill family into a cosy six-berth B&B. Today, she sits snugly in a little cove, enjoying picturesque views of Luing Island while awaiting her guests. The Alexandra’s most notable shout was to the Sepoy in 1933. A daring rescue, Cromer’s courageous crew, under the command of legendary Coxswain Henry Blogg, drove the lifeboat onto the deck of the stricken vessel, saving the lives of two crew clinging to the mast. ‘I grew up with her,’ says Michael Fothergill, whose family has owned the boat for over 40 years. ‘She’s been with us so long, it’s hard to imagine her
battling wild seas! She’s well anchored on dry land now, but on stormy nights,’ he says, ‘I think she remembers.’ Book a stay on the Alexandra at airbnb.co.uk.
My dear Watson
‘She was a basket case,’ says Mark Raynes of the Manchester and Salford, built in 1924. ‘She didn’t float, she had no engine, the decks, superstructure and beams had all rotted – an absolute
shipwreck.’ In 2000, when Mark found the once proud boat languishing in Deganwy, Wales, friends and family called him a dreamer. And they were right. ‘As a teenager, I dreamed of owning a Watson class. It was a fatal attraction from first sight,’ he laughs. Mark’s passion was infectious. The family sold their yacht to keep the project afloat and were joined by an army of volunteers from universities
and colleges. ‘They’ve volunteered their time and we’ve taught them valuable – and often dying – skills,’ explains Mark. Once complete, the Manchester and Salford will launch her new life by attending events and rallies to raise money for the RNLI. ‘We’re particularly excited about going to the one in Douglas, as that’s where she started.’
Follow her journey at: ex-rnli-lifeboat-ms.weebly.com.
Words: Anna Burn | Photos: Bridlington Free Press,
Michael Fothergill, RNLI/Jack Lowe

LIFEBOAT SPOTTING

Here are just a few places to find historic lifeboats – some still have working vessels.
The Historic Dockyard, Chatham
thedockyard.co.uk

Longhope Lifeboat Museum, South Walls
longhopelifeboat.org.uk

National Maritime Museum of Ireland, Dun Laoghaire
mariner.ie

East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre, Seaham
eastdurhamheritagegroup.co.uk

National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
museum.wales/swansea

Rescue Wooden Boats Maritime Heritage Centre, Stiffkey
rescuewoodenboats.com

The Hampshire Rose, Ilfracombe
lifeboattrips.co.uk

June 2010
Lucy Lavers is delivered to the Hewitts’ boatyard in Stiffkey

January 2012
Exploratory work begins – corroded centreboard case and rotted bulkheads removed

November 2012
Rescue Wooden Boats is awarded a £99,300 Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the restoration

November 2013
Work begins on the hull, removing rotten planks and steaming new ones into place, bilge keels are repaired, oak stringers and fenders are remade and fitted

February 2014

New galvanised centreboard box and bulkhead frame are fitted

July 2014
A second-hand engine arrives for stripping down and rebuilding, sails are commissioned

October 2014
Lucy Lavers gets some blue and red undercoat

December 2014
Work on the new engine canopy begins, final two deck panels are refitted, bronze work is cleaned, additional parts are cast

February 2015
Work on the canopy continues, refitted fuel system is connected and bled out, the wheel is refitted and polished

May 2015
The Lucy Lavers is relaunched at East Quay, Wells-next-the- Sea, Norfolk

May 2015
Lucy Lavers returns to Dunkirk for the first time in 75 years

Now Fully restored, Lucy Lavers lives by the quay at Wells-next-the- Sea, giving pre