Rescue during RNLI 200 event
ILFRACOMBE’S RNLI celebrated the charity’s 200th anniversary in style with a weekend of events – which was nearly overshadowed by a dramatic callout during a book launch.
Acclaimed author Ann Cleeves, whose latest novel The Raging Storm is set in North Devon and features a lifeboat rescue, was at the Landmark Theatre for the paperback launch.
For the event, Ann had requested two members of the Ilfracombe lifeboat crew – Gillian Cole and Stuart Carpenter – to join her on stage to talk about real-life rescues on the North Devon coast.
Ann’s husband was saved from a desperate situation by the local lifeboat crew 40 years ago, which is why the RNLI is a cause so close to her heart
However, just before the event got under way, the crew’s pagers sounded, alerting them to a yacht in trouble near Lynmouth. There were tense moments as the crew waited to see if there would be enough volunteers to launch the all-weather lifeboat Barry and Peggy High Foundation.
“There was a moment when I thought I’d rather face the rough seas than a room full of people,” admitted Gillian.
Thankfully, enough volunteers turned up and the lifeboat was launched, allowing Gillian and Stuart to join Ann for the talk. The good news continued as Stuart’s pager went off again during his talk, only to confirm the yacht’s safe return to harbour.
The dramatic event added another layer to the celebratory weekend, which also saw hundreds of locals gather on the rainsoaked Capstone Hill to form a human ‘RNLI 200’ sign. This tradition of spelling out messages on the hillside has seen the town come together for past events like the Queen’s jubilee and King’s coronation.
Lifeboat crews in their signature yellow attire were joined by their families and many residents who also donned yellow in a show of support. Jo Bolton, chair of Ilfracombe’s lifeboat management group, praised the turnout, saying: “The yellow brightened up the wettest of days.”