Fowey Lifeboat Station

Polkerris

The position of the mouth of the River Fowey meant that it would be nearly impossible to launch a lifeboat during the more dangerous storms, when the wind blew from the south. It was decided to station the lifeboat at Polkerris, a small fishing village with a breakwater, on the east side of St Austell Bay.^[7]

At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 2 June 1859, it was recorded that local landowner William Rashleigh of Menabilly had offered a sum of £50 towards the provision of a lifeboat at Polkerris, and the site and stone for the construction of a boathouse. A further £50 was offered by J. F. Buller of Morval, and £25 from the Hon. Thomas Agar-Robartes, MP for East Cornwall. It was noted that a lifeboat and carriage were to be ordered forthwith.^[8]

A boathouse was constructed at Polkerris, at a cost of £138-4s, and a 30-foot-long (9.1 m) Peake-class 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails, and six oars, single-banked, costing £135-10s, was dispatched to the station. The boat and carriage were conveyed free of charge to Lostwithiel railway station in November 1859, via the Great Western, Bristol and Exeter, South Devon and Cornwall Railway Companies.^[9][10]

Following her arrival at Lostwithiel, the boat was rowed down river through Fowey and around to St Austell Bay, arriving at Charlestown, where it was met with great delight, all the vessels in the harbour flying their colours in approval. "She will be available for the protection of vessels running ashore in any part of St. Austle Bay, on the eastern extremity of which is the small village of Polkerris. On the conveyance of this boat to her station, from Fowey, by her crew, she was to some extent tested, and her crew formed a high estimate of her qualities." The lifeboat was named Catherine Rashleigh, after William's wife, who was another of the major donors towards its cost.^[10][11]

In 1866, the station was provided with a 32 ft (9.8 m) ten-oared lifeboat, the Rochdale and Catherine Rashleigh, the larger lifeboat requiring alterations to the boathouse.^[12]

Since being established in 1859, the station was known as Fowey Lifeboat Station, even though being located in Polkerris. In 1892, the name was changed to Polkerris Lifeboat Station, but just four years later in 1896, it changed again, to the compromise of Polkerris and Fowey Lifeboat Station.^[13].

In 1904, a new boathouse was constructed at Polkerris, at a cost of £850.^[14]

During a launch in 1908 a chain broke, and an inspection of the station found that the gradient changed three times in the boathouse and slipway; this was altered by February 1909 to make launching safer.^[15]

Several requests were made around this time for a lifeboat be stationed at Fowey, but the RNLI decided that Polkerris was operating efficiently. Following World War I, the RNLI began the move towards operating motor lifeboats, and it was decided that Fowey would be a better location for such a boat. At a meeting of the committee of management on Friday 23 June 1922, it was decided that Polkerris Lifeboat Station would be closed, and a new station established at Fowey, once again being named Fowey Lifeboat Station. The disused station building at Polkerris was later converted to be a café.^[16]

Fowey

Despite the promise of a motor lifeboat, the first boat stationed at Fowey was a 12-oared pulling and sailing boat. It was kept moored afloat in the river near Town Quay, where the crew had use of a building on the waterfront. Previously named William Roberts at Littlehaven, the lifeboat was already 23-years-old, and just four years later in August 1928, the boat was declared unfit for service.^[17]

A 45-foot 6in Watson motor lifeboat, intended for Thurso, the H.C.J. (ON 708), was stationed at Fowey for a few months, until Fowey's new boat, C.D.E.C. (ON 712), arrived on station on 6 December 1928. Fitted with twin 40-bhp engines, it had a maximum speed of 8 knots (15 km/h) and could operate up to 78 nautical miles (144 km) from her station. C.D.E.C. served at Fowey until November 1954, launching on service 65 times and saving 49 lives.^[18][19]

On 24 November 1954, a new 46-foot 9in Watson-class lifeboat, Deneys Reitz (ON 919), went on station, and spent her entire career at Fowey, until being withdrawn in May 1980. She had launched on service 155 times, saving 36 lives.^[20]

Between 1980 and 1982, Fowey saw a succession of three Watson-class lifeboats. A much older 45-foot 6in Watson-class from the relief fleet, Gertrude (ON 847), built in 1946, was at Fowey for eighteen months until November 1981. Next was the 46-foot 9in Watson Guy and Clare Hunter (ON 926), previously at St Mary's, but served less than two months, before being sent to replace the ill-fated Solomon Browne at Penlee. Another older 46-foot 9in Watson, Charles Henry Ashley (ON 866), again from the relief fleet, was on station until 1982.^[21]

On 16 October 1982 a new type of craft took up station, the first of its class to be put into service. 33-03 Leonore Chilcott (ON 1083) was a Brede-class lifeboat. Powered by twin 203-hp Caterpillar diesel engines, these "intermediate" lifeboats were not able to operate in storms above Force 8, but otherwise could operate at up to 20 knots (37 km/h) and had a range of 140 nautical miles (260 km).^[22]

Leonore Chilcott served for five years, before being replaced by the older but larger Waveney-class Thomas Forehead & Mary Rowse II (ON 1028), previously at Plymouth. The Waveney served at Fowey for more than 81⁄2 years, launching on service 169 times and saving 35 lives.^[23]

The RNLI started to provide small, fast inshore rescue boats in the 1960s, but it was not until August 1996 that one was stationed at Fowey. The harbour at Mevagissey had been considered as a possible ILB station but no suitable site could be found. The small D-class (EA16) inflatable was initially kept in a wooden container at Berrill's Yard and launched using a davit near the ALB's moorings which had recently been moved from Town Quay. On 4 October 1997, a unique triple ceremony took place at Fowey to bring into service not just a new purpose-built lifeboat station Berrill's Yard at but also to christen the station's two new lifeboats at the time, the Trent-class All-weather lifeboat 14-18 Maurice and Joyce Hardy (ON 1222) and the D Class ILB Olive Herbert (D-526).^[24]

Following a coastal review by the RNLI, it was announced in February 2025, that on retirement from service, the Trent-class lifeboat at Fowey would be replaced by a 35-knot B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat. Maurice and Joyce Hardy (ON 1222) was withdrawn in August 2025.^[25][26]

Description

The three-storey lifeboat station was built in 1997 in a style that blends with the older buildings around it. The gabled central section has covered facilities for the IRB at ground floor level and a small bow window at first floor level. On the left is a two-storey wing which includes a fund-raising RNLI shop. The right hand wing is three storeys high. It is on the landward side of Passage Street opposite the IRB's launch site and the ALB's moorings.^[24]

Area of operation

The RNLI aims to reach any casualty up to 50 miles (80 km) from its stations, and within two hours in good weather. To do this the Atlantic 85 at Fowey has an operating range of 2.5 hours and a top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h). Adjacent lifeboats are an ILB at Looe and an ALB at Plymouth to the east, and both and ALB and ILB at Falmouth to the west.^[27]

Pulling and sailing lifeboats

Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Motor lifeboats

More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

Inshore lifeboats