Lerwick lifeboat arrives in Poole ahead of major refit

11 March 2025 09:06

Paul Hutchison, Tommy Goudie, Craig Webb and Peter Kerr on Lerwick lifeboat at the RNLI's all weather lifeboat centre in Poole, Dorset.

THE LERWICK lifeboat Michael and Jane Vernon has arrived in Poole after a five day journey at sea ahead of a major refit.

The Severn-class lifeboat left Lerwick last Thursday and arrived the south-east of England yesterday afternoon after travelling over 750 nautical miles.

The 28-year-old vessel will undergo a major refit at the RNLI all-weather lifeboat centre over the coming months.

Relief Severn-class lifeboat Fraser Flyer will provide cover in Lerwick over the next few months while Michael and Jane Vernon is in Poole.

Propellers and engines will be removed and overhauled, and all major systems inspected, replaced or upgraded where possible.

The condition of the fibreglass hull will also be closely checked before repainting.

The Michael and Jane Vernon and her four crew members – deputy coxswain Tommy Goudie, technician Paul Hutchison and navigators Peter Kerr and Craig Webb – passed landmarks such as the White Cliffs of Dover and the chalk stacks known as ‘The Needles’ on the Isle of Wight on their way to Poole.

View from a boat with an orange cabin, calm sea, distant rocky islets, and a hazy sky in the background.

The Lerwick lifeboat passes ‘The Needles’, Isle of Wight.

They had overnight stops at RNLI lifeboat stations at Peterhead, Hartlepool, Lowestoft and Newhaven before reaching their destination.

Goudie said: “It’s been a long and memorable trip and we’re pleased to have brought our lifeboat safely to Poole for a thorough inspection and refit at the RNLI’s specialist facility.

“We’ll hear more about the progress of work in the coming months but this refit will give our Severn a new lease of life, to continue to save lives at sea for years to come.”

The Michael and Jane Vernon was built in Cowes, Isle of Wight in 1997 before entering service in Lerwick that year.

Although the vessel has had maintenance over the years at other boatyards in Scotland and the north of England, this is the first time that the vessel has returned to the south coast since she was launched.