The Lincolnshire Poacher is a Mersey
class lifeboat designed specifically to replace the ageing Oakley
class boats (such as the Charles Fred Grantham). Skegness was
fortunate enough to receive one of the first, aluminium-hulled boats
built at Aluminium Shipbuilders of Portsmouth. She was then towed
over to the Isle of Wight to be fitted out at Suiters Yard.
Lincolnshire Poacher successfully completes self-righting trials.
Photo: Gilbert Hampton Photography Poacher successfully
passed her self-righting trials and in early July 1990 the coxswain,
2nd coxswain and assistant mechanic attended five days of boat and
engine trials with passages from Cowes to Alderney and as far West
as Falmouth before returning to Poole. Several members of the crew
also attended a familiarisation course at Poole, before
bringing her back to Skegness. A
mammoth fundraising operation across the county had been launched in
March 1989 to raise the £600,000 required for the boat and new
boathouse. As all funds
were raised in Lincolnshire, with a considerable donation from the
John and Lucille Van Geest Charitable Trust of Spalding, it seemed
appropriate to name her Lincolnshire Poacher - a name
which, according to neighbouring lifeboat stations, is very
appropriate(!). She arrived at Skegness, with a huge crowd of locals
and holiday-makers on the beach, on 31st July 1990 after a four-day
passage from RNLI HQ in Poole.
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Photo: Lincolnshire Echo |
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The naming ceremony and service of
dedication took place some months later on the afternoon of
Sunday 30th September 1990.
A large crowd gathered
to see Mr Michael Vernon, Chairman of the RNLI formally open the
new boathouse and Mrs Lucille Van Geest hand Lincolnshire
Poacher over to the RNLI and the Skegness Lifeboat Station.
The day ended with a brief demonstration of the new boat's
capabilities to show everyone who had donated to the
Lincolnshire Lifeboat Appeal what their money had been spent on.
<< Mrs Lucille van Geest at the helm of
Lincolnshire Poacher during a demonstration launch following her
naming ceremony. |
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Technical Details >>
Mersey class lifeboat |
Length:
11.77m (38ft 7in)
Beam:
3.81m (12ft 6in)
Draught:
0.95m (3ft 1in)
Displacement:
13.85 tons
Engines:
2 x Caterpillar 3208T
turbo-charged marine diesels
Horsepower:
2 x 285hp
Max Speed:
17 knots
Range @ full speed:
145n miles
Range @ 10knots:
256n miles
Construction:
Aluminium or Fibre Reinforced Composite
Introduced: 1988
Last built: 1993
Cost of Last Boat:
£650,000 (1993)
Current Replacement Cost:
(approx)
£1,000,000
Crew: 6/7
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