Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat had a naming ceremony for their new lifeboat, The Dove 2, in Sandown on Saturday.
It was well-attended, as we Tweeted at the time, with many a song sung and Christening of the RIB with a bit of bubbly.
We had a chat with Mark Birch, the station manager and first Coxswain, which you can have a little listen to below.
Historic roots
The naming of The Dove 2 has historic roots, with the original Dove being a lifeboat based in Shanklin between 1884-1916. Impressively Mark’s forebears – Longshoremen on Shanklin seafront – manned the Dove.
More recently, the last lifeboat at the station gave 10-11 years service and the hope of the fully-voluntary crew at the station is that the new one will last just as long.
Support them
You can support the independent lifeboats on the Island – and have the possibility of winning money too – by taking part in the Independent Lifeboat Lotto.
Have a listen to Mark …
[audio:http://otw-audio.s3.amazonaws.com/mark-birch-dove-2-naming.mp3]
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