Christmas is nearly upon us but we’ve had an early Christmas present from Raymarine. Jolyon from Raymarine came down to fit the new e7 navigation units onto the new lifeboat. We’re now going through final testing of the new systems having had the opportunity to really put them them through their paces and are hopeful of having the new boat ready for active service very soon.
We would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you’re in or near the village on New Year’s Day then we would welcome you to come along to our traditional New Year’s Day dip. We promise Andy won’t be wearing a mankini this time around!
The crew will be making themselves available on Saturday 29th October between 1-3.30pm at the lifeboat station to show the public around the new lifeboat. Whilst the new boat is not yet operational we will be pleased to show you around and provide an informal talk through the new equipment.
There will be a formal event arranged in future however at present we are keen to ensure that we have the new boat fully operational as soon as possible. Hope to see you there!
A few of us have just come back form a long weekend conducting sea trials on the new 2011 lifeboat in Weymouth. We have to say that we’re pretty impressed with Ribcraft of Yeovil and what they have achieved for us. As is to be expected there are a few kinks to work out, mainly with the comms systems, but that’s the whole point of conducting the trials.
This proved to be an incredibly useful weekend, getting used to the new boat and testing the new twin 90hp Suzuki engines. We have started the process of getting ourselves familiar with the new Raymarine navigation systems which provide us with a real advantage over our old system – this should dramatically improve our effectiveness in search and rescue. A big thanks to Jolyon from Raymarine who took time out to help us familiarise ourselves with the new equipment.
Also a special thanks to Dorian and Charlie of Ribcraft who made themselves available all weekend to discuss any details about the new lifeboat and in enabling us to practice some manouvers with HM Coastguard and their AugustaWestland AW139 SAR Helicopter, and even to have a chat with the crew.
Plenty of pictures were taken over the weekend. Please be patient, when we get them we will put them up on the site.
Ribcraft's Charlie Chan showing Anthony and Jim the new controls
Most of the crew had a successful weekend at the Southampton Boat Show this year. pride of place on the Ribcraft stand was the new lifeboat showing off the new Raymarine next generation navigation equipment. We will have some pictures of the crew with the boat up on the website soon, but for now here’s a look at the new boat.
The new Ferryside Lifeboat at the 2011 Southampton Boat Show
The crew of the Ferryside Lifeboat will be at the Carmarthen Motorcycle Club show this weekend (20th & 21st August).
Motorcycle Show 2009
As usual we will be there to talk to people and will have some of our increasingly popular wrist bands for sale as well as the usual raffle tickets. This is a great show and we are indebted to the motorcycle club for their continued support of the lifeboat.
The Show will be held at the Carmarthen Showground, Nantyci, Carmarthen, SA33 5DR. Opening times are Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10-5.
The Ferryside Lifeboat 2nd Annual Big Swim – over £5000 raised!
We are extremely pleased to announce that the Big Swim 2011 was a great day on August 6th this year. Hundreds of you turned out to see our 24 swimmers bravely take on the big swim from the foreshore in Ferryside to Llansteffan and back. The day was an absolute success in the turn out, the atmosphere of the day (and on into the evening!), and the money raised towards the new lifeboat.
This would not have been possible without the tireless work of James Littlejohns (Ferryside Lifeboat Senior Crew) who arranged the event, including all the safety details. We would also like to thank the River Towy Yacht Club for generously hosting the event and providing safety boat cover, and everybody else who was there on the day giving their time to ensure that the whole event could run smoothly and safely.
Our intrepid swimmers posing for the local press photographer
A huge thank you to all the swimmers who devoted months of hard work, training, and raising money for the event. We are waiting for all the money to come in but we estimate the event has raised over £5000. This is a staggering amount for an event that is still in its infancy. We would especially like to thank all those who went the extra mile in preparing food for the day despite all they had already done.
We are still waiting for pictures of the day to come rolling in. If you have any then please forward them to our email address [email protected] so that we can include them in a gallery on the website.
Swimmers setting off from the foreshore with Llansteffan Castle in the background
First picture from This Is South Wales, originally here
A very successful meeting was held yesterday between Ribcraft and the crew of Ferryside Lifeboat. The layout for the gauges has been set and the decision was taken to go for twin four stroke Suzuki 90 HP engines. We can also announce that the boat will take centre stage on Ribcraft’s stand at this years Southampton Boat Show. Delivery of the new lifeboat to Ferryside is now set for mid – late September.
The 2nd Annual Big Swim is coming up on the 6th August. The 3Km swim is from Ferryside to Llansteffan and back and will start at 11.00am from the foreshore. We are expecting plenty of people to show up and we have now arranged for extra entertainment, we will have bands all day and plenty of other attractions. More news to follow when all has been confirmed.
We would like to say a big ‘congratulations’ to Louise Jones and Suesan Thomas who have been practicing relentlessly over the past few weeks and successfully made it across to Llansteffan and back last weekend. Well Done!
Louise and Sue after their successful training run...and with their support crew
We are very grateful to the huge time, and not to mention considerable effort, all the swimmers are putting in. Remember, every penny they raise goes towards the lifeboat. Thank you everyone!
The following letter was recently received by the crew at Ferryside and goes to demonstrate the good work and value we, and our fellow independent crews, add the UK’s Search and Rescue capabilities.
Last year we celebrated the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the first lifeboat at Ferryside in 1835: one of the very first lifeboats in Britain. The RNLI began the service to assist vessels using the thriving port of Carmarthen, but the eventual decline in commercial traffic along the Towy estuary led to its closure in 1960. However the 1960’s saw an increase in water based leisure activities and the Llanelli division of the St. John Ambulance began using a small inflatable boat as a rescue service. This lifeboat was granted divisional status by St. John Ambulance Wales. Generous local support has since enabled the Feryside Inshore Lifeboat to serve the coastal community to the present day.
Today this garden crawl is raising funds to ensure the continuation and improvement of the Ferryside Inshore Lifeboat into the future. Please throw any loose change into our collection boxes in the gardens, or if you would like to contribute in a more substantial way (e.g. by gift or legacy), please speak to the crew at the lifeboat station or the village hall.
We thank all of the owners allowing us access to their gardens during your visit. We kindly ask you to please respect the gardens during your visit, and keep high-spirited children and animals under control. Please feel free to ask questions, listen out for the jazz band and enjoy a very pleasant afternoon.
Garden Crawl Venues
Four Corners Square – Volunteers
The Square – Steve’s shop, White Lion and Ferry Cabin
Lifeboat Station – See the lifeboat and tour the station
The Ferns – Janet and Bryan
Plas y Dderwen – Steve and Irene
Roberts Rest Lodge – Joan, Maudie and Tarka
15 Brigstocke Terrace – Dave and Lynn
Village Hall – Refreshments, Raffle, Directions, Toilets
Whitethorn – Nerys, Dave and Glyn Model Vehicles and Railway
Castle View 1904 – Mo and Gary
Ty ar Dwyn – Beth and John
Pentisha – Ros and Dave
Ty Gwyn – Trudi and Alisdair
3 Llys Holcwm – Ann and Barry
8 Llys Holcwm – Becky and Rob
Keepers Cottage – Gill and Phil
You will find refreshments and raffle tickets in the village hall, and a warm welcome in the participating gardens and venues.
We also thank our sponsors and those who have donated raffle prizes for their generosity and invaluable support.
Work on Ferryside’s new Lifeboat is progressing well. As you can see from the photos the hull is now nearly three quarters finished. When this is complete the console and deck (also very nearly complete) will be bonded to the hull section to form a recognisable hull. Very shortly the crew will be travelling to Yeoville for a meeting to decide exactly where the boats new instruments are to be placed.
The new boat being built
The one remaining big decision to make is the choice of engines, it’s looking like they will either be Suzuki 4-strokes or Evenrude 2-strokes. If anybody reading this has any experience of these engines and would like to share their thoughts on which we should go for, then please get in touch.
A very big ‘Thank You’ to all of you who have donated money to the lifeboat via the new ‘PayPal Donate’ button on the website. This is greatly appreciated, especially at this time where we have considerable costs in purchasing the new boat and additional running costs.
If you would like us to put your names up on the website we would be more than happy to give you a public thank you for your generosity.
If anybody wishes to donate some money it is now easier than ever. Every penny helps us to update and maintain our essential life saving equipment. At the moment, as well as the new lifeboat and associated costs, we need to update our drysuits and EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) equipment. As I’m sure you can imagine, these are necessary to keep the crew safe whilst we respond to emergency calls. Every penny helps!
Many Thanks to all those who turned out for Glastonferry 2011, especially as the weather turned out to be awful again on the day! There seems to be a running theme this year… lifeboat fundraising and rain.
We managed to raise a considerable sum of money on the day for the lifeboat, with every penny going towards its cost.
Thanks to all the bands who performed. Supergene were great as always, selling out of CDs, getting some more delivered then selling out again. The Lie Ins who delivered a fantastic set with the now compulsory ‘Pay the FLA’. Last and definitely not least to the Good Burghers who were outstanding, and a special thanks to them for providing the PA and other equipment for the night and then letting a bunch of idiots jam with them afterwards.
We’re looking forwards to Glastonferry 2012, hopefully with some sunshine next time.
