ROCK

LIFEBOAT

First the Boat

Then the Boathouse

History

Rescues

Where are we

Maria Asumpta

On Exercise

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First the Boat

The depth of feeling for Cornwall's lifeboats among the communities they serve and from which they draw their crews was well-illustrated by the response to plans for the county’s newest station at Rock on the Camel Estuary

After years of pressure from people who live and work by the estuary - one of the South Wests most popular water sports areas - the RNLI agreed in March 1994 to place a D-Class lifeboat on service at Rock for one seasons evaluation.

At the end of that year the official report into the effectiveness of the service provided by the lifeboat and its volunteer staff and crew confirmed that Rock should become a year round station with effect from April 8,1995.

In those first nine months of operations the lifeboat was called out 34 times and was officially credited with saving 17 lives.

Then the boathouse

Throughout the trial period the lifeboat was housed in temporary buildings on the waterfront at Rock

But in March 1995, following the confirmation of its establishment on a permanent basis the RNLI launched an appeal for £150,000 to build and equip a new, purpose built station and supply it with its own D Class fast response lifeboat.

It was the first time the RNLI had launched such an ambitious appeal and there were those who felt that the project was somewhat over optimistic

The local community however threw itself wholeheartedly behind the fund raising committee which had set itself the task of reaching the target .....

By the end of April 1997, the appeal had succeeded.

Construction work, which included a new access road, began after the summer 1996 season and the new building was officially opened by Lieut Cdr Brian Miles, Director of the RNLI on October 5 the following year.

A year later the effort which had gone into ensuring the new station fitted into its surroundings was given official recognition when the RNLI. was presented with a certificate of commendation by the Cornish Buildings Group.

Justification for the establishment of Cornwall's newest lifeboat station at Rock lies in its record of 158 emergency launches over the five years from 1994 to the present day. (winter '99)

Throughout each of its first four years the Dolly Holloway and her crews responded to an average of 35 shouts a year. In 1998, in common with most other stations, there was a slight fall in the number of incidents but Rock still managed 30 calls. The growing popularity of the Camel Estuary with watersports enthusiasts had seen the number of occasions when people got into difficulties increase dramatically.

Local boatmen and the staff of Padstow Harbour Commissioners were constantly going to the aid of capsized yachts, windsurfers and other water users. It was in May 1993 that the Harbour Commissioners first approached the R.N.L.I. with a view to the establishment of a new lifeboat station at Rock and the rest is history.

The type of incident to which the lifeboat is called is amply illustrated by the figures for 1998 produced by Station Hon Sec Tony Stuart; six windsurfers, six boats or dinghies, two suicide attempts, three missing persons, three swimmers in danger of drowning and one dog and its owner stranded. In all, during the year, the lifeboat was credited with saving five lives and with bringing four other people back to shore.

The volunteer crew list stands at 32 men and women, but the nature of life in the Rock area means that at times as few as 10 are actually available to respond to launches. Many younger members are away at college for much of the year and seasonal work commitments sometimes prevent older ones from turning out.

Tony Stuart would be more than happy to hear from would be local volunteers for the crew and shore duties.

Where are we?

The boathouse is situated on:-

ROCK BEACH at FERRY POINT, ROCK ,WADEBRIDGE , CORNWALL

the Camel estuary on the coast of North Cornwall

Maria Asumpta

IT was on Sunday, May 30, 1995 that the crew of the newly formed Rock lifeboat had their first taste of tragedy

The world's oldest operational sailing ship, the Maria Asumpta, was wrecked.

Two of the square-rigger's 14 crew were lost when the ship ran on to rocks between the Rumps and Pentire Point at the mouth of the Camel Estuary.

A massive rescue operation witnessed by thousands of people who had gathered to watch the vessel's arrival in Padstow Harbour swung into operation and the Rock lifeboat with Jonathan Hewitt at the helm joined its colleagues from Padstow and Port Isaac and an armada of local boats in the search for survivors.

The Station Hon Sec recalled that the Maria Asumpta Incident was the Rock lifeboat's longest service by far - a total of five hours during which a precarious refuelling operation had to be carried out at the foot of the cliffs.

On exercise at Trebetherick point

Rock lifeboat No.D-489 "Dolly Hollaway" entering the surf from a beach near Greenaway at the mouth of the river Camel.