Yacht club challenges RNLI plan to end all-weather lifeboat at Port St Mary

The Isle of Man Yacht Club (IOMYC) has questioned the RNLI’s plan to stop running an all-weather lifeboat from Port St Mary in 2028, saying the move raises concerns about safety at sea.

According to Isle of Man Today, the RNLI has confirmed that the station’s Trent-class all-weather lifeboat, Henry Heys Duckworth, will not be replaced once its operational life ends in 2028. Port St Mary would then keep only its smaller D-class inshore lifeboat. All-weather cover for the south of the island would come from the lifeboats stationed at Peel and Ramsey.

In a statement on its social media account, the club said it seldom spoke out on matters outside club business but had decided, after careful thought, to voice its concern. It said it shared the “sadness and nervousness” of local supporters at the prospect of losing a permanently based all-weather boat in Port St Mary.

The club’s statement also pointed to a social media post by a former Port St Mary crew member, who called the reduction in local all-weather capability “fundamentally flawed”. The former crew member argued that boats sent from further away could take longer to reach casualties in “serious sea conditions”.

The IOMYC said it had a close and positive relationship with the station’s volunteers and held their professionalism, commitment and courage in the highest regard.

It described the waters off Langness, the Calf of Man, Chicken Rock and the southern approaches as among the most demanding around the island’s coast. The club said its members had watched the Port St Mary all-weather boat put to sea in hostile conditions many times.

The two types of lifeboat have different capabilities, the club said. In its view, that meant some incidents would be better handled by an all-weather boat.

The club said the question was not whether rescue cover would continue. It was whether response capability, resilience and speed of attendance in southern waters could be maintained once the area’s only permanently based all-weather boat was gone. It said a change of that size called for more openness about the operational modelling, response-time analysis and risk assessments supporting it.

Decisions affecting people who use Manx waters deserved open debate, public understanding and proper scrutiny, the club added.

Isle of Man Today’s report did not include a response from the RNLI to the club’s statement. Earlier in October, the charity said Henry Heys Duckworth would continue to play an important lifesaving role until it is taken out of service.

The RNLI has said the change is part of its long-term Lifeboat Fleet Strategy. The strategy is intended to match the type and location of its lifeboats to the changing demands on the service.

Under the same plans, Douglas is to be given a new Coastal Lifeboat. The RNLI has confirmed that allocation, and the search for suitable shore facilities for the boat is continuing.