Hamble Lifeboat Is an independent lifeboat operating in the central Solent. We are a completely volunteer organisation, formed by locals in 1968 in response to a number of tragedies on and around the River Hamble. In 53 years Hamble Lifeboat has worked with the coastguard in countless rescues, recoveries and assistance to yachts, dinghies, canoes, jet skis, paddle boarders, swimmers and to stranded and distressed individuals and dogs.
To deliver this service we operate two lifeboats. We are currently working to get our second, the 'Harry Childs', to the same standard as the 'John and Violet Harrell' . We have almost reached the end of her major overhaul which has been an expensive and lengthy process and we want to ensure that she comes out of the station in tip-top condition and ready to save lives.
One of the last things that need replacing is her chart plotters. These will cost £8,000 but are vital to ensure we can react quickly to coastguard tasking. We respond to emergencies 24/7. The current plotters are old, and require multiple button pushes, which is not ideal when travelling at 35kts in a bumpy sea! The ones we need are far more up to date with state of the art touch screen technology allowing us to quickly input a search location or pattern when passed by the coastguard. They also allow us to overlay our radar image and AIS information, allowing us to easily see vessels names and identify our casualty vessels.
Can you help us to raise the £8,000 that we need to allow us to maintain our professional, lifesaving service?
