RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat

RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We provide a 24/7 search & rescue lifeboat service. People who post such comments may be banned from the page.

As part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) we provide a 24/7 emergency lifeboat rescue service. Our page is an open and welcome community of people who support the RNLI to help us save lives at sea. As a charity, we rely on your donations and fundraising, we welcome your feedback, and we're are always happy to discuss any part of our lifesaving work. However, to make sure o

ur page remains a safe and welcoming place we reserve the right to remove comments that are offensive or abusive to others. Thanks for your support.

Doesn’t he scrub up well 🤩 John Angus, our recently appointed Lifeboat Operations Manager, was invited to an RNLI Volunt...
13/06/2026

Doesn’t he scrub up well 🤩 John Angus, our recently appointed Lifeboat Operations Manager, was invited to an RNLI Volunteer Recognition event that took place today at Hopetoun House in Edinburgh.

Around 150 guests attended from across the country, to acknowledge their vital voluntary service in many different roles. Around 95% of the RNLI’s workforce are volunteers, and we couldn’t save lives at sea without them 🙏🏻🧡

John has been one of our voluntary Launch Authorities since 2022 and has contributed to many aspects of crew training and station activities since then. He’s now taken on the voluntary role as our Operations Manager, working with our Coxswain and Mechanic to make sure lifeboat and crew are always ready for service 🛟

💦 We're looking for a volunteer Water Safety Officer - Lerwick 🫶 The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, but i...
10/06/2026

💦 We're looking for a volunteer Water Safety Officer - Lerwick

🫶 The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, but it’s not limited to launching a lifeboat or providing lifeguards to save lives. Water safety contributes to the RNLI’s vision 'To Save Every One'.

🛟 The Water Safety Officer is a pivotal role to help design and implement the Water Safety and Lifesaving Plan, to work with partners to improve water safety, and to reduce the number of preventable deaths and incidents on the local coast and inland waters.

🧡 The role will involve close liaison with the local Lifeboat Operations Team, Area Lifesaving Manager, and the Water Safety team.

🌊 We're looking for someone with good knowledge and experience of the local coastal environment and inland waters, and of local water based activity. You should be IT literate, have some supervisory experience, understand risk management, and have some analytical skills.

🙌 This is a great volunteer opportunity for someone effective within a team and on a stand-alone basis. If you would like to join a friendly, dedicated, motivated team and you fit the criteria above, or have some of the required skills, we would like to hear from you.

👉 For more details of the post, please see the details on the RNLI Volunteering Opportunities page, linked below. The closing date is 28 June 2026 🙏

Last night, our crew were asked to launch to go to the aid of a small fishing vessel reported to be on fire at sea, near...
10/06/2026

Last night, our crew were asked to launch to go to the aid of a small fishing vessel reported to be on fire at sea, near Mossbank.

At the request of HM Coastguard, our crew were paged at 9.16pm and having just ended a crew training exercise, were able to leave the berth within around five minutes. In calm sea conditions, the lifeboat made good speed northwards averaging around 25 knots.

The lifeboat had almost reached the vessel around an hour later when the report was received that the fishing boat had safely reached Toft pier. The dark smoke that had been reported was thought to be be exhaust fumes from the vessel’s engine – and no further assistance was required.

The lifeboat returned to Lerwick harbour around 11.20pm to refuel, and to make ready for next service.

Winds were very light, with an air temperature of around eight degrees Celsius.

John Connor, RNLI Coxswain Afloat Mechanic, who is currently providing Coxswain cover for Lerwick Lifeboat said: “We’re pleased that no assistance was needed for this fishing vessel which made it safely to a nearby pier, where the cause of the dark smoke that was reported can be investigated.

“Our volunteer crew are on call 24/7 and we’d always prefer to launch and not be needed, than to see anyone at risk at sea.”



📸 Credit: RNLI Lerwick

🌊 The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We are looking for volunteers to help us in a variety of roles, incl...
07/06/2026

🌊 The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We are looking for volunteers to help us in a variety of roles, including lifeboat crew, to support station activities and ensure that our Severn-class All-Weather Lifeboat is always ready to launch when needed.

In particular, we are looking for volunteer crew members who will:

🛟 Be available on call as lifeboat crew for ‘shouts’
🛟 Ideally live or work within 15 minutes of the station
🛟 Attend exercises to undertake recognised competency based training
🛟 Contribute to the overall upkeep of the station, lifeboat and equipment
💪 Volunteer crew must be aged between 18-65, have good health and eyesight.

☎️💻📱 To have a chat and find out more, please get in touch with us by phone on 01595 693827, by email on [email protected], or by Facebook message.

If you're interested in applying, we'd love to hear from you 🧡

You'll find more details on the RNLI website. The deadline for applications is 28 June 2026 and the link is in the comments below 👇

📟 We are looking for a volunteer to join our existing team in the role of Launch Authority. ☎️🛟🌊 When someone is in dist...
02/06/2026

📟 We are looking for a volunteer to join our existing team in the role of Launch Authority.

☎️🛟🌊 When someone is in distress at sea, HM Coastguard is usually the first to be alerted. They will contact the duty Launch Authority who then makes the critical decision to launch the lifeboat, to page the lifeboat crew, and to liaise with the Coxswain on the incident details.

📆 Our team of Launch Authorities share a rota to ensure that one is always on call to respond to a pager alert at any time 24/7, 365 days per year

The Launch Authority's main duties include:

🔸 Authorising launch of the lifeboat
🔸 Provide leadership in the absence of the Lifeboat Operations Manager or as delegated
🔸 Ensure that all operational activities are carried out to maintain the lifeboat ready to launch whenever needed.

What you'll need for this role:

🙌 Be a team player and good communicator
🤝 Have some leadership skills
🗺️ Have some local maritime knowledge
🏘️ Live or work within 20 minutes of Lerwick Lifeboat Station
👉 Be between 18 and 70 years of age
📱 Ideally, have some IT skills and knowledge of the RNLI

If you're interested, we'd love to hear from you 🧡

The deadline to apply is 28 June 2026 📝 Find out more on the RNLI Volunteering pages, linked below 👇

Earlier this week, our lifeboat crew went to the aid of a 14-metre yacht in difficulties, and also rescued a dog and its...
22/05/2026

Earlier this week, our lifeboat crew went to the aid of a 14-metre yacht in difficulties, and also rescued a dog and its owner from steep banks at the Knab.

On Tuesday 19th May, HM Coastguard was contacted by a Norwegian-registered yacht with four persons on board. The vessel was 25-miles east of Bressay with a damaged mainsail and an overheating engine.

With no other vessels in the area, Lerwick lifeboat was asked to assist, launching at 10.19pm. Sea conditions were poor, with a Force Seven south-easterly wind, and a two to three metre swell. Our crew reached the stricken vessel at around 11.30pm, setting off a flare to locate the yacht in darkness.

With the mainsail jammed in the mast, the yacht was sailing at roughly 10 knots, and it was decided the safest course of action was for the lifeboat to stand off and es**rt the vessel to the safety of harbour.

The lifeboat and casualty vessel arrived in Lerwick Harbour just before 1.00am where the crew of the yacht were finally able to drop the damaged mainsail. The yacht was able to berth alongside the pier under its own power and were met by the Lerwick Coastguard Rescue Team, on hand to assist.

The lifeboat was refuelled and returned to her berth ready for service at 2.00am.

Later on Wednesday evening, our crew were paged at 7.40pm to go the aid of a dog walker in Lerwick, whose young dog had run-off. The owner had scrambled down steep banks on the east side of the Knab, but having retrieved their dog then found they were unable to safely climb back up.

Lerwick Coastguard Rescue team also attended with rope rescue equipment, if it was needed.

It was considered safest to take the dog and its owner off the shoreline by sea and so our crew launched the ‘Y-boat’ – a small inflatable used in shallow water – to recover them. Both the dog and its owner were taken aboard the lifeboat, before being safely returned to dry land, around an hour after the lifeboat was launched.

Stephen Manson, Coxswain said: “I’m grateful that both these very different incidents concluded with positive outcomes. Our volunteer crew are trained, equipped and on-call 24/7 to save lives at sea – we never know what incidents we might be asked to launch to.”



📸 Credit: RNLI Lerwick

Huge thanks to the staff of the Gurkha Kitchen in Lerwick for hosting a superb fundraising meal for us last night 🍛👏Atte...
07/05/2026

Huge thanks to the staff of the Gurkha Kitchen in Lerwick for hosting a superb fundraising meal for us last night 🍛👏

Attended by over fifty friends, family and supporters, as well as some of our crew, the event raised over £600 to help us save lives at sea 🤩

Thanks to Lerwick Lifeboat Fundraising Crew for organising the tickets and a raffle 🎟️ 🧡👏

The RNLI receives no government funding and we rely on fundraising, donations and legacies to help train and equip our crew 🌊 🛟

We're pleased to announce that we have a new Lifeboat Operations Manager 🧡Volunteer John Angus takes over today from Mal...
01/05/2026

We're pleased to announce that we have a new Lifeboat Operations Manager 🧡

Volunteer John Angus takes over today from Malcolm Craigie, who is stepping down after 18 years since he first took up the role in 2008.

John has been involved with Lerwick Lifeboat for four years since he began in 2022 as one of the station’s volunteer Launch Authorities – a critical role to liaise with HM Coastguard whenever we’re asked to launch and to page the lifeboat crew. He regularly helps out with station activities, including fundraising events, crew training, and assisting with refuelling and berthing.

In his new role as Lifeboat Operations Manager, John will have overall responsibility for the day to day management of the station and operations, and ensuring the lifeboat and crew are always ready for service.

He’ll work alongside the full time crew to ensure that the lifeboat is well-maintained, and that volunteer crew are trained, equipped and ready for any call-outs. John will lead the local lifeboat management team, including representatives of the volunteer crew and fundraisers, and he’ll continue to be one of our Launch Authorities.

John lives in Lerwick and is employed as a senior sales manager for pelagic fish processor Pelagia Shetland Ltd, and like other volunteers at the station, he will fit his lifeboat duties around work and home life. John also has his own boat in Lerwick Marina and enjoys time out on the water whenever he can.

John Webster, Branch Chairman for RNLI Lerwick said: “We’re delighted to have John start in his new role as our Lifeboat Operations Manager. He’s made a big contribution to the station as a volunteer in recent years and is well known and respected among our crew.

“I’d like to pay tribute to and sincerely thank Malcolm Craigie who has given so much to the station in the same role for the last 18 years, on top of his time prior to that as a volunteer crew member and Launch Authority – 33 years in total. As a charity, the RNLI depends on volunteers – and without the commitment of people like Malcolm and John, we couldn’t save lives at sea."



📸 John Angus, new Lifeboat Operations Manager at RNLI Lerwick. Credit: RNLI Lerwick.

27/04/2026

CHANGE OF VENUE TO LERWICK BAPTIST CHURCH, Quoys Road, Lerwick, ZE1 0WH for the Shetland National Fishing Remembrance Day service - Sunday, 10th May at 3.00 pm.
Please join us for a short service of readings, prayers and hymns accompanied by Lerwick Brass Band. There will also be a time of reflection in memory of a loved one.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Who doesn’t love a clean beach? 🏖️🤩 Weel done aa’body in dis year’s Voar Redd Up 👏 🥳
27/04/2026

Who doesn’t love a clean beach? 🏖️🤩 Weel done aa’body in dis year’s Voar Redd Up 👏 🥳

Address

The Old Tolbooth, Commercial Street
Lerwick
ZE10AB

Telephone

01595693827

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