St Ives has two lifeboats, the Mersey class "The Princess Royal"
and the D class The "Colin Bramley Parker"
A tractor unit is used to manoeuvre the trailer into the harbour.
We watched the boats return to base.
The callout was to a report of persons shouting for help along the coast
to the east by Portreath, the other side of Godrevy light.
The D class lifeboat is small and highly manoeuvrable,
making it ideal for rescues close to shore in fair to moderate conditions.
The princess Royal has a range of 140 nautical miles
and a top speed of 17 knots.
The Mersey class boat has to be recovered by trailer.
The lifeboat is beached so the tractor using skids hauls the lifeboat
onto the trailer.
The tractor hauls the lifeboat to the boathouse slipway.
The Mersey class lifeboat is a 'fast’ carriage lifeboat.
This design allows the lifeboat to be launched from a carriage.
The whole boat is washed down to remove all the salt water,
which would have a corrosive effect on the boat if not washed away.
Mersey class propellers are protected by partial tunnels and substantial bilge keels.
