The standby boat.
After more than 20 years of service, Bembridge Offshore Lifeboat has retired.
The Max Aitken III has been launched nearly 500 times and has rescued many more than 500 people. The boat’s now providing relief list at Poole in Dorset, one of the busiest stations in the country. The Lifeboat Pier at Bembridge, the off shore boat house and the inshore RNLI buildings are now to be demolished. They’ll make way for a development to house the new Tamar class boat, together with facilities for the crew. The new boat will be delivered in 2010. In the meantime, a standby boat, launched by a special submersible tractor, will provide cover.