A NEW lifeboat will soon be making waves off the Meirionnydd shoreline.

Barmouth RNLI volunteers and fund-raisers were delighted to hear that the RNLI has agreed to place a new Shannon Class lifeboat at the station in the spring of 2019.

It will replace the current Mersey Class, the Moira Barrie, which is now 26 years old.

The RNLI branch heard officially this week that the new lifeboat is to bear the name the Ella Larsen.

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the fleet and is the first modern lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets, making her the RNLI’s most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat yet.

Barmouth RNLI coxswain Peter Davies said: “The station is delighted to know that the new lifeboat is to be named the ‘Ella Larsen’ and are most grateful to the anonymous benefactor whose generous donation has funded the boat.

“With a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles she will make our lifesaving service more efficient and effective than ever before.”

The crew will now have to undergo extensive training to familiarise themselves with the craft.

On Wednesday, 11 July, RNLI fleet staff coxswain Andrew Mc Haffie held a meeting with Barmouth volunteers and operations staff to outline the extent of the training involved.

It will require “intensive commitment from the lifeboat and shore crew” but all volunteers are “very excited” about this news and look forward to starting their training in January 2019.

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