RELIEF LIFEBOAT OWEN AND ANN AISHER

If I remember correctly, this was a trial of a new Tyne class Fast Slipway Boat to see if it would fit in the old boathouse. The boathouse had been used to store a relief lifeboat for the South Coast since our own station received a fast afloat boat - initially the Waveney "Louis Marchesi of Round Table" in '76.

We (me) would keep the relief boat clean and polished, conduct school parties over it, and carry out the once a week MF radio test with Niton Radio on the Isle of Wight.

The Newhaven crew would also provide a passage crew for it if it needed to go to another station as relief (whilst theirs was being refitted or repaired). On two memorable occasions we actually launched on service with the relief Watson "the Tynesider" to back up the station boat, photographs of which can be found on the Newhaven Lifeboats own website.

On these occasions the boat was coxswained by retired coxswain Edgar Moore, and longtime crewman Jack Shinn. Following these successful trials a relief Tyne Class boat "Good Shepherd" was kept at Newhaven.

I remember watching this happen, proof of which is that on the 11th picture down I am standing between my Dad & Mom, we are the three on the far right, nearest the boathouse door. As always, Mike got the keel slap bang in the middle of the slip first time. I remember hanging around, (as usual) after all the other people had gone, and being rewarded with Mike saying "Go on then, climb aboard." This was great because it was the first time I had seen a Tyne class close up.