Pwllheli ALB Returns at the Pwllheli regatta - photo by Paul Jenkinson
The weekend saw the return of the Shannon class all weather lifeboat to Pwllheli and to mark the occasion Pwllheli Sailing Club, joined by a fleet from sister sailing club South Caernarfonshire Yacht Club (SCYC), formed a welcoming party off the harbour entrance as part of the Pwllheli Regatta.
Xpletive, winners of the feeder race and IRC class - photo by Paul Jenkinson
The SCYC fleet raced from Abersoch to Pwllheli in the morning with the race won by Mike Crompton’s X-yacht, Xpletive.
Tamur in YTC class - photo by Paul Jenkinson
The two sailing club fleets then combined to join the Pwllheli Regatta fun race. All emphasis was on fun racing with fancy dress and fishing encouraged during racing with the reward of race time reductions. Sadly with winds building to 16kts and clocking right to form a tight reach on the longest leg of the course, any fish about would have been hard pushed to keep up with the boats on the water.
Close racing between Xpletive and Andromeda- photo by Paul Jenkinson
As a result, all focus returned to winning the race with some close competition between Xpletive and Will Partington’s A35 AndromedA. In the end it was another first for Xpletive closely followed by J70 Mojito Bach, with skipper Sam Hall and crew all wearing fancy dress, a selection of women’s floral print midi and maxi dresses akin to a scene from the League of Gentlemen or reminisce of a Monty pythons sketch.
Sam Hall and crew on Mojito Bach, joining in the fancy dress by all wearing women’s floral print dresses - photo by Paul Jenkinson
As a result, Andromeda had to settle for third place with Mojito just behind them.
Andromeda with regatta flags - photo by Paul Jenkinson
With all crew dressed in a selection of fancy dress, from fruit to Roman guard and Pirate, Mojito claimed that the 3 fishing lines streamed at the back of the boat had slowed them down and the banana and lime costumes made it harder to hoist and trim their sails. Not surprisingly, their efforts gained them the commodores bottle of rum, the prize for the best dressed boat.
Mojito rum punch fancy dress - photo by Heather Griffiths
In YTC cruiser class, Tim Rouse’s Theia won the race, expertly helmed by daughter Maddie who took them over the finish line 4 minutes ahead of Tamour on the water, nearly 15minutes ahead on corrected time.
Regatta flags flying on a winning Theia - photo by Paul Jenkinson
Racing finished and it was time to welcome the RNLI back to Pwllheli with flags of all kinds hoisted and decorating the fleet. The Shannon was escorted by the Abersoch and Criccieth lifeboats and welcomed by cheers, flag waving and air horns sounding.Flags hoisted to welcome the lifeboats - photo by Angela Jenkinson
Jack Thompson joining the parade on a Plas Heli RIB after supporting the Supernova Nationals fleet as safety boat.
The Shannon was escorted by the Abersoch and Criccieth lifeboats - photo by Paul Jenkinson
The lifeboats welcomed by cheers, flag waving and air horns sounding - photo by Paul Jenkinson
Flags flying on Enygma y Mor - Photo by Paul Jenkinson
All crews, racing, cruising and RNLI, plus supporters and volunteers then headed into Plas Heli for music by the Jac Dobson band, a BBQ by Sean Devlin together with race results and trophy presentation.
Tim and Maddie Rouse and Matty Jarmaine of Theia - winners of the Pwllheli regatta YTC cruisers trophy - photo by Nichola Rouse
Panache racing in the IRC class - Paul Jenkinson
Jac y Do racing in IRC class - photo by Paul Jenkinson
Regatta flags flying in Plas Heli marina on Pata Negra, just returned from a tough Round Ireland Yacht Race - photo by Victoria Cox
Report and Gallery to follow:
The results are published here
The results page has the following:
Ruth James, a long standing member of Pwllheli Sailing Club, and past cruising club officer, sadly passed away on 27th March.
She will be greatly missed by us all.
Bohdan, her partner of many years, would like to invite all that knew Ruth to join him and Ruth’s family for a celebration of her life on 27th July 2024 in Plas Heli at 15.00
8 May 2024
Shannon class all-weather lifeboat to return to Pwllheli for intensive training
A date has been set for the return of Pwllheli RNLI’s Shannon class lifeboat Smith Brothers. Some of the volunteer crew and RNLI staff will travel to the RNLI’s Support Centre in Poole, Dorset, to collect the lifeboat and bring her home to north Wales by sea ready for training to commence on Monday 1 July.
The combination of new crew members and the requirement for familiarisation for existing crew, means an intensive period of training will be required before the lifeboat is officially declared on service. The volunteer crew members have been commended for their commitment to training whilst the station’s Shannon was supporting other operational activity.
Once the lifeboat returns, RNLI staff are committed to working with the station to conduct regular exercises and re-familiarisation sessions to ensure the whole crew are at the peak of their skills. The D-class lifeboat is already back in action on limited service whilst training inshore lifeboat crew also continues.
Earlier this year, the RNLI reluctantly ended volunteering arrangements with all operational crew due to a breakdown in relationships between people at the station. It was no longer possible to sustain a safe and effective lifesaving service, so the RNLI made the difficult decision to reset operations at the station. The Shannon was reallocated to the RNLI’s Support Centre in Poole to support operational activity, whilst operations were paused at the Pwllheli station.
Two thirds of the crew reaffirmed their commitment to moving forward and a recruitment drive in the local community has been hailed a great success. Volunteer crew members have been regularly attending inshore lifeboat training exercises and conducting on-land exercises in readiness for the lifeboat’s return. Exercise on Shannon class lifeboats in Rhyl and Llandudno has also commenced.
Andy Vowell, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Pwllheli says: “This really is the most heartening news. The station has not felt the same without the Shannon class lifeboat and the fact she is coming back is the first chapter in our future. The response to our recruitment drive speaks volumes about the support we have from the community, for which we are immensely grateful. The next few months are going to be incredibly time-consuming and will require a great deal of commitment from our crew, but I know they are 100% ready to getting back to what do best.”
Once the Shannon returns to Pwllheli, it will enable RNLI staff to invest time and resources to ensure new and former crew are at the peak of their skills.
Ryan Jennings, RNLI Regional Lifesaving Lead says: “It was imperative that the all-weather lifeboat was used support operational activity elsewhere whilst it was not operational at Pwllheli, as we have a duty to ensure our donors' funds are used wisely. We realise this has been a challenging time for all at Pwllheli and we would like to thank everyone for the kindness, support, and encouragement during this difficult period. We have been incredibly impressed by the commitment and resilience of the crew. They are now more than ready to begin training and the time is right for the return of the Shannon. We are thrilled to have a date for the lifeboat’s return, and I know the community of Pwllheli will be heartened to see her back. The support we have had from local people has been overwhelming and we are grateful to everyone who has helped us reach this next stage. We are confident that by working together we can now provide a sustainable lifeboat station at Pwllheli for many years to come.”
There are several different volunteer roles available at Pwllheli Lifeboat Station and full training and support will be provided to those who wish to be part of the crew. Anyone interested in joining the crew is invited to apply online at www.RNLI.org/VolRoles.
An ‘opportunity alert’ option is available to ensure anyone applying is notified when suitable vacancies are advertised. Anyone interesting in finding out more can email
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Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 144,700 lives.