Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station Visit

Anstruther Lifeboat Station tour

The volunteer Visits Team at Anstruther RNLI looks forward to welcoming you to the lifeboat station where you will get a behind the scenes look at our historical station and to get an introduction to our Shannon Class Lifeboat.

Tours must be pre-booked and will last approximately 90 minutes. On a typical tour you will learn the history and ethos of Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station; the work we do and the rescues we carry out; you will also be given a guided tour of the lifeboat station, which will include the gear room, the D Class in-shore lifeboat "Akira" and to view our Shannon class all weather lifeboat, "Robert and Catherine Steen" 13-47.

If you are visiting as part of Launch a Memory and have a loved one’s name on our lifeboat, please note that the names are positioned on the bow of the lifeboat, which sits, ready to be launched, on top of the Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS). As a result, it is not possible to get up close to view them directly. However, full-size replicas of the decals are available for you to view.

Our Lifeboat & Station

RNLI "Robert and Catherine Steen" 13-47 is a Shannon class lifeboat that arrived on the 14th of April 2024 and became operational on 27th of August 2024. She is the fourth lifeboat to carry the names of supporters loved ones in her decals as part of our Launch a Memory fundraising campaign.

Operating for over 160 years, Anstruther Lifeboat Station has both an all-weather lifeboat and an in-shore lifeboat launching off the east coast of Fife. The crews have been awarded five Medals for gallantry.

• You can learn more about the Shannon class lifeboats here.
• You can keep up to date with Anstruther Launch a Memory updates here.
• You can check where a loved one’s name is located on the Launch a Memory website here.

ON THE DAY

• If you could time your arrival to get to the Lifeboat Station for 10 minutes before the commencement of your tour it would be very much appreciated.

• Please be aware that, at times, parking can be a challenge. Therefore, all visitors are advised to try and plan their journey and arrival times accordingly. For your convenience there is a Park and Ride scheme situated at the rear of the Co-op store on St Andrews Road and a free shuttle bus will drop you right outside the lifeboat station

• Upon arrival, please make your way down to the RNLI Shop on the middle pier and a member of the Visits Team will meet you there.
• If you have a loved one's name on the boat, we strongly recommend you come prepared with a screenshot, or a note, of where your loved one's name appears by locating this on the name finder tool in advance. If you have any problems locating your loved one's name on the decal in advance, please contact launchamemory@rnli.org.uk.
• We'll be waiting to answer any questions you may have as well as ready to tell you about our Shannon Class Lifeboat as well as how the station and RNLI operates
• Following the tour, you can take away some information on the Shannon Class lifeboat and should you wish, you can have a look at the station visitor gallery and there is a selection of souvenirs available in the shop.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

We are an operational lifeboat station and, although we look forward to welcoming you, our crew and boats may be called out at any time of day or night. In the event of such an emergency, we trust you will understand your tour may be delayed, altered or cancelled, at short notice.

The format and content of our Visit Days may vary, depending on weather conditions in the local area, and due to capacity and height considerations access onto the Shannon will not be possible. Moreover, as our lifeboat station was built at the start of the last century, access to all areas may not be possible for those with mobility issues. If indeed any of your party have mobility issues, please email us in advance at anstruthervisits@rnli.org.uk and we will do our best to accommodate you.

The lifeboat is currently housed next to the lifeboat station in a temporary compound where some of the surfaces are uneven, and as such visitors are required to wear flat-soled footwear. If mobility and uneven surfaces are a concern, please let us know in advance so we can look at ways to best facilitate your visit. As the visit takes place inside and outside it is recommended that visitors wear clothes suitable to the weather conditions.

Children must be supervised at all times by an accompanying adult during the visit.

As our team are volunteers, who kindly give up their time to offer these tours, we would ask that should your plans change and you are unable to attend, please let us know by cancelling your tickets on Eventbrite at the earliest.

As the station is operational, should the lifeboat be called out, or the station facilities are required for an emergency, we reserve the right to cancel the visit, if necessary, for the safety of visitors and station volunteers. Please do keep an eye on your emails on the day of your visit as any cancellation notice will be emailed directly from Eventbrite.

Useful Information

There are no access to toilets at the lifeboat station, but public toilets can be found nearby the harbour.

Pets are not permited inside the lifeboat station, but they are more than welcome to join the tour when we move to the compound to see the Shannon all-weather lifeboat. If any of your party have an assistance dog, please let us know in advance and we will make arrangements for you.

You will be asked to provide a mobile phone number when booking tickets in the event a visit needs to be cancelled or rescheduled at short notice, this would likely be due to an emergency shout. Tours will start at the beginning of the time slot booked, so please feel free to arrive at the shop10 minutes before the start time and browse the 13-47 memorabilia.

If you have any questions, please get in touch by email. We kindly ask that you do not contact the lifeboat station by phone.

Lifeboat Visits Officer: Simon Full

Email: anstruthervisits@rnli.org.uk

We fully appreciate that the dates and times advertised may not be suitable for your family group, especially if you have to travel long distances. Therefore, we do provide private family tours, which can be arranged by emailing our Lifeboat Visits Officer on anstruthervisits@rnli.org.uk, so please send an email with your visit request details, including the number in your party, if any of your party has mobility issues and a mobile contact number, and we will do our best to try and accommodate you.

For anything specifically relating to Launch a Memory, contact launchamemory@rnli.org.uk

Privacy Notice:

We will always store your personal details securely, and they will only be used by the RNLI, RNLI Shop and RNLI College. Your data may also be used for analysis purposes, to help us provide the best service possible. We will only allow your information to be used by suppliers working on our behalf and we’ll only share it if required to do so by law.

For full details see our Privacy Policy at RNLI.org/PrivacyPolicy or contact our Supporter Experience Team on 0300 300 9990 (from the UK), 01 511 9836 (from Ireland) or +44 1202 663234 (from any other country).

Keep in touch

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