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The
RYDER lifeboat, now restored and on display in Polperro Harbour,
was built in 1902 and served as the Looe lifeboat until 1930.
During
her 28 years at Looe, the RYDER was launched on 12 occasions, saving
a total of 37 lives in the process.
She
was built in London at a cost of 拢835, funded by a legacy from Mr
William Ryder of Brixton, London and went on station at Looe in
May 1902.
She
was crewed by a coxswain, second coxswain, bowman and ten oarsmen,
and fitted with a lugsail and mizzen. Her first coxswain was Edward
Toms, succeeded in 1912 by his brother Thomas Toms.
In
September 1987 she was about to be burned by a party of Royal Engineers
helping with a beach clean up when she was spotted by the Secretary
of the Weymouth RNLI, Barney Morris, who had her identified her
as the old Looe boat RYDER.
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| By
the mid 80s the future looked bleak |
The
local Royal Engineers commandant, Lt. Col. Ron Overd, who happened
to be a Looe man, organised her recovery to premises at Brewers
Quay, Weymouth where she was restored and eventually put on display.
In
1995 the Polperro Harbour Trustees, aware of her existence, considered
how the RYDER might be recovered for, if a new owner could not be
found, she was again due to be burned.
Agreement
was reached for the boat to be gifted to the Polperro Heritage Museum
and on 5th April 1995 she was transported to the yard of C.Toms
& Son at Polruan for restoration.
'Project
Ryder' was formed with the intention of fund raising and restoring
the RYDER to her original seaworthy condition.
Grants
and donations from public bodies, local businesses and individuals
enabled restoration work to be completed in 1998.
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| Fully
restored - The RYDER in 2000 |
On
1st August that year the boat was re-dedicated by Dick Jolliff,
a retired fisherman and lay preacher in Polperro and the inaugural
celebrations were led by round-the-world yachtsman Tony Bullimore.
The
RYDER is the only surviving Standard Self-Righting Lifeboat - the
mainstay of the RNLI for over 80 years around the shores of Britain
- to be displayed afloat, and one of only three to have been restored
to its original condition. Now 100 years old, the RYDER can be seen
at her mooring in Polperro harbour outside the Heritage Museum in
the Warren.
Following
the tragic loss of Daniel Kebble of Polperro while out fishing on
January 8 2000, his father Terry, with Trustees Fr. William Braviner
and Chris Curtis, Harbour Master, have set up the Harbour Lights
Trust Fund.
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| The
local museum houses many historic artefacts |
This
will take the form of very low interest loans, with easy repayment
terms to help local fishermen to purchase safety equipment.
The
French family whose trawler was wrecked in Talland Bay in 1922 returned
to Polperro in June for the Looe Festival of the Sea at which Pierre-Adrien
Fourny was presented with the safety valve from the Marguerite's
boiler - still visible at low tide - mounted on a piece of the oak
keel of the Ryder lifeboat that rescued the crew.
The
safety valve had been picked up in 1922 by the young Martin Picken,
later to become the rector at St Martins by Looe, and upholding
the best of Cornish traditions, 'liberated' the safety valve.
In
addition, Pierre and his family were re-united with the Ryder lifeboat
that rescued the crew of a trawler when it was driven ashore near
Polperro.
The
Ryder is now a floating exhibit at the Polperro Heritage Museum
but took part in the Looe Festival of the Sea and Pierre Fourny
joined the crew for the occasion.
For
more information visit the
Meet
the local vicar
Chris Curtis is the local
harbourmaster
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