Teignmouth’s lifeboat, The Two Annes, retires this week after 18 years’ service in the town. Teignmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) will receive a new Atlantic 85 to replace her.

The Two Annes, an Atlantic 85 Class lifeboat, arrived in Teignmouth on August 2 2006 and has helped to save many lives at sea during her tenure at the station.

The Two Annes replaced the Frank and Dorothy Atlantic 75 lifeboat that had served Teignmouth for 14 years. Teignmouth Lifeboat Station was one of the first to take delivery of the (then) new £125,000 Atlantic 85 Class inshore lifeboat, which was both larger and faster than the older 75 class, as well as being equipped with all the latest in search and rescue technology of the time.

At the naming ceremony in August 2006, The Two Annes was officially named and launched by Anne Bache, the benefactor whose donation made the purchase possible. During the ceremony, Bill Bache spoke on behalf of his sister Anne who was unable to address the crowd that attended due to ill health.

‘Anne was a keen sailor who had been lucky enough to have never needed to call on the RNLI but had always respected the courage and dedication of its volunteers,’ Bill said. The lifeboat was named The Two Annes in honour of Anne Bache and her sister-in-law, Bill’s wife, Ann.

‘The Two Annes has served the volunteer crew and the community well during her time at Teignmouth Lifeboat Station and we are sure many of our supporters will have fond memories of visiting the station and meeting with our volunteers and learning all about how The Tow Annes helps our crews to save lives at sea,’ a Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) Teignmouth spokesperson said.

Over her 18 years of service The Two Annes lifeboat has been launched on service 1,227 times, assisting 823 people with 22 lives saved. ‘During this time there have been several standout moments for volunteers at the station, including two separate shouts which resulted in volunteers receiving framed letters of thanks, signed by the Chairman of the Institution,’ a Teignmouth RNLI spokesperson pointed out.

In 2008 a framed letter of thanks was presented to volunteer crew Humphrey Vince, Charlie Woolnough, Nicola White and Adam Truhol in recognition of their actions when the B class lifeboat recovered an unconscious swimmer from the sea on July 24 2008. The award recognised helm Vince’s seamanship in violent sea conditions and Truhol’s courage and skill. He entered the sea from the lifeboat to recover the unconscious man and led the resuscitation efforts during a very uncomfortable passage back to station.

A further framed letter of thanks was presented to volunteer crew William Burton, Richard Boss, Kevin Clifton and Dave Matthews in recognition of their actions when the lifeboat saved the life of a young man who had been swept into the sea at Spray Point on December 28 2009. The rescue was performed in dangerous, confused seas, in shoaling waters close to the sea wall.

Other memorable moments during her 18-year service include the rescue of the crew onboard the fishing trawler Girl Rona on her way back from sea in February 2012 with a catch of fish. The trawler capsized while navigating the Teignmouth bar on her way back to port. The five crew members of the Girl Rona were recovered by the lifeboat crew within minutes, as the vessel lay on her side with big waves beating against her.

In May 2019 there was an unmanned, out-of-control motorboat running amok in the Teignmouth harbour, the crew of the Teignmouth lifeboat used cowboy rodeo skills to lasso the boat, control it, and land it safely. In the centre of the harbour, the six-metre vessel was going around in circles at full power with the motor-boat skipper falling overboard as the vessel became unmanageable.

Last Saturday 9 November, volunteers from Teignmouth RNLI boathouse visits crew and current volunteer boat crew Andy Case opened the boathouse to members of the public to showcase The Two Annes for a final time before retirement. ‘It was a fantastic occasion, with many supporters stopping by to say a fond farewell, including past and present RNLI volunteers,’ said a Teignmouth RNLI spokesperson.

Previous lifeboat operations manager Mike Schooling stopped by at the station and recounted his memory of taking delivery of the, then, new boat. ‘It was a great day; my wife and granddaughter were also in attendance at the naming ceremony and my granddaughter Gracie, then about 6, handed over the bouquet of flowers in thanks to Anne Bache the benefactor,’ he recalled.

Rod Woodall, an former volunteer tractor driver, also took the time to wish The Two Annes well on her retirement. He explained how he was responsible for driving the tractor and trailer with the then new Atlantic 85 on out of the boathouse for the naming ceremony. ‘It was a bit nerve wracking really, with all those people, including Anne herself watching, and a brand new and expensive boat – I didn’t want to mess it up,’ he explained.

Lifeboat operations manager Charlie Woolnough said: ‘The Two Annes has had a great 18 years of serving the community here in Teignmouth, we are looking forward to welcoming the new Atlantic 85 to the station to continue our efforts in saving lives at sea’.