Portree Lifeboat Station

Portree Lifeboat Station
Portree Lifeboat Station
Portree , Isle of Skye, Scotland
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Location	The Pier
Address	Quay St
Town or city	Portree, Highland, IV51 9DE
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	57°24′38.7″N6°11′24.2″W / 57.410750°N 6.190056°W / 57.410750; -6.190056
Opened	9 March 1991
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Portree RNLI Lifeboat Station

Portree Lifeboat Station is located at the Pier, on Quay Street, in Portree, the largest town on the Isle of Skye, one of the Inner Hebrides, overlooking the Sound of Raasay, on the north-west coast of Scotland, formerly in the county of Ross and Cromarty, now in the administrative region of Highland.

A lifeboat was first placed at Portree by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on 9 March 1991. ^[1]

Portree Trent-class Lifeboat 14-16 Stanley Watson Barker (ON 1214)

The station currently operates a Trent-class All-weather lifeboat, 14-16 Stanley Watson Barker (ON 1214), on station since 1996. ^[2]

History

In May 1989, at a meeting of the RNLI Committee of Management, it was decided that a station should be opened early in 1991 at Portree on the Isle of Skye. A 12-month evaluation period was set, after which it was hoped a permanent all-weather lifeboat station would be established. The nearest other lifeboat stations were Mallaig, 38 miles (61 km), Stornoway, 49 miles (79 km), and Lochinver, 56 miles (90 km). ^[1]

On 9 March 1991, the Waveney-class relief lifeboat 44-007 Connel Elizabeth Cargill (ON 1006) was placed on service temporarily. Soon afterwards, she was replaced by another Waveney-class lifeboat, 44-016 Ralph and Joy Swann (ON 1042). Ralph and Joy Swann was built in 1976, and had previously served at Ramsgate and Tobermory. The lifeboat was named after Cmdr Ralph Swan and his wife. Swann was a former chairman of the RNLI, and was a life-vice-president, until his death in 1992. ^{[3] [4]}

With the station now permanently established, it was essential to provide a lifeboat house, with crew facilities, a workshop, and changing rooms and showers. A building on Portree Pier formerly operated by 'Moray Fish' was found to be an ideal location, and after suitable conversion work, was opened in 1994. ^[1]

7 June 1996 would see the arrival of Portree's first new lifeboat. The Trent-class lifeboat cost £1,175,000, and was funded from the bequest of the late Mr Stanley Watson Barker, former Town Clerk for Barking and Dagenham, together with legacies from Mr Jack R Blaxland and Mrs Eileen Arabian. At a ceremony on 11 June 1997, the lifeboat was duly named 14-16 Stanley Watson Barker (ON 1214). ^[5]

In 2021, Portree Lifeboat Station celebrated their 30th anniversary. In that time, Portree lifeboat had launched 520 times, helped 462 people, and saved 18 lives. Two crew members from the original crew from 1991, Hamish Corrigall and John Nicolson, also celebrated 30 years service, as coxswain and mechanic respectively. ^[6]

Portree lifeboats

ON [a]	Op. No. [b]	Name	Built	On Station [7]	Class	Comments
1006	44-007	Connel Elizabeth Cargill	1967	1991	Waveney
1042	44-016	Ralph and Joy Swann	1976	1991–1996	Waveney
1214	14-16	Stanley Watson Barker	1996	1996–	Trent

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
2. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• List of former RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

References

1. "Portree's station history". Portree Lifeboat Station. RNLI. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
2. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 68.
3. Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 60.
4. "Cdr Ralph Swann CBE". The Lifeboat. 52 (520): 220. Summer 1992. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
5. "Celebrations at Portree" (PDF). The Lifeboat. 55 (541): 5. Autumn 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
6. Ross, John (10 March 2021). "Portree lifeboat crew marks 30 years of saving lives at sea". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
7. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 58–69.

External links

• Lochinver RNLI Lifeboat Station