Picture: Eric Cormack. Image No. (041406)
former buckie lifeboat the laura moncur returns to buckie
buckie lifeboat escorts the laura moncur into buckie harbour
WITH flags flying proudly against the grey sky, an important part of Buckie RNLI’s life-saving history returned home.
Last Friday morning was one to remember as the town’s former lifeboat Laura Moncur sailed proudly into the harbour 34 years after going off station.
It was a return little short of the miraculous for the 47-foot Watson class lifeboat, which served Buckie from June 1961 until April 1984, having been discovered rotting away at a harbour near Great Yarmouth, bearing the name Chizz. However, she was spotted by boat enthusiast Mark Waltham and lovingly restored to her past glory before setting sail on a tour of her former stamping grounds.
To honour Laura Moncur to the berth from which she saved dozens of lives over two decades, Buckie’s current RNLI lifeboat, William Blannin, with coxswain Alan Robertson at the helm, made her way out to meet the returning heroine. She was joined by the skiff Morag from Findochty Water Sports Club.
Warmly welcoming Mr Waltham to Buckie, Mr Robertson said: “This is huge day not just for us here at Buckie RNLI but for the area as a whole,
“The Laura Moncur was a very well known lifeboat and is fondly remembered by many even though it’s 34 years since she last left Buckie.
“It’s amazing what Mark has done in restoring her to her former glory; the Laura Moncur helped save so many lives and it was really tragic to think of her rotting away.
“We’re very grateful to him for getting in touch and then bringing her back here. This has been a very emotional day for us all.”
It has been a long journey for Mr Waltham and the Laura Moncur, leaving Lowestoft on May 20 to embark on a tour of the stations where the lifeboat served during her active service and also where she was maintained.
He went on to reveal that the Laura Moncur’s salvation from death by neglect was one of pure chance.
“I didn’t actually go out looking for a lifeboat to restore in the first place,” he told the Advertiser.
“Basically, I was after a boat with British engines. When I saw the Chizz, as she was called then, I was very interested in her although it took two months to get her as her former owner was the subject of court proceedings for unpaid harbour fees, I believe.”
Being able to bring the Laura Moncur home was a major plus for Mr Waltham, who went on to reveal that the vessel held a poignant place in his heart.
“My sister is half owner of the boat alongside myself and we decided to dedicate her restoration to our mum and dad, Patricia and Bill Waltham,” he explained.
“It was part of their legacy which we USed to do up the Laura Moncur, their hard work made this possible.”
However, financing the project was not the only challenge he faced.
Mr Waltham added; “The worst challenge was restoring the inside of the boat.
“The guy who’d had her last had ripped everything out but thanks to eBay I managed to get all the parts I needed.”
There was a chance for the public to see what life was like for lifeboat crews in the era when the Watson class was the cutting edge in maritime rescue technology when the lifeboat station held an open day on Saturday. The crowds turned out in force to the event as the sun blazed down.
The day was not without its drama, with 10.45am seeing visitors hurriedly ushered off the boat at 10.45am when the William Blannin was summoned to the aid of a surfer in trouble off Lossiemouth.
Monday morning saw the Laura Moncur continue on her eastward journey.
At around 7.55pm, when the grew and other guests were sitting down to a meal in honour of retiring mechanic Gordon Lawtie, the pagers went off and the crew went out to assist a yacht 22 miles out which had to be towed back to Buckie. The crew arrived home at 1.30am.
After leaving Buckie the Laura Moncur was to serve for a further four years in the reserve fleet before being sold out of the service in November 1988.