Ireland’s leading maritime newspaper covering the Coastal, Fishing and Maritime Communities

MARINE TIMES NEWS July 14th:
Larne RNLI to name new Shannon class lifeboat Machiko Nancy

A new Shannon class lifeboat for Larne RNLI is to be officially named Machiko Nancy during a ceremony at the East Antrim Boat Club at 2pm next Saturday, 18 July.

The lifeboat which went on service in February this year has been largely funded by donor Michael Cameron and his late wife Machiko, via the Cameron Family Charitable Foundation. Machiko was one of the founders of that charity.

Machiko was born in Vancouver, Canada in August 1954 and was of Japanese Canadian heritage. In November 1980, she married Michael who was working in Vancouver at the time. In 1989, they moved to the West Midlands and began to develop their careers from there.

Machiko was a hardworking business manager, having qualified as an accountant in both Canada and England and Wales. When she retired in 2010, she devoted her energy to gardening and dancing. Following a short illness, she passed away at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in September 2020. Mr Cameron will be attending the naming ceremony.

The lifeboat was also funded by the late Mrs Maureen Beryl Bruce Murray. Maureen trained as a doctor during the war. Her class was moved to Exeter for safety, eventually being returned to Croydon later in the war. The day after starting again in Croydon, one of the dormitories was hit by a doodlebug killing all the students, something Maureen never forgot. Maureen practised as a GP in Croydon eventually becoming the senior partner of the practice. She was also involved in the local NHS governing bodies, becoming Chairman of the Croydon Hospital Trust. A tree was planted in her name in the hospital grounds when she retired. The Cornish coast was of her favourite holiday destinations which may have been where she first encountered the RNLI. She always admired the brave from the time she spent examining pilots during the war.

The Machiko Nancy replaces the station’s all-weather Trent class lifeboat, Dr John McSparran, which served the community off the Larne coast for a quarter of a century.

The Shannon is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making her the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat yet.

Designed entirely in-house by a team of RNLI engineers, the RNLI harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure the lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century search and rescue service. The Shannon class lifeboat was designed to be launched and recovered from a beach via a fast and safe launch and recovery system while it can also be launched from a slipway or lie afloat.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's naming ceremony, Jonathan Shirley, Larne RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘This is a special day for our lifeboat volunteers, our families and all our supporters as we prepare to officially name our wonderful new lifeboat in memory of Machiko Nancy. We are proud custodians of this lifeboat, which will go on to rescue and save many lives in the years ahead.’

Larne RNLI was established in 1994 and since then, the station’s all-weather and inshore lifeboats have launched 707 times with its volunteer crews coming to the aid of 775 people, 43 of whom were lives saved.

Meanwhile there was a first shout for Larne RNLI volunteer crew member as the Larne RNLI came to the aid of three crew members onboard a broken-down fishing boat yesterday evening (9 July).

Volunteer crew member Andy Purves was called into action for his first shout. Andy, who recently joined as a crew member for the Larne RNLI lifeboat station said ‘The good weather and calm conditions meant the handover of the tow between Larne all-weather lifeboat and Larne inshore lifeboat could be completed safely and without urgency. This was a great first experience and a reminder of the professionalism of everyone involved.’

Larne's all-weather lifeboat Machiko Nancy was already at sea completing a coxswain pass out assessment for trainee coxswain Barry Kirkpatrick. At 9pm they received a tasking request from Belfast coastguard regarding a broken-down fishing vessel. Coxswain Barry Kirkpatrick, Mechanic Ross Stewart, Navigator Jack Healy and crew members Chris Dorman and Shea McFerran made their way to the casualties' last reported location.

Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a gentle breeze and smooth seas.

The casualties were located half a mile north of Portmuck close to the cliffs.

Once on location, the Coxswain assessed the situation. It was established that all crew members were safe and that the reason for the breakdown was mechanical failure. After checking that all on board were safe and following an assessment at the scene by the Coxswain, it was established that the necessary and safest course of action was that a tow line be established, and the boat taken to the safety of the Port of Larne.

The all-weather lifeboat established the tow line, and the boat was taken to the Port of Larne. With the assistance of the inshore D class lifeboat Terry helmed by Samantha Agnew, with Andy Purves and Jordan McIlhinney on board the boat was safely returned to Larne Boat Club.

Speaking following the call out, Larne RNLI Coxswain, Barry Kirkpatrick said, ‘We would like to wish the crew well. The casualties were wearing the correct safety equipment and had the means to contact the Coastguard. They did the right thing when they realised that they had broken down.’ We would encourage anyone planning a trip to sea to check their vessels and ensure engines are well maintained. When going out, always carry adequate tools and spares and ensure you have enough fuel for your journey. If you do get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.’

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