RNLI Shannon Class Lifeboat

Well, who would have thought in March last year when this project was launched (and as the RNLI was celebrating its 200th anniversary) that less than a year later I’d be writing this update as the RNLI Shannon class lifeboat project reached 10,000 supporters.

To the RNLI who have supported this idea since the beginning - with an article in their lifeboat magazine and regular Social Media posts - thank you so much for getting on board with this idea. I am so grateful to you all for your support. 🙏

To Jack Lowe of the Lifeboat Station Project - who threw his support behind this idea from the start and helped kick start it into the stratosphere - thank you. Without your initial support, I don’t think it would have gained traction.👍

To my college workplace and colleagues who have supported this I thank you so much for promoting this and helping the count rise and rise. 👏

And then there are the 10,000 of you; the supporters who have given your vote to make this idea reach its target. I humbly offer my deepest thanks to each and every one of you for everything you have done to make this happen. ❤️🙏❤️

Now, it’s sailing off to review. We don’t know what the next stage will bring, but with a fair wind and favour behind us, maybe we can do what we set out to do and together, build a Shannon.

An image of the latest version (Version4) of this project - with updated cab design - can be seen here on my Pixelfed Lego images site. This is the version that I was preparing to post an update about when the supporter count surged towards 10,000.

The LEGO Shannon class Lifeboat has passed the 9000 supporters marker buoy and rescued the casualty.

With a successful mission, the Shannon is heading home. Phil has powered up the tractor (with redesigned cab and stacks - see previous update) and is pushing the SLARs unit down the shingle beach ready to recover the lifeboat once it beaches itself.

9,000 heartfelt “Thank you”’s to everyone who has supported this project in reaching this latest milestone. 

Please keep spreading the word and voting. Together, we can launch a Shannon.

And as an additional part to this update - here's the final member of the team.

Rarely seen, but whose presence is always felt, Edward ‘Old Ted’ Grundy was the coxswain of the very first Brickby Lifeboat. It is said he treated his crew like family and, when on a rescue, protected them from harm on numerous occasions. His spirit watches over all those who go out on a shout and on very rare occasions can be seen standing on the beach in his cork lifejacket and sou’wester looking out to sea, watching for the return of the Shannon.

The recent avalanche of support has spurred me on to complete an update I had started a while ago, and have been tinkering with for too long.

I didn't really like the tractor cab design - it was simply two vehicle windscreen elements that I never thought looked quite right.

Then, after a sudden moment of inspiration a few months back, I thought instead of using vehicle windscreens, maybe ordinary modular building style window frames would work and so began redesigning the look of the cab, plus the chimney stacks and eventually the whole connection system to the SLARs unit. This is the result.

A more curved back to the cab unit, large windows at the front that look out at the SLARs trailer, and - crucially - look down too. There is a small door entrance on the right side of the cab, and room for Phil the tractor driver to sit comfortably inside the cab and operate the controls.

As the project has raced passed 70% and 80%, it's time to introduce you to another member of team.

Phil drives the tractor unit that takes the Shannon to, and brings it back from, the sea. After many years being a crew member, Phil reached the age where he could no longer head out on a shout. He didn’t want to leave the RNLI so trained to become the Tractor Driver whenever the pagers sound instead, and has remained a valuable part of the RNLI family.

Without Phil, the boat would never launch. He's an invaluable member of the team.

The LEGO Shannon class Lifeboat is continuing on its mission, and has just passed the 8000 supporters marker buoy and reached the last known location of the missing casualty.

The crew have been scanning the horizon for any sign of the casualty, and Dan thinks he's spotted something. He's called to the Coxswain and has his eyes fixed on the target, with his left arm pointing towards it.

8,000 heartfelt “Thank you”’s to everyone who has supported this project in reaching this latest milestone. 

Please keep spreading the word and voting. Together, we can launch a Shannon.

The LEGO Shannon class Lifeboat is continuing on its mission, and has just passed the 7000 supporters marker buoy.

Here's an image of the crew, out on the deck, looking around.

7,000 heartfelt “Thank you”’s to everyone who has supported this project in reaching this latest milestone. 

Please keep spreading the word and voting. Together, we can launch a Shannon.

As the project has passed 60%, it's time to introduce you to another crew member of the Shannon.

George is the newest crew member. He is a qualified ambulance paramedic who volunteers during his time off providing invaluable medical advice during shouts.

The LEGO Shannon class Lifeboat is continuing on its mission, and has just passed the 6000 supporters marker buoy.

Here’s an image looking down from the Coastguard helicopter at the lifeboat as it continues racing through the sea.

6,000 heartfelt “Thank you”’s to everyone who has supported this project in reaching this latest milestone. 

Please keep spreading the word and voting. Together, we can launch a Shannon.

As the project has hit 50%, it's time to introduce you to another crew member of the Shannon.

Dan is a seasoned crew member. He’s been a volunteer for several years now, since moving to the coast and training to become a member of the RNLI. When not called out on a shout, Dan is a graphic designer who works from his small sea-facing cottage.

The LEGO Shannon class Lifeboat is continuing on its mission, and has just passed the 5,000 supporters marker buoy. Seems like only a week ago I was amazed at reaching the 4,000 supporters marker buoy. Astonishing! 😲

I'd like to say an incredibly massive 5,000 THANK YOU'S to everyone who has supported this idea so far, and especially to the recent flood of support that has come via the article in the latest RNLI Lifeboat magazine.

Please keep spreading the word and voting on this project. Together, we can launch a Shannon.