29th and 30th July 2023- It’s been a busy social weekend for the Lifeboat and crew. On Saturday the crew had the honour of escorting this year’s Herring Queen, Miss Sophie Crowe, from St Abbs to a packed harbourside in Eyemouth as part of her crowning procession. Boats from both communities accompanied her vessel, Wavedancer, including all three local Lifeboats – our own in addition to the D-Class inshore and the Shannon class all-weather lifeboats from Eyemouth. With boats festooned with bunting and enjoying the fresh breeze and spraying waves, the procession as always was a wonderful sight, linking our present to our rich fishing heritage. The Herring Queen Festival has its origins in the Fisherman’s Picnic which was first held in the town to celebrate the end of the 1914-1918 war, with the first Herring Queen subsequently being crowned in Eyemouth in 1939.
On Sunday the crew joined forces with the RNLI Lifeguards to take the water safety message to Coldingham Gala and Country Fayre. Now in its 45th year, one of the Gala’s highlights is the Tug of War which sees village teams fight ferociously to cross the line first. Last year the Lifeboat team won and so the pressure was on to repeat this success. A second place result however means that the crew are now in weekly training to ensure a better result next year!
