RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station

08/04/2026

⚓ A New Era for the RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station Begins with the Arrival of the RNLI's Newest Severn Class All-Weather Lifeboat.

🛟 The Dover RNLI team is proud to welcome its newest lifeboat, the Mark III Severn-class 17-51 Ettrick Shepherd Hogg Hardie.

Arriving yesterday evening at exactly 17:51, she received a remarkable welcome from well-wishers, crew, staff, and volunteers. This moment marks a significant milestone, the first new lifeboat to join Dover’s fleet since 1997.

The Mark III Severn-class brings together the very best features from across RNLI lifeboat classes, incorporating a range of cutting-edge innovations designed to enhance lifesaving operations in the busy and challenging waters of the Channel.

Departing RNLI headquarters in Poole just before 09:30, she made her journey past the Needles, through the Solent, along the South Coast via Beachy Head and Dungeness, before arriving in Dover. She was escorted by fellow lifeboat crews from Walmer, Littlestone, and Ramsgate, alongside The Port of Dover tugs and pilot vessels, as well as support craft including Wet Wheels SE and River Runner Tours.

Our long-serving and much-loved lifeboat, 17-09 City of London II, will remain on station during the transition period while crews complete training on the new vessel. Following this, she will join the RNLI relief fleet after a well-earned overhaul.

⚓ A new chapter begins as Ettrick Shepherd Hogg Hardie prepares to serve our community and continue the RNLI’s vital mission, saving lives at sea.

Image Credits: RNLI / Port of Dover

03/04/2026

🛟 In a first for the RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station, we are pleased to announce the first husband and wife coxswain team in our nearly 200 year history!

Rob and Melita have been station stalwarts since they joined in 2022 and 2023 respectively and since then both have held a range of different roles both afloat and ashore.

Joining in 2023, Melita initially came to the station as the Family Liaison Officer but quickly became a key member of the crew & in 2025 she joined the RNLI's Coxswain Afloat Mechanic programme. Having spent two decades in teaching, Melita will shortly be passing out as a Shannon Class Coxswain and will be regularly back at Dover as crew.

Having joined the station only a year before, Rob has held a range of afloat positions including that of navigator, mechanic and crew but today we are proud to announce that Rob recently started his Coxswain training on station and will be looking to pass out as a volunteer Coxswain on our resident Severn Class in the very near future.

⚓Good luck to you both and keep up the great work!

02/04/2026

🛟 The RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station would like to wish you all a safe and peaceful Easter weekend ahead!

Don't forget that our shop and exhibition room will be open all weekend and if you are planning on visiting the coast, please always make sure to check the tide times, weather and sea conditions. Should you have any difficulty, simply call 999 and ask for the Coastguard or radio channel 16.

31/03/2026

🛟 The RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station are pleased to announce a number of new volunteering vacancies to join our expanded station fund raising team! 📟🛟

⚓This rewarding role is as central part of the station activities and directly helps us to raise essential funds for the station and our wider community activities. If you are interested in applying to join our growing team , please click on the link and submit your application:

- Dover Fundraising Team Volunteer: https://volunteer.rnli.org/opportunities/108923-volunteer-fundraiser-dover-2026-02-25

We look forward to receiving your applications and welcoming you to the team!

You will enable volunteer RNLI lifeboat crews to save lives at sea by carrying out and supporting vital fundraising activity in your local community.

27/03/2026

🛟 Attention All Golfers! ⛳

Join us for a Charity Golf Day in support of the RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station !

📅 Date: Thursday, 18th June 2026
📍 Location: Sene Valley Golf Club, Hythe, Kent

Enjoy a fun day on the greens while helping us raise vital funds to continue saving lives at sea. For more details and to enter a team, please see the link below or email [email protected].

For further details and to book your team a place, either scan the QR or use this link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rnli-dover-charity-golf-day-at-sene-valley-golf-club-hythe-2026-tickets-1975292997529?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thank you for supporting Dover Lifeboats and we wish you luck!

25/03/2026

19/03/2026

🛟 Have you got leftover foreign coins from a recent trip or tucked away in a drawer?

The RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station fundraising team recently traded in a considerable amount of foreign currency and raised over £900 - many thanks to those who donated! Just a reminder that even small, forgotten change can make a real difference and can be put to real-world use to support our life saving work.

If you have coins or currency you no longer need, we’re very happy to take them and put them towards helping save lives at sea. We accept all loose change foreign exchange, every little helps and it all adds up.

13/03/2026

🛟 This year marks the 25th anniversary of the RNLI Beach Lifeguard Service and we are proud to celebrate this incredible milestone.

To mark the occasion, we’ve got a brand-new range of souvenirs now in stock, perfect for welcoming the spring and summer season while supporting your local lifesaving team.

Looking for a thoughtful or last minute Mother’s Day gift? Look no further, we also have some great ideas and new products in the Dover RNLI shop.

⚓Pop in and see what’s new, and thank you for your continued support!

09/03/2026

🛟 This International Women’s Day we’re celebrating the women of RNLI Dover Lifeboat Station. Last weekend four members of our team joined more than 60 volunteers from lifeboat stations across the South East for the first Women in Search and Rescue event in Shoreham-by-Sea, sharing skills, experiences and training with other crews.

In addition, our volunteer crew were delighted to celebrate International Women's Day with a helming, seamanship and mooring and berthing exercise yesterday morning.

⚓Wishing all our crew, volunteers and supporters a great week ahead. Remember if you are travelling to the coast and require any assistance, always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard as well as checking local sea, weather and tide conditions.



📷RNLI

06/03/2026

🛟 Today we pause to remember the 193 people who lost their lives in the MS Herald of Free Enterprise disaster on the night of 6 March 1987.

⚓ Capsizing just outside the port of Port of Zeebrugge, the tragedy left a profound and lasting impact on the families and friends of those affected. It remains one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in British history.

🛟 We also pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of the first responders on that fateful night, whose courage and dedication ensured that many more lives were saved.