Our thanks go to the daughter of
Matt Lethbridge, Lucy Wilkins,
and the owner of Guy And Clare
Hunter, Quinton Nelson, for
their help with this article.Sir Samuel Kelly saved 33 lives
and is now the subject of a local
restoration project. During my life
in the RNLI I was well aware of the
Guy & Clare Hunter’s history and
the courageous actions she’d
been involved in.’
In September 1992, Quinton saw
the Guy And Clare Hunter advertised
for sale by the same person who
had originally purchased her from
the RNLI. Signifi cantly, Quinton
didn’t want a converted or altered
boat; and, knowing the history of
this illustrious vessel, it was the
ideal choice. ‘I think the 46ft 9in
Watson is a particularly good-
looking craft, a
well-proportioned
boat,’ asserts
Quinton. ‘Many
similar Watson-
class lifeboats have been
converted to gain some degree of
comfort and make them more
user-friendly. Luckily, the Guy And
Clare Hunter was still in the same
condition as when she had been
sold out of service. When I went
to see her she was moored in
a small harbour in Southern
Ireland, unused and unloved.
Nevertheless, when we tried the
engines they started fi rst time, and
all the machinery and electrics
worked perfectly.’
For the fi rst few years after Quinton
purchased her, the Guy And Clare
Hunter needed only regular
painting and fettling to keep her in
top condition. ‘The machinery was
and still is in excellent condition,’
he continues. ‘Obviously, as the
boat is constructed of timber it
requires regular maintenance and
periodic repairs. However, the
build quality is second to none,
J Samuel White using only the
very best materials available.’
Close examination of this iconic
lifeboat reveals just how the
materials and fi ttings were
rigorously selected and
constructed to the highest
standards. The hull planking is
a double layer of Honduras
mahogany fi xed to the ribs and
frames of Canadian rock elm, all
fastened to a keel of English oak
and a deadwood of Burmese teak.
Beneath is a 2.5-ton cast steel
ballast keel, which enables the
lifeboat to safely sit upright on a
sea or riverbed, unaided. While
this class of Watson is not strictly
of a self-righting design, the
opportunity was taken when she
was constructed to aid buoyancyby fi lling every available free
space with around 200 airtight
wooden cavities.
After roughly eight years of
continuous use, the Guy And
Clare Hunter needed more
detailed repair work. ‘In 2010
we took her out of the water and
put her in the workshops for a
thorough overhaul,’ Quinton
recalls. ‘It was the beginning of a
three-year intensive programme
which involved taking apart eachof the 200 airtight
compartments for a full
inspection before being
repainted. The condition of
the bilges was excellent,
with hardly a trace of
moisture.’ As for the
engines, they were found
to be in remarkable
condition and still within
the manufacturer’s
tolerances: Quinton had
carried out regular oil changes
which contributed to ensuring
they remained in fi rst-class order.
The outer surface of the hull was
sanded back and freshly painted
in the RNLI’s
original 1960s
colours. ‘Overall,
nothing major
was needed or
replaced. It was a huge testament
to her builders,’ refl ects Quinton.
In 2013 the lifeboat was slipped
back into her natural habitat,
looking stunning in her original
blue and white livery. ‘Wherever
possible, I have gone to a lot
of trouble to replace anything
missing from her inventory of
RNLI equipment,’ explains
Quinton. ‘She continues to give a
lot of pleasure wherever she goes.
I have taken her back to the Islesof Scilly and Penlee three times,
and the reception we and the boat
received on each occasion was
superb and very gratifying.
‘Recently, we have returned to
piloting swimmers across the
notorious North Channel between
Donaghadee and Scotland. For
this the Guy And Clare Hunter
has proved excellent as the
support boat, but the time is fast
approaching when we’ll need to
slip her again, let the timbers dry
out and give her another coat of
paint to keep her in the condition
she deserves.’
As for the Torrey Canyon, on
28 March 1967 the Fleet Air
Arm sent a strike force of
Buccaneers to drop bombs
onto the wreck. Later, the Royal
Air Force followed up with a group
of Hawker Hunter jets to set the oil
ablaze. However, exceptionally
high tides put the fi re out, and
further effort was necessary to
ignite the black sticky mess.
What was left of the Torrey Canyon
hulk then fi nally sank. Today she
lies in just 30m of water.TECH SPEC‘Many Watson-class lifeboats have
been converted to gain comfort’
Guy And Clare Hunter in the slingsQuinton Nelson with the Guy And
Clare Hunter: ‘She gives pleasure
wherever she goes’Guy And Clare Hunter
Cruising speed: ............. 8 knots
Weight: ........................... 21 tons
Range: ........................ 208 miles
Cost: ................. £34,000 approx
Construction: ............Wood with
aluminium superstructure
Engines: ........Twin 40bhp Ferry
diesels (replaced by
70bhp Ford Mermaid)
Crew: ........................................ 8
Service started: ................. 1955Length overall: .............. 46ft 9in
Builder: ... J Samuel White, 1954Guy And Clare Hunter
service record
St. Mary’s, Scilly Isles: 1955-81
Fowey, Cornwall: ..........1981-82
Penlee, Cornwall: .........1982-83
Padstow, Cornwall: ......1983-84
Cromer, Norfolk: ...........1984-85
Relief duties: .................1985-87
Sold: .................................... 1987The Guy & Claire Hunter lifeboat