In this update we tackle the final sections of the starboard hull repairs to one of the greatest lifeboats the RNLI ever had built. Can we put this latest block of work to bed, or will the stubborn issues take the wind from our sails?

First launched in 1933 bearing the name Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn before being renamed Dowager in 1973, she is a little ship whose crew saved 143 lives during her incredible career as an RNLI lifeboat. Yet it was her three hellish journeys to rescue stranded British troops from the deathtrap beaches of Dunkirk that made her a legend.

In December 2023, Dowager was found for sale after being abandoned in a boat yard. Her decks and wheel house had badly rotted from exposure to the elements, and her hull had flooded from countless rain showers. This channel serves as a record of the efforts to save, restore, and return her to sailing the sea once again.

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