In glorious sunshine, volunteers and supporters of Bude's RNLI station formally welcomed a new lifeboat today.
The station's new D class inshore lifeboat, the George Bird was officially named by Patricia Bird, who donated the boat.
Mrs Bird, from Kent, splashed the bow with champagne as she named the craft in memory of her husband.
Guests at the ceremony were greeted by Paul Finn, chairman of the Bude RNLI Lifeboat Management Group who said the ceremony continued a proud tradition for the station.
"The first lifeboat for Bude was presented by King William IV in 1837," he said.
"Our first D class inshore lifeboat arrived in 1966 and today we are welcoming the George Bird ensuring we have the very best up-to-date lifeboat.
"Without the generosity of Mrs Bird and that of our many volunteers, the RNLI wouldn't be the charity it is today, thank you."
After the ceremony, during which Mrs Bird was presented with a bouquet of flowers, the new D class inshore lifeboat launched to the sound of a lone piper playing Trelawney.
The guests were then treated to hot drinks and homemade biscuits produced by two of the station's volunteers.
Chris Cloke, the operations manager at Bude, accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the station and appealed for more support.
He said: "We urgently need to find new helpers and supporters, including recruits for the crew and people who can help with our fundraising events.
"We hope this ceremony will illustrate the importance of our work saving lives at sea, and persuade people that there's a lot of fun to be had as part of a local RNLI team."
George Bird replaces the station's former D class inshore lifeboat Henry Philip that was on station from 2004 to 2012.
During this time the lifeboat launched 69 times and rescued 29 people.
