Some information
before you visit our 'BLUE PETER' Lifeboat Station
Portaferry is one
of seven 'Blue Peter' RNLI Lifeboat Stations, and
the only one in Ireland, whose lifeboats have been
sponsored by the world's longest running television
programme for children, the BBC's "Blue
Peter", first broadcast in 1956, fifty
seven years ago.
The programme's
name, 'Blue Peter', was
chosen to reflect a ship preparing to leave port on
a voyage. In this case, a 'voyage of discovery'.
In days past, the
'Blue Peter' flag (signal
flag P)
would be hoisted (often
with the simultaneous firing of a cannon or gun)
and flown from the head (the
top) of
the fore or main mast of sailing ships to advise the
crew to report on board for duty, preparatory to the
vessel leaving port.
BBC
'Blue Peter'
over the past fifty seven years has helped to launch
many children on their own voyage of discovery through
life.
The 'Blue Peter' - Signal Flag P
Today, the signal
flag P remains a very important signal and it is used
world-wide in almost every yacht race. The
P flag is hoisted as a 'prepartory signal' with a
short sound (using
a starting cannon, a horn or a whistle, etc),
in compliance with the International Yacht Racing
Union rules, to advise those participating in a yacht
race 'to prepare' for the start. The P flag
is quickly lowered with a long sound (using
a horn or a whistle)
1 minute prior to the start of a yacht race to advise
that the race is due to start in exactly 1 minute.
At the final count-down, and precisely after
this minute has elapsed, the 'class' or other designated
signal flag is quickly lowered, accompanied by a short
sound (using
a starting cannon, a horn or a whistle, etc) and
the yacht race begins.
The importance of
all signal flags used in yacht racing is such that
they take absolute precedence over the making, timing
or absence of any associated sound(s).
Photo: RNLI - Colin
Watson
'Blue Peter V' flying a 'blue
peter' (signal flag
P) following her naming ceremony in 2010
RNLI
lifeboats in Portaferry have been sponsored by CBBC
'Blue Peter' since 1986 through the monies
raised by children from the Blue
Peter 'Pieces of Eight' appeal that began in
1966 and has now sponsored 25 RNLI lifeboats over
the past 45 years resulting in the saving of hundreds
of lives at sea.
All of our Blue
Peter lifeboats have been named 'Blue
Peter V'.
Our first Blue
Peter V lifeboat was presented to the Station
in 1986 and was an 'Atlantic 21' lifeboat. It was
named, using a bottle of milk, by a 'young' girl aged
10, Paula Trainor, who was a decendant of the Young
family from Cloughey that had been much involved with
the former Cloughey Lifeboat for several decades.
Karon Keating from Blue
Peter attended the naming ceremony.
Our second Blue
Peter V was presented to the Station in
1994 and was a larger lifeboat, an Atlantic 75. The
lifeboat was named by Blue Peter
presenter Tim Vincent.
Our third, and current
Blue Peter V,
was presented to the station on 5 June 2010 and is
an Atlantic 85 lifeboat. Blue
Peter V was named by Blue
Peter presenter, Andy Akinwolere.
Photo: RNLI - Jim
Brown
The new lifeboat is housed in a new modern and enlarged
Boathouse that was specially designed to accommodate
the Atlantic 85 with its launching carriage and tractor.
The new Boathouse was opened at the naming of
our new Blue Peter V.
Please click here
for more information and photographs of the naming
and opening ceremony.
PLEASE
VISIT US
As a Blue
Peter lifeboat station we especially welcome
groups of school children and their teachers, or other
youth groups, to visit the home of Blue
Peter V and learn more about the lifesaving
work of the RNLI and that of Portaferry Lifeboat.
We also welcome visits
by adult groups and organisations.
Each year we have a
a few 'Station Open Days', usually during the
summer months, when the station is open to children,
their parents and the public. When decided, the date
of our next 'Open Day' will appear on our
Fundraising
Events page.
If you are an individual
or are a group who wish to visit our Lifeboat Station
please contact our Lifeboat Visits Officer, Gerry
Reilly, who is only too willing to arrange such visits.
Please contact him at:
education@portaferrylifeboat.com
In
addition, local RNLI Education Volunteers can, on
request, visit schools, youth groups, etc., to give
presentations about the life saving work of the RNLI
and offer help to link their visit to class projects
through many of the RNLI's free educational resources.
Please
click here
for further information about RNLI presentations at
your school or for visits to Lifeboat Stations.
If
you are a teacher or a youth group leader, the RNLI
provides over 100 free downloadable teaching resources.
These are available in English, Welsh and Gaelic.
To go to this RNLI resource page please click
here.
There are also many ways for 14–25 year olds to get
involved with the lifesaving work of the RNLI. The
RNLI has a 'Youth Advisory Board' who help to develop
interesting and relevant opportunities, and a host
of modules to support 14-25 year olds in their Duke
of Edinburgh or President's Award. Click here
for further information.
Please
note that our lifeboat station is manned solely by
volunteers and is only opened on request, so it really
is vital that you contact us to arrange a suitable
date and time for any visit.
We look forward
to welcoming you to our Blue
Peter lifeboat station sometime in the future.
