02/10/2026
Winter in Shetland can be wild - days of gale force winds, lashing rain and mountainous seas.
In recent weeks our incredible have been subjected to a dreadful online campaign. This is a charity, funded entirely by public donations, crewed by volunteers risking their lives to save vessels and people who find themselves in distress at sea.
While this photograph has a wonderfully dramatic colour palette, it also demonstrates the appalling conditions our local crews can face when called out, taken by Ryan Leith Photography we include here his account of this particular call out -
"At 1350 on Thursday 19th October 2023, Shetland Coastguard requested RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat to launch on service to assist Danish fishing boat "Westbank" which was taking on water 60 miles east of Shetland. Coxswain Stephen Manson and crew made best speed into an ESE gale to the vessel's position. As the "Westbank" was experiencing engine problems, the Lifeboat took the casualty under tow and headed back towards Lerwick, arriving in the harbour at 0825 on Friday 20th October - over 18 hours at sea. A great service by the crew of the Lifeboat."
We would like to thank the and all their volunteers for their bravery and dedication in providing this essential service for all those who need it and encourage people to continue to support them.
Colours from left to right: 470 Pumpkin, 104 Natural White, 127 Pebble, 122 Granite, 315 Heron & 123 Oxford
