XKALIBUR: The Jaguar-Funded RNLI Lifeboat That Served St Agnes for 10 Years
We think it is very sad that the RNLI are currently receiving a lot of bad press, and it comes in the wake of a recent visit by us to St. Agnes Lifeboat Station in Cornwall.
To put this into perspective;
My husband, Rob Jenner was Chairman of the Jaguar Enthusiast’s Club(JEC) from May 2013 to November 2015.
The JEC Prize Draw cars for 2014 and 2015 were both XK (X150) Jaguars.
The presentations at St Agnes Lifeboat Station took place in January 2015 and January 2016.
Back in the days when the JEC sold raffle tickets for the chance to win a Jaguar on an annual basis each incoming Chairman was given the privilege of choosing a charity to which the proceeds went at the end of the year.
When Rob Jenner became Chairman of the JEC in 2013 he chose the RNLI as the charity he wished to support because he had spent many years living in Shetland and he knew how important this vital emergency service was and he had seen how dedicated and committed the volunteers were and how many lives they saved on a regular basis.
Over the two years of Rob’s chairmanship two XK (X150) Jaguars were raffled in order to raise £44,000 to buy a new D-class lifeboat. This was the first and only time that the club supported the same charity for two years and it meant that two cheques were presented to the RNLI – one in January 2015 and the final one in January 2016.
The club did not choose which Lifeboat Station to support – this is the responsibility of the RNLI HQ who allocated the boat to the next lifeboat station needing a replacement lifeboat which happened to be St Agnes in Cornwall.
The children’s TV programme, Blue Peter, had supplied 4 lifeboats to St Agnes from 1968 until 2015, when the JEC lifeboat succeeded them.
In 2015 and 2016 Gerald Simmons was Chairman and Station Operational Manager of St Agnes Lifeboat Station – he sadly passed away in 2019 so we were unable to renew our acquaintance with him during our recent visit. Gerald was a former crew member who had supported the RNLI from 1968 until retiring in 2017 due to illness and there is a plaque dedicated to him at St Agnes Lifeboat Station.
In 2015 we travelled from our home near Edinburgh all the way down to St Agnes in our Jaguar X358. Gearbox problems became apparent along the way and we shuddered at the thought of a breakdown as we negotiated the final stretches of the A30 on a cold, dark winter’s night in January. Rob coaxed the X358 on until it made it to the carpark of the B&B when it refused to engage further, so recovery was initiated and following the presentation we travelled back to Edinburgh in a hired car.
The presentation of the cheques on both occasions was such an immense privilege. We were given a VIP reception at St Agnes Lifeboat Station with many of the volunteers in attendance. The table was generously laid out with savouries and cakes, accompanied by tea and coffee, and after Rob had presented the cheque to Gerald and his crew we were given a tour of the lifeboat premises.
On our visit in 2016 the lifeboat was officially named XKALIBUR, thus spelt as a nod to the two XK’s that financed it! On this trip the same Jaguar X358 failed to proceed further than the JEC Racing Dinner in Stratford-upon-Avon and the same scenario ensued, but coming home we were hit from behind by a BMW, ended up in hospital and eventually made it back home to Edinburgh.
Earlier this year we were invited to attend the last launch ceremony before XKALIBUR was taken out of service. This was to take place on 15th August and we wondered if this time we would make it there and back without incident. Well, this time we did it! The Jaguar X358 has long gone and this was the proving trip for a 5.0 XK Coupe which made the journey there and back without issue – rather appropriate really, since XKALIBUR was funded by two prize draws featuring XK (X150) Jaguars!
We were once again given the same VIP reception by all of the volunteers who greeted us as returning friends. It was good to see the coastline in glorious sunshine rather than the gloom of winter. For this presentation we were joined by JEC member Patch Jobson from Ilfracombe in North Devon. This time it was Cornish Pasties that were appropriately the order of the day, along with teas, coffees and cakes, before following XKALIBUR down to the beach for its final launch. This was a ceremonial launch which was accompanied by a commentary on the story of how this boat was donated and the reason for its name, not forgetting the very important list of statistics on how many lives XKALIBUR had saved in its 10 years of service.
Following the launch the volunteer lifeboat crew lined up for final photographs of XKALIBUR with her crew and supporters while Rob Jenner gave an acceptance speech as he was presented with one of the used propellers from XKALIBUR as a memento of the St Agnes Lifeboat story.
You can enjoy the full suite of photos in Octobers Newsletter.
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