Fowey names its new lifeboat Spirit of Daisy this July

The lifeboat has been launching on shouts off Fowey since February. Her name only becomes official this July. And behind that name sits a 95-year-old woman from Solihull who once worried herself sick over her teenage son and a small dinghy.

A naming ceremony on Fowey Town Quay

On Saturday 25 July, Fowey’s new Atlantic 85 lifeboat will be officially named in a ceremony and service of dedication on Fowey Town Quay. The boat, B-956, carries the name Spirit of Daisy in memory of the donor’s mother.

Proceedings start at 3pm, with over 100 invited guests and crowds of onlookers expected to watch the lifeboat handed from the RNLI to Fowey lifeboat station. The ceremony opens with the National Anthem and a welcome from Fowey Lifeboat Management Chair, Adam Luck. Donor Alan Jackson will then officially hand Spirit of Daisy into the care of the RNLI, and Fowey Lifeboat Operations Manager Paul Gamble will accept her before handing her on to Fowey Lifeboat Station.

Fowey’s vicar will lead the service of dedication, after which Alan and his wife Annette will formally name the lifeboat. Crew members Amelia Luck and Ros Jezard will deliver a vote of thanks to close. Spirit of Daisy will then launch alongside Fowey’s D class lifeboat for a display in the harbour. Lostwithiel Town Band will play before and after the ceremony and accompany the nautical themed hymns.

Adam Luck said: ‘We are extremely grateful to Alan for donating the money for our new lifeboat. Since she arrived in Fowey on 17 February 2026, followed by her first shout just four days later on 21 February, Spirit of Daisy has been kept busy, rescuing people in trouble at sea.’

The story behind the name

Alan’s mother Daisy passed away aged 95, and it was she who first introduced him to the RNLI. As a teenager, Alan started boating in Beer in East Devon, in a 13ft Durafloat dinghy with an outboard engine, before moving on to sailing dinghies.

Daisy was concerned about his safety out on the open sea. One of the local fishermen kept an eye on Alan, which put her mind at rest. To repay that help, Daisy raised money for the RNLI, collecting in their local town of Solihull during Lifeboat appeals.

After the ceremony, invited guests will be treated to refreshments courtesy of the King of Prussia. The last lifeboat naming ceremony held in Fowey was in 1997.

📷Fowey's Atlantic 85 lifeboat 'Spirit of Daisy' - Credit: Nigel Millward