Visitors to Lyme Regis harbour may be surprised to see what looks to be a vintage lifeboat moored in front of the RNLI slipway.
The 23ft Colvic Watson motor sailer Juniata has been restored by new owners Iain and Sarah Torrance in vintage RNLI lifeboat colours of blue and white.
Inspired by the BBC2 documentary Saving Lives at Sea, which features rescues by RNLI volunteers filmed using the crew’s own cameras, in September 2025 Iain and Sarah decided to pay homage to the lifesaving charity by decorating their newly-purchased boat in a traditional lifeboat colour scheme.
They were aided in this by the RNLI’s heritage department in Poole, who advised on details for the scheme.
Iain said: “We have always been keen supporters of the RNLI and have always wanted to own a boat. When we found Juniata, built by Colvic Watson and sharing certain design features of early Watson lifeboats, we decided that she was the boat for us.
“We took the decision to restore her in the style of a vintage lifeboat and started on a renovation project over the winter months.”
The project has been a labour of love, as Juniata required many hundreds of hours effort from Iain, Sarah and son Jamie to bring her back to life.
As with all boat projects, there was much to do – rotten woodwork to replace, seized machinery to free and a total of 60 leaks to stop before she was ready to go back into the water.
In addition to Juniata’s vintage lifeboat livery, she is also adorned with early decals reflecting the fact that the RNLI charity is a voluntary organisation relying on contributions from the public to continue its work.
There is also a bold statement, in gold lettering which encapsulates the aim of the Juniata project. It reads: ‘To honour all those who save lives at sea’.
Volunteer lifeboat operations manager Mark Colley said: “Iain and Sarah have done a magnificent job in decorating Juniata in the style of historic lifeboats. On her mooring near the foot of our slipway, she will be a constant reminder of the presence of the RNLI in Lyme Regis.
“This is particularly significant in 2026 as we celebrate two centuries of association with the town.”
Now that Juniata has been relaunched into the harbour, Iain and Sarah plan to use her to explore the local area.
Photo: Iain and Sarah with their restored motor sailer Juniata. Credit: Nick Marks