Crowds of spectators and a flotilla of RNLI vessels greeted Peel’s new £2.2m lifeboat on its arrival in March.

Less than 10 days later, the UK went into lockdown, followed a few days later by the island closing its border.

And thanks to Covid-19, the new Shannon-class boat has not been used once on active duty.

It is currently in Fleetwood for routine maintenance and a hull scrub, having been moored in Peel marina over the summer.

Meanwhile, work to complete the extended lifeboat house to accommodate the new vessel has also been delayed by the pandemic.

Lifeboat operations manager Allen Corlett said: ’It’s so disappointing for everyone here. We feel very, very frustrated.’

Following the arrival of the Shannon-class lifeboat, named the Frank and Brenda Winter, on Sunday, March 15, initial training for the volunteers began.

But, because of the pandemic, this training was forced to stop.

A spokesman for the RNLI said: ’It is essential that training is complete on a new lifeboat before that asset is declared operational on station - this usually takes a number of weeks and is carried out by a training team from the charity’s support centre in Poole.

’Understandably, restrictions on entering the Isle of Man have been tight over recent months.

’We are working with the government by limiting RNLI visits to the island but ensuring that the volunteer crews are still supported in their lifesaving work.’

Until training could restart, the Shannon was put on a mooring and the Mersey class lifeboat swapped from Ramsey continued to respond to operational shouts.

The Shannon class lifeboat was taken to Fleetwood Marina for the lifeboat’s routine six-month maintenance service in August.

’As the Shannon had been moored in the marina since her arrival in March, it was decided to carry out the maintenance in Fleetwood where she could be taken out of the water to carry out a hull scrub as part of the check,’ said the RNLI spokesman.

’As the Mersey class lifeboat is still operational at Peel, the charity intends to bring back the Shannon as soon as Covid-19 restrictions ease and restart the training as soon as possible.

The RNLI hopes this could be in January but all will depend on the Covid situation in the UK.

Meanwhile,the new-look boathouse is not finished yet. A UK contractor was due to install specialist flooring but this has been delayed by the lockdown.

This may now be done by a local firm.