Crowds flocked to Ramsey’s South Promenade to gather in front of the lifeboat station for the official naming ceremony of the town’s new Shannon-class lifeboat, the Ann and James Ritchie II.

Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer formally named the vessel in a service of dedication in front of invited guests, family and friends.

Thirteen-year old Millie Bridson, who raised hundreds of pounds for the charity got a special mention at the end of the ceremony and handed a bouquet of flowers to Sir John.

The lifeboat then performed a demonstration of its capabilities in the bay, such as its ability to rapidly come to a stop from its top speed, and turn on its own length.

It was brought into the water by its specialist launch vehicle.

In addition to being faster and larger, the £2.2 million Shannon-class lifeboat is far more manoeuvrable than the Mersey-class boat it is replacing – being powered by jets rather than propellers.

It also has enhanced crew safety measures, such as seats with built-in shock absorbers to protect their spines from the shock of the waves, and an intercom system which reduces the need for crew to leave their seats.

The rest of the day in Ramsey involved a range of lifeboat-themed festivities, and a ceremony to announce the winner of the RNLI’s ‘lifeboat trail’ challenge, which involved finding ‘Stormy Stan’ mascots hidden around the shops of the town.