After 46 years the time has finally come for one of Sheerness' most experienced lifeboat volunteers to retire.

Fellow crew members past and present gave Colin 'Washy' Washford, volunteer, secretary and former lifeboat operations manager a special send off at the lifeboat stations' annual dinner at Sheerness Golf Club in Power Station Road on Saturday.

Lifeboat management chairman Andy Willmore outlined Colin’s career with the lifeboat before presenting him with framed certificates, bronze lifeboat man figurine and a bottle of his favourite tipple.

Mr Washford was one of the original Sheerness lifeboat crew when the station was made permanent in 1970. The boat at that time was a Watson class vessel named ‘Gertrude’ based in the Great Basin in Sheerness Docks.

The stevedore volunteered and reached the rank of Second Coxswain, a position he held for 10 years.

After retiring in 1999, Mr Washford came back on board as secretary in 2002 took over as lifeboat operations manager.

One of Mr Washford's most memorable callouts was back in 1976 when the Sheerness Waveney Class lifeboat ‘Helen Turnbull’ , with Coxswain Charlie Bowry in charge, was called to assist a vessel, the ‘Eladnit’, that had run aground in gale force winds on the West Barrow Bank close to the Redsands Towers some 10 miles from Sheerness.

After locating the vessel the coxswain made the decision to anchor the lifeboat and Mr Washford and fellow crew member Malcolm Keen were tasked to row a line across to the casualty.

After three attempts they finally managed to get the line attached to the vessel and it was then towed to safety.

The coxswain received an RNLI bronze medal and the crew members received congratulatory certificates for their efforts.