Community spirt of 1866 Great Storm prevails 160 years later

It was described as a ‘spectacular day of commemoration and celebration’. And there is no better and more meaningful way of describing StormFest 160.

Magical, moving and mind-blowing - it was the day Brixham, Torbay and South Devon came together to remember one of the biggest maritime disasters in local history.

The Great Storm of January 1866, the outpouring of community spirit on the night of the tragedy and the establishment of the first lifeboat station in Torbay later that year were all commemorated and re-enacted in one emotion-packed day.

It began as dawn was breaking in Teignmouth. Fuelled by bacon baps kindly provided by the RNLI Teignmouth colleagues, the wives and partners of Torbay’s volunteer crews joined rowers from Brixham Gig Rowing Club and members of the Teignmouth RNLI crew to pull the gig-boat - wrapped in the colours of a 19th-century lifeboat - through the streets and along the seafront at Teignmouth.

It was just as they had done 160 years ago when the Great Storm ravaged boats in Torquay and Brixham with Teignmouth the only place and people to help with its gig.

Further stops and pulls on a perfect summer morning along Babbacombe Downs and Meadfoot Beach were followed by a final pull along the Torquay promenade and around the harbour to the support of large crowds.

The boat was then launched into the harbour where a number of the Torbay RNLI crew - and many of the earlier pullers from the gig club - then went on to begin the long row back to Brixham.

Joined out in the bay by a flotilla and gig boats, including a number from Paignton Amateur Rowing Club, the row back to Brixham saw a tail wind - but not entirely calm waters. Accompanied by present-day lifeboats from Teignmouth, RNLI Exmouth and Dart RNLI Lifeboat, as well as four historic lifeboats based in-and-around Falmouth, Plymouth and Salcombe and a couple of Brixham-based fishing trawlers, steady progress was made back to Brixham.

A historical talk and song based on the events of 1866 by The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, Brixham preceded the arrival of the flotilla.

As the flotilla moored up in the inner harbour, a Service of Commemoration was held by Helen Lovell-Smith of the Fishermen's Mission Devon.

With the morning’s reflection and hard work over, it was then time to celebrate. Local, freshly-prepared seafood was served, alongside a hog roast and locally-made cakes. Locally-brewed ales and cider were enjoyed to accompany the live music performed by the best of the bay's local artists and groups.

With dancing and singing, and hand-held glow sticks, the day was then brought to a rousing close by Freeway band.

A Torbay RNLI official said: “Thank you to all those who helped make it such a memorable day - from the many businesses and organisations who enabled the event to take place, to those of you who came along to support the event and Torbay RNLI. It showed the community spirit that prevailed in 1866 still lives on 160 years later.

“Thank you, too, to the entire team of Torbay RNLI volunteers – the lifeboat crew whose commitment has been helping save lives at sea in-and-around Torbay for 160 years; their wives and partners who support them at all hours - and then go on to volunteer to pull a gig boat on a chilly morning when they could be enjoying a weekend lie-in; the operational shore crew without whom the lifeboats wouldn’t launch; our Water Safety advisors, who help share their knowledge to keep users in-and-around our waters safe; and last-but-not-least, our fabulous team of Torbay Lifeboat Fundraisers, without whom the lifeboat station couldn’t continue to exist, and whose help was instrumental in planning and running StormFest 160. “