AN innovative lifeboat launching unit will be put through its paces tomorrow (Thursday).
The RNLI will be co-ordinating the test of the new type of launching and recovery unit which is designed to get the next generation of fast carriage-launched lifeboats in and out of the water as quickly as possible.
The self-propelled unit will be trialled on the beach near Craigside using a RNLI prototype fast lifeboat.
Colin Williams, RNLI Divisional Inspector for Wales and the West said they wanted to find out if the rig could cope with a variety of different elements.
He said: “It has been well-documented that Llandudno’s current boathouse is not suitable to house the slightly larger lifeboat which will succeed the existing Mersey class lifeboat. A boathouse in the town centre presents obvious problems, so we continue to seek alternative sites to enable us to continue saving lives at sea off the North Wales coast in the quickest and safest possible way.
“The rig trials are very much part of a series of wider trials, but whilst they are underway it will be useful to ascertain the suitability of Llandudno’s north beach for launching the new generation of lifeboat.
"The site would have been totally unsuitable as an all-weather launch site for the current lifeboat, however with the advancement in technology and the new prototype unit, we can test this site to ascertain its suitability.”