The newly christened "Spirit of the Dart" RNLI inshore lifeboat was called out practically before the champagne had dried.

The need for a RNLI inshore lifeboat on the Dart was again shown as she was called out twice on the day of her naming ceremony. The second launch was witnessed by the five hundred guests and supporters who had come to Coronation Park, Dartmouth, on Saturday 2nd August for the naming of the new lifeboat and the official opening of the Dart Lifeboat Station.

The £29,000 lifeboat was donated by Caterfoods SW and handed over to Mr Jonathan Ball, Trustee of the RNLI, by their Chairman Mr. Mike Felton. As he accepted the new boat on behalf of the local Dart lifeboat team, Rob Clements Lifeboat Operations Manager said, "I speak for the crew and shorehelpers of Dart Lifeboat station and thank you for the lifeboat. She will be well used, well cared for and well loved while she is on service at this station.
I am proud of what we have achieved as a team. From the first ideas of re-starting a lifeboat on the river Dart to forming a crew, training and finally helping to save our first life back in December, this station has come a long way."

Following a short religious service led by Rev. Simon Wright, Vicar of Dartmouth and Dittisham and Chaplain to the Dart lifeboat, the new lifeboat was named "Spirit of the Dart" by Mrs. Barbara Felton. She was assisted by William Smith, a pupil of St John the Baptist Primary School Dartmouth, whose suggestion for a name had been chosen by the Feltons.

The Dart Lifeboat Station was then officially opened by Cllr. Debbie Morris, Dartmouth Town Mayor.

The lifeboat, helmed by Andy Pomeroy and crewed by Yorkie Lomas and Matt Studd, was then launched and gave a display to the hundreds gathered on the North Embankment to watch. No sooner had the crew returned to join the spectators for a well deserved cream tea in the lifeboat station when the pagers sounded for the second time in the day. Not surprisingly the time from the launch request from the Coastguard to the boat being in the water was two minutes. This time the task was to search the shoreline of the Dart from Stoke Gabriel to Mill Point for an elderly infirm lady reported as missing. The search was subsequently called off when the lady was found by the Mobile Coastguard unit at Mill Pool.