THE Duke of Kent came to north Essex to visit lifeboat stations in Dovercourt, Clacton and Walton.

He met Captain Rod Shaw, lifeboat operations manager at Harwich, who was doing the same job when the duke last visited in 1987.

Among the duke’s duties was to present crewman Andrew Moors – “Morph” to his crewmates – with a long service medal, marking 20 years service to the RNLI.

The duke, the president of the RNLI, then moved on to Clacton, meeting crew and fundraisers, including RNLI shop volunteers. Alan Osborn, spokesman for Clacton RNLI, said: “We were extremely honoured to play host to the duke. The last time he came was in 1984.”

The highlight of the day was when he officially welcomed Frinton and Walton’s new £2.7million lifeboat, Irene Muriel Rees, to the RNLI’s fleet.

Clad in a bright yellow windcheater, the duke praised the bravery of crews.

He said there had been huge changes in lifeboats over the years but crews remained “every bit as courageous, committed and dedicated as were the crews of 50 years ago”.

Watched by VIP guests and civic dignitaries at the end of a rain-swept Walton pier, the duke smashed a bottle against the hull and pronounced the words: “May God bless her and all who sail in her.”

The boat is named in memory of Irene Muriel Rees, who left the Walton station £1million in her will. Her family had a holiday home in the town and were staunch supporters of the lifeboat.

RNLI chief executive Paul Boissier said more than half of all new lifeboats were paid for by such bequests. He also paid tribute to the Walton crew, who rescued almost 70 people last year alone.

The lifeboat then carried out a mock rescue demonstration, plucking a crew member from the choppy sea.

Station chairman Brian Rowlen said it was a great honour for Walton to get such an advanced rescue boat.

Operations manager Phil Oxley added the local crew was thrilled to accept the lifeboat. He paid tribute to the coxswain, crew and shore teams for their hard work and commitment in learning how to use the new boat.