Keys to a long-awaited new rescue boat, the Gorda Peak IV, were given to the Vigin Gorda Search and Rescue (VISAR volunteers at the recent Governor’s Reception. The 26′ boat is outfitted with state-of-the-art electronics and powered by twin 225 hp Yamaha engines.

The VG rescue team covers an area from Cooper Island to Anegada. The larger size and power of this new boat will enable the volunteers to cover a much wider range more efficiently. They can search larger areas, for longer, and arrive on scene more quickly.

VISAR was founded in 1988 and was modeled on the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the UK, the world’s oldest lifeboat service. Like the RNLI and many other lifeboat services in Europe, it is an independent, volunteer-based organization funded almost entirely by charitable donations, and relies very heavily on the financial support of the local community, visitors to the British Virgin Islands and people like you.

(resource: All at Sea Caribbean)