The loss of the Stranraer/Larne car ferry the Princess Victoria in a storm-lashed Irish Sea more than 70 years ago has surprising resonance on the Isle of Wight today. The disaster–the worst in UK waters since the Second World War–claimed 133 lives. Among the lost was Sir Walter Smiles MP, much loved grandfather of Bembridge resident Lady Sally Grylls who was 11 years old when the ferry foundered on 31st January 1953. Only 44 people survived the wreck–33 of them rescued by the Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat and her courageous crew from Donaghadee, County Down. The ‘Kelly, a Watson Class Lifeboat, was built in Cowes in the Samuel White and Co. boatyard. Join us to hear the continuing story of an Island lifeboat built to last–and a cherished family member who died within sight of his own seaside home.