Captain Darren Coglan and his 2-man crew, with The Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex

Hastings Jubilee boat launch

HOT reporter Joe Fearn was invited to witness the send off of one of the Hastings fishing fleet’s boats for its journey to London to join in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant.

A specially invited audience left from the Champagne reception at the Jerwood Art Gallery, and walked down to the Stade, where ‘Roys Boys’ RX 150,  a working fishing boat from the Hastings and Rye fishing community, bedecked with a Union Jack and several flags of St George, stood proud at the water’s edge.

The three man crew including captain Darren Coglan, stood for a photo call with The Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex.

Her Majesty the Queen appoints a Lord Lieutenant as her representative in each county. The Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex is Peter Field, who was appointed in August 2008. The Mayor of Winchelsea also joined the crew for the journey. The ‘launch’ was a virtual one, because high tide is actually much later.

At high water in the afternoon of Sunday 3 June 2012, up to a thousand boats mustered on the River Thames in preparation for Her Majesty the Queen to take part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Local boats that took part as well as ‘Roys Boys’ included the Eastbourne RNLI lifeboat ‘Diamond Jubilee’, and the Sussex and Brighton Universities Royal Naval Unit’s ship ‘HMS Ranger’. Four Sussex Sea Cadet units were also part of the diamond formation preceding the royal barge. Well done to all concerned.

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