Sir William Hillary keeps his watchful eye over Douglas Bay and Conister Rocks, the scene of many shipwrecks. The worst of these was the loss of the Manx fishing fleet in 1787 when 50 ships foundered and some 161 crew drowned in the bay.
Since the early 1800s lifeboats have been stationed in Douglas and in those times they were launched from the beach. During the past 200 years a number of stations were built in and around the bay and harbour area, the location of the present Douglas Lifeboat Station which was completed in 1924.
The "National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck" was formed in 1824 as a result of Sir William Hillary's initiative and efforts to create a maritime rescue service. Hillary is now recognized as the founder of the RNLI which evolved from the original institution and there are now some 232 lifeboat stations around the British Isles including 5 around the coast of the Isle of Man. The RNLI relies upon voluntary contributions so if you're on the lookout for cache goodies try the lifeboat shop in Ramsey.
The cache is a plastic snap-lock container initially stocked with RNLI "stuff":
pin badge,
car sticker,
"SOS" Shoelaces,
fridge magnet,
bookmark.
and other items.