The Kirkwall lifeboat station community is bidding farewell to a volunteer whose life and work have been bound up with the sea. After more than 20 years in formal roles with the shore crew, Chris Irvine has retired from his duties at Kirkwall RNLI Lifeboat Station. His service, however, stretches back much further — he unofficially supported local lifeboat activity for decades before taking on designated responsibilities.
From deep-sea decks to Orkney shores
Mr Irvine’s maritime career spans commercial and specialist seafaring. He worked for nine years in the merchant navy on deep-sea freight vessels and spent a further seven years offshore on multifunctional diving support vessels, which equip crews for complex underwater tasks such as providing decompression chambers and handling construction work beneath the waves. He achieved the rank of Master (captain) at the relatively young age of 30.
He returned to Orkney permanently in the late 1980s, having spent long periods at sea that made sustained involvement in local volunteering difficult. At home, his wife, Moira, had already become active through the lifeboat movement, and family connections drew Chris more closely into the community work that surrounds the RNLI in Orkney.
- Experienced seafarer: Master (captain) by age 30
- Merchant navy service: 9 years
- Offshore DSV work: 7 years
- More than 20 years in formal RNLI shore-crew roles, with earlier unofficial volunteering
Family and local ties underpinning volunteer life
Close family friends also shaped the Irvines’ connection to lifesaving service. Dr Sydney Peace, his wife Helen and their son Ronnie had established links with maritime service and volunteering: Sydney served as a medic for the Longhope lifeboat; Ronnie later joined the Royal Navy; Helen took part in the Ladies Lifeboat Guilds. Those ties, together with the example of Chris’s half-brother who ran with one of Kirkwall’s former lifeboats, were influential in both Chris and Moira’s long-term commitment.
“I never thought about joining the volunteer boat crew when I was younger because I was always at sea for 6 months at a time. However, when I was at home from long spells at sea, I unofficially helped the Kirkwall Lifeboat Guild alongside my wife,”
He added that repeated returns to sea made it harder to remain ashore with his family, and that when he settled back in Orkney in 1989 he was able to give more sustained time to the local service.
Changing shape of Orkney’s lifeboat movement
Moira’s involvement stretches back to the early 1980s, at a time when lifeboat guilds on Mainland Orkney numbered seventeen, with additional guilds on the outer isles. The landscape of volunteer support has altered since then; there are fewer guilds now, but Moira continues to serve after decades of work for the RNLI.
| Period | Role / Detail |
|---|---|
| By age 30 | Became Master (captain) |
| Merchant navy | 9 years on deep-sea freight ships |
| Offshore | 7 years on diving support vessels |
| RNLI | Unofficial volunteering for decades; over 20 years in formal shore-crew roles |
Kirkwall’s lifeboat operation has long depended on the interplay of professional seamanship, local knowledge and volunteer contribution. The retirement of a figure with such a breadth of maritime experience is a reminder of the depth of expertise that underpins community safety around the islands.
While the number of guilds has declined since the 1980s, the durable presence of families like the Irvines — across generations and roles — shows how lifeboat work remains woven into Orkney civic life. The station’s work goes on, sustained by volunteers who follow in the footsteps of those stepping down.
Chris’s departure marks the end of a chapter for Kirkwall RNLI but also highlights the continuing necessity of volunteers for the safety of seafarers and island communities.
