Name Ambler

Originally launched in 1928 as RNLB THOMAS MARKBY, ON706, AMBLER is a Self-Righter-class single engine lifeboat built for the RNLI by Saunders of East Cowes. She served for nearly two decades at Swanage Lifeboat Station on the south coast of England, braving rough seas and saving lives along the Dorset coastline. 

In 1934, her Assistant Motor Mechanic Robert C. Brown was awarded a Bronze Medal for gallantry after going overboard and holding on to an unconscious man from the yacht HALLY LISE until the THOMAS MARKBY could pick them up. 

In 1943, THOMAS MARKBY was involved in the tragic rescue attempt of CHASSEUR 5, a Free French Navy submarine hunter. For her efforts, which involved the rescue of three crewmembers, the French government awarded medals to each of the crew, with further medals and a prize of 1000 Francs each being awarded to the coxswain, mechanic and bowman by the French Lifeboat Society and the Academy of Political and Moral Service, Institute de France, respectively.

In 1949, she was transferred to the Whitehills Station in Aberdeenshire, and in 1952 she was transferred to the Relief Fleet. THOMAS MARKBY was sold out of service in 1957, after having been launched 87 times and saving 41 lives.

After her RNLI service, she was sold into private hands and renamed AMBLER. Over the decades, she was transformed into a long-distance sailing vessel, crossing oceans and becoming a home to adventurers, artists, and sailors. From the UK to Africa, South America, and the Caribbean, AMBLER carries nearly a century of seafaring stories in her planks. Today, she is undergoing a major wooden hull restoration and historical documentation project — a mission not only to preserve a unique vessel, but to honour a living piece of maritime heritage. The goal is to return AMBLER to the sea in time for her 100th birthday sail back to the UK in 2028.