Kessock lifeboat will be helmed by a woman for the first time, with the team remaining on call throughout the Christmas period.
Jane Hier has been a volunteer with the RNLI for the last five years and has been on call every festive period.
However, this year she will be at the helm of the Atlantic 85 lifeboat and will be one of only four females leading that type of craft in Scotland.
Ms Hier, a dentist in her professional career, signed up after watching an episode of Saving Lives at Sea and has spent 250 hours out at sea.
As part of a dedicated team of volunteers, she has responded to more than 20 callouts with the Kessock lifeboat.
Ms Hier, 33, said: “I never thought that with my job that I would be considered to join as a volunteer crew member. I thought you had to be a fisherman, working in the harbour so you were around all the time.
‘That’s when I though I could actually do this’
“And then I watched an episode of Saving Lives at Sea where there was a Northern Irish dentist who also volunteered as a crew member.
“That’s when I thought to myself, maybe I could actually do this.”
While she believed others may be more suited for the job, Ms Hier was assured that her personality and teamwork made her a great candidate to lead the team.
She went through the necessary training at Kessock station and at the RNLI station in Poole, England.
Over the past five Christmases, lifeboats in Scotland have launched 100 times, coming to the aid of 51 people and have saved three lives.
While she may need to up and leave the Christmas dinner table, she says her family understand the difference she is making by being part of the RNLI.
She said: “I’m always ready to go but I’m never apprehensive or nervous. You’ve chosen to volunteer and give your time, and you know what a difference you make when you do get called out.
“My family and friends are all so supportive of what I do. Even if I was at my in-laws and the pager went at Christmas dinner, I know they would just say ‘On you go, we’ll keep you a plate,’ because they know what I’m doing and how much of a difference it makes.”