Troon, Ayrshire. At 11.49 on the morning of the 5th of February, 1961, the harbour master at Irvine informed the coxswain that two men were stranded on a beacon at the entrance to Irvine harbour. In the absence of the honorary secretary the coxswain author- ised the launching of the life-boat. When the life-boat James and Barbara Aitken put out at 12.9 there was a strong south- south-westerly wind and a rough sea. It was two hours before high water. The life-boat came near to the beacon and one of the men jumped aboard the life- boat, but the other man had an injured foot and was unable to jump. The cox- swain then took the life-boat very close to the beacon and the man was pulled aboard by the life-boat's crew. The men were landed at Irvine harbour, and the life-boat returned to her station at 1.30..