ON the morning of the 1st June, 1961, Mr. E. R. Copeman, the honorary sec- retary of the Teesmouth branch, was travelling with his wife on the coast road towards Redcar when his wife noticed a yacht close inshore in broken water. Mr. Copeman made contact with the coastguard to discover whether the Redcar life-boat had been launched.

When he learnt that it had not been and had obtained further information, he alerted the Teesmouth crew.

At 10.21 the Teesmouth life-boat Sarah Jane and James Season, which is one of the 47-feet Watson type, was launched. A near gale was blowing from the north-west and the sea was very rough. The sky was overcast, and visi- bility, which was in general limited to about a mile and a half, was reduced near the shore by heavy spindrift. It was about half an hour before low water.

The life-boat encountered very heavy seas on crossing the bar and the radio- telephone receiver was put out of action.

The motor mechanic, Colin Coates, traced a loose connection in the set and carried out effective repairs in most difficult conditions.

Yawl in Distress The vessel in distress was a 20-ton yawl, Sybil Kathleen, which had been on passage from Hamble to Norway with a crew of three, when she had been dismasted about 120 miles north-east of the Tyne. Using her auxiliary engine, her skipper had aimed to make a land- fall off the Tyne, but he had no charts of the area and did not know where he was when he saw land near Staithes.

The vessel altered course to the north- west, and Redcar was soon seen. The skipper then made for Redcar, not being aware of the dangers offshore.

The coastguard fired maroons to warn the yacht off. The yacht then made to the east-south-east towards Skin- ningrove Bay. She entered the bay, where there is no harbour, and the crew then let both anchors go in the hope of riding out the storm. Fuel was short and the yawl had not enough power to make headwayJnto the wind.

Vessels Thrown Apart Coxswain John Stonehouse reached the conclusion that the yawl was un- likely to have entered Skinningrove Bay, which is fully exposed to the north-west, and the life-boat searched for some time before the yawl was seen. He then worked his way in through the heavily broken water of the bay and found the yawl dragging both her anchors. Heavy seas were breaking over both the life- boat and the yawl as he tried to go along- side. His first attempt was unsuccessful as the seas threw the two vessels apart.

The coxswain then made a second run in and an attempt was made to pass a line, but the life-boat could not come close enough. He then decided that the only hope of rescuing the yawl's crew was to tow her clear. Oil was there- fore laid to windward and Coxswain Stonehouse made a third attempt. This time he turned within a hundred yards of the beach, but once again the life- boat could not come close enough to the yawl.

There was little room in which to manoeuvre, and the life-boat was now in broken water close to the weather shore. The depth of water below the life-boat was only about nine feet.

Nevertheless Coxswain Stonehouse now made his fourth attempt. He dropped back stern first on to the casualty, and this time a line was successfully passed.

The yawl's crew then passed a nylon line to the life-boat, and when this was secured both the yawl's anchors were slipped, and the life-boat towed the yawl clear of the broken water. The yawl was towed by the life-boat to the lee of Hartlepool, as it was considered unsafe to enter Teesmouth with the yawl in tow. The life-boat finally reached her station'at 2.34.

Bronze Medal Awarded For this service the bronze medal for gallantry has been awarded to Cox- swain John Stonehouse. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Mechanic Colin Coates. Medal service certificates have been issued to the other members of the crew:—Second Coxswain Z. Catchpole; Bowman R. Stonehouse; Assistant Motor Mechanic C. Porter; Signalman H. Hurst; Crew Member A. Ascough; Crew Member A. Embleton. Extra monetary rewards were also paid..