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Jaffy

Mallaig, Inverness-shire. At four o'clock on the morning of the 25th July, 1961, the son of the skipper of the motor fishing vessel Jaffy Again told the honorary secretary that his father's boat was overdue from a fishing trip. At 4.30 the life-boat E. M. M. Gordon Cubbin was launched at high water. There was a strong south-westerly wind blowing, and the sea was rough. The life-boat made for the area where the Jajfy Again was thought to be fishing and during the search a faint light was observed off the Skye coast, half a mile north of Aird Point. Upon investigation this turned out to be from the missing vessel.

The Jajfy Again was caught by her keel on a submerged rock fifteen yards from the shore. Her bows were riding to the surf, and she was held in this position by an anchor which had dragged. Twenty yards to seaward a chain of submerged rocks partly helped to break some of the seas which were pounding the vessel. The two men on board the fishing vessel were holding on to the wheelhouse.

As the fishing vessel was rapidly filling with water and immediate help from the shore could not be got, it wasdecided to try to tow her off the rocks and rescue the two men before she sank.

There was a small gap between the reefs, and the life-boat anchored to windward of this gap. At the second attempt a rocket line was successfully landed on the casualty, and this enabled a tow rope to be passed. The coxswain held the life-boat in position opposite the gap in the reefs by the use of his engines, and the Jaffy Again was refloated and pulled clear, although by then she was nearly sinking. The two men were taken on board the life-boat, which tried to tow the casualty to shelter, but three quarters of a mile south west of Arma- dale the fishing vessel sank. The life- boat finally reached her station at 9.30, and the two rescued men were landed..