Mallaig, Inverness-shire. At 3.25 on on the afternoon of the 16th September, 1961, a local resident informed the honorary secretary that the small fish- ing vessel Violet was unable to make the harbour entrance. The wind at the time had reached hurricane force. The life-boat E. M. M. Gordon Cubbin left her moorings at 3.45 in a rough sea and a flooding tide. She found the Violet, with a crew of two, sheltering half a mile east of Mallaig and towed her into harbour. The life-boat then put to sea again to the help of the fishing vessel Virgin, which was dragging her two anchors east of the harbour entrance.

The coxswain put two of the life-boat crew aboard to try to start the Virgin's engines. They were unsuccessful, and the life-boat took the fishing vessel in tow.

After mooring the Virgin the life- boat put to sea once again after a report had been received that three men were adrift in a small boat in Loch Nevis.

She found the boat ashore at Ardna- murach and the men safely on the beach. On returning to her station, the coxswain saw two vessels, the three- masted training ship Prince Louis and the ketch Owl, dragging their anchors and being driven on to a lee shore near the harbour entrance. The Owl was flashing for help and asking for her crew of four to be taken off. After three attempts the coxswain veered the life- boat as near as possible to the Owl with the aid of her anchor, and two lines were fired. A towing rope was passed and when this was secure the life-boat sheered away to starboard and was made secure alongside the pier.

A further line was then fired to the yacht and another rope passed to her.With a dozen or more people on the pier pulling the Owl she was eventually hauled to safety. By this time the Prince Louis was out of danger, and the life-boat finally reached her moorings at three o'clock in the morning after being on continuous service for twelve hours..