FOR a search carried out in a northwesterly wind of storm force, when a wind speed of over 107 miles per hour was recorded, letters of commendation have been sent to the members of the crew of the St. Helier life-boat and of a Jersey pilot cutter.

At 6 p.m. on 9th October, 1964, the St. Helier deputy harbour master, Captain R. S. Taylor, learnt that a craft was in danger off Noirmont Point. She was later identified as the motor yacht Maricelia.

In exceedingly severe conditions, with a very rough confused sea and poor visibility, particularly in squalls, Captain Taylor decided to put out in the pilot cutter La Rosiere. The tide was half flood and setting to the eastward.

COXSWAIN ABOARD CUTTER The pilot cutter, which is a 50-foot single screw boat of the motor fishing vessel type, put out at 6.5. Among her crew were the coxswain of the St.

Helier life-boat, Edward Larbalestier, and one other member of the life-boat crew.

The yacht was soon found near the end of the breakwater, steaming in circles. Her deck had been swept clean of mast, spars, wheelhouse, and guard rails but her engine was still running.

The pilot cutter closed with the yacht, but there was no sign of life on board her.

The pilot cutter then searched to the south of St. Helier in the hope of finding survivors. Not long afterwards the yacht Maricelia struck rocks near Dogs Nest beacon and sank. Darkness began to fall and visibility became nearly nil. At 7.40 the search was called off, the pilot cutter returning to harbour.

MAROONS WERE FIRED Meanwhile the St. Helier life-boat had also been launched. The assistant honorary secretary, Captain W. G.

Furzer, had received a radio message from the pilot cutter that the yacht's crew were missing, and at 6.35 the maroons were fired.

Five minutes later the St. Helier life-boat Elizabeth Rippon, which is one of the 46-foot 9-inch Watson type, put out with Second Coxswain S. Le Riche in command. She searched the area from Noirmont Point to Demie de Pas light beacon without success.

When darkness fell she too had to abandon the search and reached her station at 7.50.

The next day an intensive search, in which the St. Helier life-boat was joined by H.M.S. Curzon, the fishing boat Boy Tad, a fast rescue boat of the fire service, aircraft of the Royal Air Force and a French helicopter, was carried out.

ONLY A LIFE RAFT Conditions were still very bad with a gale force wind from the west-southwest blowing. The life-boat put out at 7.10 with the coxswain in command, but all that was discovered was a life raft close to the French coast near Surville, which the helicopter spotted.

This had belonged to the yacht but there was nobody on board the life raft.

At noon it was learnt that a survivor from the Maricelia had achieved the remarkable feat of swimming ashore near Belle Hougue Point on the north coast of Jersey. The search was continued until 6 p.m. when the lifeboat returned to her station.

The survivor was a girl of 21, who had swum or drifted for 18 miles after the crew of the Maricelia had been swept into the sea during a violent storm.

Their yacht, with engines still running, had motored on, leaving the crew in the water.

After clinging on to floating wreckage of the yacht for about three hours, Alison Mitchell and the one other remaining survivor of the yacht's original crew of five decided to swim for shore.

The other survivor was drowned but Alison Mitchell floated for about 16 hours in the gale-swept sea.

CLIMBED STEEP CLIFF By the time she struggled ashore, apart from being exhausted, nearly frozen, cut, bruised and battered, she was blind. Her eyes had become so swollen that she could only see by forcing her eyelids open with her fingers. Her body was swollen from her long immersion in the sea. Yet she found the will and the strength to climb the steep cliff and crawl and stagger up the winding narrow path, pausing every few yards to lift her eyelids with her fingers to see where she was going. The long climb must have taken her almost two hours. Somewhere near the top of the hill she sank down and almost gave up hope of finding the help she desperately needed. Encouraged by the sound of a dog's barking she staggered and stumbled on.

Her ordeal was now very nearly over for in this condition she collapsed into the arms of Farmer de la Mare at Egypt Farm, St. John's, Jersey. She was at once rushed to hospital.

LETTERS WERE SENT The crews, to whom collective letters of commendation were sent, signed by the Chairman of the Committee of Management, Captain the Hon. V. M. Wyndham-Quin, R.N., were: Coxswain Edward Cyril Larbalestier, Second Coxswain Silver Harry Le Riche, Bowman Donald Henry Hansford, Mechanic William George Davey, Assistant Mechanic Royston Leslie Berezai, crew members W. Stuart, A. Deste Croix, G. Coom, W. Coom, E. Grandin, D. Seymour, and J. Bisson, deputy harbour master Captain R. S. Taylor, and crew members of the pilot cutter R. Parris and H. Brewer..