THE gallantry of the skipper of a fishing vessel, Mr. Ian Innes of Helmsdale, Sutherland, which resulted in the rescue of three other fishermen, has been recognized by the award of the Institution's bronze medal for gallantry.

At 9.16 a.m. on the morning of 28th October, 1965, Mr. Innes's fishing vessel Branch, which is 46 feet in length, with a draught of 6 feet 6 inches, began a search for a lobster boat, which had been reported to be in trouble off Golspie by the Wick coastguard. The Branch had a crew of four. Other fishing boats were also asked to search. The lobster boat was reported at 9.38 to be safe ashore at Dunrobin, and the Branch headed for Helmsdale in order to reach harbour before the weather became too bad.

ANOTHER BOAT IN DIFFICULTY Nine minutes later another lobster boat, the James's of Helmsdale, was reported to be in difficulty off Ousdale, four miles north of Helmsdale. The skipper of the James's was Mr. David MacKay and his two sons were on board with him. The James's was only 19 feet in length. By 10.10 the south-southwesterly wind had freshened to force 5, gusting to force 7. The sky was cloudy with squally showers, and the sea was very rough. It was z hours after low water.

At the entrance to Helmsdale seas estimated at 12 to 15 feet high from trough to crest were corning in from the south-south-west. They were breaking on the shoal to the south of the channel and sweeping right across it on to the rocks on the landward side. This caused a steep, confused and breaking sea in the entrance channel. Conditions were bad, but were not thought to be bad enough for the harbour entrance to be closed.

The James's met the Branch and two seine netters off the entrance. The seine netters entered the harbour, and the James's was kept head to sea off the entrance while waiting for the tide to rise and reduce the surf on the bar. Her crew had to use a small outboard motor to supplement their 3! h.p. engine, but the combined power of the two was barely enough to keep her off the lee shore.

The skipper, David MacKay, aged 72, consulted his two sons, John aged 32 and David aged 28. They agreed that there was a serious danger of an engine failure and that they must try to enter harbour.

DECLINED OFFER Mr. Innes brought the Branch alongside the James's and offered to take off her crew and try to tow her in, but Mr. MacKay declined the offer. He had seen one of the seine netters enter successfully in a smooth patch and decided to try to do the same.

The Branch followed about 200 yards astern of the other boat. Mr. Innes ordered his crew to get ready all buoyant gear available, such as life buoys and floats, as well as ropes, up in the bows and to stand by there ready to save life.

The sea on the beam made the motion violent, and there was much loose water On deck. continued on page 84 Medal For Scottish Skipper (continuedfr0 The James's reached a position about 50 yards off the entrance. Then in mid channel a big lump of sea caused by the interaction of the incoming waves and the backwash rose up under her and threw her up and over. She came down bottom up. Her skipper jumped clear and his two sons were thrown out of the boat.

The skipper and the elder son, John, scrambled on to the bottom of the boat. John then began to take off his oilskins to allow him to swim more easily.

He had only got one arm out when the boat broke up under them and left them in the water. Meanwhile, the younger son, David, had begun to swim towards the Branch.

Mr. Innes immediately put his engine full ahead and turned to starboard, where the wreckage of the James's was being washed out of the channel.

Regardless of the safety of his own vessel in the extremely shallow water he reached a position to leeward between the three survivors and the shore. He then shouted to his crew to throw all the buoyant gear overboard and to throw the ropes.

Both the father and the younger son reached the ropes, the father getting a turn round himself. The younger son was also holding on to a life-buoy.

The elder son, John, was well to windward and was being carried in by the flood tide. Although he estimated that he had only a foot or two of water under his keel Mr. Innes put his engine slow astern with the object of towing the survivors clear of the shallows. He lashed the wheel hard to starboard to try to counteract the strong kick to port of his propeller and then ran to the bows to help pull the father and the younger son inboard on the lee bow, where the freeboard was about 8 feet. The two men were hauled aboard safely, and the skipper then returned to the wheel and put his engine full astern to reach John MacKay, who could be seen well out in the channel. Several seas broke over the stern as the fishing vessel swung into the wind.

SAW A HAND Mr. Innes stopped his engine as he neared the third survivor, but the men on deck then called out that the survivor had gone down, and Mr. Innes left the wheelhouse to see what had happened. He suddenly saw a hand break surface close under his starboard or weather quarter. Telling his men to hold on to his ankles, he threw himself head downwards over the quarter at full length while his crew and David MacKay, Jnr., lay across the net platform in the stern and held on to him.

He just missed the hand as the stern lifted to a sea, but in the trough which followed he managed to grab it and to get a locking finger hold. The men on deck then hauled their skipper and the survivor inboard. The freeboard at the quarter was 6 feet.

Mr. Innes returned to the wheelhouse and took the Branch into harbour.

John MacKay had collapsed, although he was still breathing, and he was given first-aid treatment. He soon recovered, and when they landed all three rescued men were found to be in fairly good condition..