RESCUE IN WORST WEATHER FOR 20 YEARS WHEN on 20th November, 1971, red flares were sighted in the area of the Wallet Spitway buoy, the Clacton, Essex, life-boat Valentine Wyndham- Quin was launched at 6.17 p.m. The wind was south south west force 5 to 6 with rain squalls.

At 6.24 p.m. the Coastguard reported another flare on the same bearing, but it was not seen by the life-boat, which was pitching and shipping spray. A further flare was reported five minutes later.

At 6.32 p.m. the life-boat asked Thames Coastguard to confirm that the position of the casualty was off the Wallet Spitway buoy.

The reply indicated that the casualty was south of the West Swinn buoy and about six miles south of the Spitway. Accordingly, the life-boat started searching the Spitway area with parachute flares.

At 6.53 p.m. Coastguard Thames reported flares five cables from West Swinn buoy, and Coxswain Charles Bolingbroke made southwards through the Spitway. It was now low water and the Spitway could give him no more than about four feet in its deepest channel.

By 7.11 p.m. the life-boat was clear of the Spitway. The wind was now force 6 to 7 and a weather forecast of force 8 to 9 with heavy rain was received.

At 7.28 p.m. the m.v. Bexley, which was on the other side of the Barrow Sands and unable to assist, reported two vessels firing red flares near the West Swinn buoy. At 7.58 p.m. the life-boat started searching with parachute flares in that vicinity. About 10 minutes later she sighted two fixed white lights and made her way towards them.

A flare confirmed that these were the casualties at anchor. The nearest was an old pilot boat, the £ona, built 1896, having no engine and a crew of two, which had been in tow of the other casualty from Ramsgate to Burnham-on- Crouch. The towing vessel was anchored to the north of her. She was the 40-foot cabin cruiser Pisces, which was the home of her owner and his wife and four-year-old daughter, all three of whom were on board.

The wind had now increased to force 7 to 8, and it was a wind-against-tide situation as the coxswain made his approach to the ^ona with 5 to 6 feet showing on the echo sounder. Theseas were short and steep but both men were taken off on the first pass, with no damage to the life-boat. On the first approach to the cabin cruiser the young child was safely taken aboard the life-boat and on the next two attempts the woman and then her husband were embarked, all without injury to anyone or damage to the boat.

By 8.52 p.m. the life-boat was heading northwards for Brightlingsea, having effected the rescues of all five people in four 'alongsides' in the space of 20 minutes.

On the return journey the wind was force 8, against the strongest part of the flood tide, and the coxswain reported that it was the worst conditions he had experienced for 20 years.

Visibility was often reduced to near zero in heavy rain, and it was a dangerous situation off Colne Point, at 10.53 p.m., to discover that the Inner Bench Head buoy had apparently been carried away.

The harbour master at Brightlingsea could not take off the crew and survivors in his boat in the usual way as conditions were too severe.This meant that the life-boat had to enter the unlit fish dock with the aid of her searchlight and Coastguard lighting equipment. By 11.38 p.m. all survivors had been safely landed and were taken to a hotel where accommodation had been arranged for them.

The Committee of Management has accorded the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum to Coxswain Bolingbroke. A letter of appreciation signed by the former Chairman of the Institution Admiral Sir Wilfrid Woods, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O., will be sent to the other members of the crew, Second Coxswain Arthur Harman, Motor Mechanic Clarence Marshall, Assistant Mechanic William Dale and crew members J.

Bolingbroke, E. Cobb and E. Draine..