Disabled fishing boat TORBAY LIFEBOAT Princess Alexandra of Kent, a 52' Barnett class built in 1958, slipped her moorings at 1950 onDecember 16, 1973, in response to mayday call received by Berry Head Coastguard from the Norwegian vessel Buenavista. She was standing by the overdue Guernsey fishing vessel Petit Michel 200° 32 miles from Portland Bill, 38 miles from Torbay. She had launched her own lifeboat in an attempt to take off the sole occupant but was unable to do so because of the state of the weather.

The wind was west south west force 3 to 4 at the time of the lifeboat's departure, but it was freshening and within an hour the sea was becoming rough as the tidal set was directly against the wind.

At 2245 the lifeboat established communication with Buenavista and Wyke Coastguard on 2182. The wind was still freshening and had now reached force 6 to 7. At about 2340, when some 10 miles from the casualty, Coxswain Kenneth Gibbs saw the loom of lights from Buenavista and was able to homein on these, arriving at 0045. The wind, now force 8 to 9, had veered to west north west.

The disabled boat was lying starboard beam to the wind, bows south, with Buenavista lying off to leeward and playing a searchlight on her. The lifeboat further illuminated the scene with parachute flares as she crossed under Petit Michel's stern and surveyed her leeward side.

Coxswain Gibbs decided that he would have better control of the situation with less chance of collision of the superstructures of the two vessels if he approached Petit Michel's windward side. So he passed around her stern and came up on her starboard bow with two heaving lines ready.

One heaving line was used to pass a lifejacket to the man aboard the casualty. The lifeboat crew shouted instructions for him to put it on and to secure the heaving line to himself, and then to secure the other heaving line to the end of a wire cable which he had laid out on deck for towing.

Coxswain Gibbs ordered storm oil to be sprayed as he made his circuit and went alongside and reports that it was very effective in reducing the wave crests. He kept his starboard engine running ahead and his port engine going astern as he came up to the fishing boat's bow, and says that this gave him positive and steady control of his boat throughout the final approach.

Such were Coxswain Gibbs' skill and seamanship that, in spite of the very heavy seas running and the violent rolling of the two boats as they lay beam to sea, the survivor was able to jump and be pulled safely aboard the lifeboat on the first attempt. The coxswain then went full astern taking the fishing boat's wire with him. It was secured to the lifeboat's nylon rope for towing, but as soon as the lifeboat tried to begin the tow and the strain came on the wire it pulled away from on board Petit Michel.

The weather was too bad to try toput a crew member aboard to re-secure the tow, and so Petit Michel was abandoned and the lifeboat set course for station. The voyage home was uneventful and the lifeboat returned to her moorings at 0700.

For this service the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Kenneth Gibbs. Medal service certificates were presented to Motor Mechanic Barry Pike, Assistant Mechanic Stephan Bower and Crew Members M. Kingston, M. Davies, P. Burridge and J. Huskin..