Night service for ILB WATCHET COASTGUARD informed the honorary secretary of Minehead ILB station at 2325 on Saturday, September 13, 1975, that a flashing light, thought to be an SOS signal from a vessel in distress, had been sighted off Hurtstone Point. The ILB, a 19' Zodiac with twin engines and equipped for night operations, was launched at 2335 with Christopher Rundle in command and Peter McGregor and Albert Hartgen as crew.

The wind was north east force 7, and the sea rough and confused. It was two hours to high water and the flood stream was setting eastwards at about 2 knots.

The night was dark with an overcast sky and driving rain reduced visibility to moderate.

The ILB headed westward towards Hurtstone Point at slow speed because of the rough sea which was aggravated by wind against tide. A message was received from the Watchet Coastguard mobile that the casualty, thought to be a white-hulled sailing yacht, was about 1J miles east of Hurtstone Point andhalf a mile off the land. In view of the weather conditions it was requested that situation reports be passed from the ILB every two minutes.

At 2359, when half a mile north of Minehead Bluff, an illuminating parachute flare was fired, but nothing was sighted. The ILB continued westward and at around 0005 a flashing light was sighted briefly about 30 degrees on the starboard bow some distance away.

Course was altered towards the light and the Coastguard was informed that the weather was deteriorating and progress towards the last known posiposition of the light was being made with difficulty. The honorary secretary instructed the ILB not to go west of Hurtstone Point and Barry Dock No. 1 lifeboat was placed on alert.

At about 0018 a beam of light was sighted right ahead some half-a-mile away. A second parachute flare was fired but failed to illuminate the casualty, and the ILB headed on towards the light. Eventually, at 0029, a whitehulled 37' sloop-rigged yacht without sails was sighted lying beam on to the sea, bows south east, and rolling heavily.

The wind was still blowing from the north east force 7, but the sea was becoming more confused, making it difficult to manoeuvre the ILB.

Helmsman Rundle took the ILB close down the port side of the yacht, Svea, and shouted to a person standing in the cockpit that the yacht was too large to be taken in tow; he advised that she be anchored and the crew would be taken off and landed at Minehead.

The ILB, having stood off while the yacht anchored and became tide-rode with bows west, manoeuvred, with difficulty, alongside her port side and managed to take off one man before having to stand off again. On the second attempt the remaining crew, a man and a woman, were taken off in a similar manner. All were safely on board the ILB by 0049.

Svea had sailed in from Lundy Island trying to find shelter, but had lost her sails and an anchor and had run out of fuel. In an effort to attract attention her crew had expended all their distress flares at dusk, and had only an electric torch with which to signal.

The ILB made her way slowly back to Minehead, where the survivors werelanded at 0136 into the care of the honorary medical adviser, Dr P. Leech (also a crew member), and the boat was rehoused and ready for service by 0210 with the crew standing by for an overdue local fishing boat. Svea was recovered later by a Minehead boat.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Helmsman Christopher J.

Rundle, and vellum service certificates were presented to Crew Members Peter S. McGregor and Albert J. Hartgen..