Storm A YACHT IN DISTRESS 23 nautical miles south west of Skerries Lighthouse was reported to the honorary secretary of Holyhead lifeboat station by HM Coastguard at 1310 on Saturday, September 11, 1976. The bulk carrier Sugar Producer was standing by.

Maroons were fired and the 52' Barnett lifeboat St Cybi (Civil Service No. 9) launched at 1329. The wind was blowing force 9 to 10 from the north east and the sea was very rough. The sky was overcast with heavy rain, the visibility about two miles. It was almost one hour after high water and the tidal stream was beginning to set southward.

At full speed St Cybi set course to give North Stack a good offing; on clearing it, course was altered towards the casualty. Very high and confused seas were encountered off South Stack but, once clear, they assumed a more regular pattern with the lifeboat running before a very heavy swell from the north east.

At about 1500 a radar contact, assumed to be Sugar Producer standing by the casualty, was picked up at a distance of 10 miles. Shortly after 1530 VHF radio contact was made with Sugar Producer. The merchant ship said that she had tried to get a line aboard the yacht without success, had made two attempts to take the people off but had been prevented from doing so by the severe seas. She had succeeded in floating an inflatable liferaft down to the yacht, and it was secured to her starboard quarter, but the master thought the casualty's crew were exhausted.

Sugar Producer was eventually sighted at 1545. The casualty, Pastime, a 28' Nobby Class sailing yacht, was sighted at about 1600 when one mile off; she could be seen lying beam on to the sea with bows south east. Her sails were blown out, she was without power and battened down; the liferaft was made fast to her starboard quarter. The merchant ship was half a mile to her south east.

The wind, still from the north east, was storm force 10 gusting force 11, the seas were estimated to be in excess of 30' at times. Visibility was about two miles, with low scudding clouds andheavy rain. The ebbing tidal stream was flowing south at about 2 knots.

Coxswain William Jones made a downwind approach to the yacht, hoveto 10 yards off and used the hooter and loudhailer to attract attention; it was 1605. After about five minutes someone appeared from the cabin and shouted .

'Give me five minutes'. This was taken to mean that that was the time needed to prepare for abandoning the yacht.

St Cybi was being manoeuvred upwind clear of the casualty when the port engine stopped. It was discovered that the port propeller had become fouled by a line, out of sight below the sea's surface, streamed from the stern of the yacht, which was now being towed stern first by the lifeboat. The yacht was asked to cut the rope, but by the time this had been done she had been turned through 180° and was lying bows northwest.

By now four people wearing lifejackets could be seen on deck. Coxswain Jones, seeing that, the cabin hatch being open, the yacht was in danger of being overwhelmed by the heavy seas and sinking, decided that he must take off her crew as soon as possible and prepared to make a downwind approach on to the casualty's starboard side. Instructions were passed to the yacht to clear the liferaft; it was cut adrift.

Some of the lifeboat's crew were working through the port propeller scuttle, still trying to clear the line from the fouled propeller, so Coxswain Jones began his approach with only the starboard engine in use and a line trailing from the port propeller. Oil was pumped into the sea in an effort to reduce the amount of breaking water around the yacht.

With fenders rigged on the port side, the lifeboat was laid alongside the casualty and the crew, holding on to the yacht's rigging and guardrails, kept together the two boats, ranging heavily alongside each other, while the two men and two women were lifted on board the lifeboat and taken into the after cabin. They were wrapped in blankets and given food and drink.

It was decided conditions were too bad to tow the yacht, so Sugar Producer was asked to relay to Holyhead Coastguard that the survivors were safely on board the lifeboat and the yacht abandoned. The liferaft was recovered, partially deflated and lashed on deck.

Then the return passage to Holyhead was begun at slow speed with the lifeboat heading into the storm.

By 1630 the crew had managed to clear the port propeller, but on starting the port engine the port throttle cable was found to be broken. Acting Motor Mechanic Graham Drinkwater, who was in charge of machinery, made a temporary repair by securing a piece of boat lacing from the throttle arm to the engine room hatch. The port engine was brought into use, but the boat could only make slow speed because of the weather.

Sugar Producer, having made sure that she could be of no further assistance, continued on her passage to Liverpool but maintained radio communication with the lifeboat.

At about 1800 the flood tidal stream began to flow to the north, aggravating the already very rough seas. At 2045, when about three miles south west of South Stack, a red flare was sighted to the east. Holyhead Coastguard was informed and Coxswain Jones altered course to search close inshore as far south as Rhoscolyn Point. The search was continued for one and a half hours but nothing found. Having satisfied himself that the area was clear of further casualties and being concerned for the welfare of the survivors already on board, the coxswain advised Holyhead Coastguard that he was returning tostation and would make a last search close inshore from Trearddur Bay to South Stack. The search was completed by 2220, and St Cybi returned to station at 2230, having been at sea for nine hours in storm force winds and high seas. The survivors were taken by ambulance to Stanley Hospital, Holyhead.

The lifeboat was secured in the inner harbour, the weather being too bad for her to be rehoused.

For this service the silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain William J. Jones. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were accorded to Second Coxswain Francis Ward, Acting Motor Mechanic David Graham Drinkwater, Acting Assistant Mechanic Jack Sharpe, and Crew Members Richard Griffiths, David Barry and Gareth Ogwen-Jones..