Electric storm INFORMATION THAT MOTOR YACHT Zaire was standing by a yacht in distress three miles south west of Anvil Point came from HM Coastguard to Swanage lifeboat station deputy launching authority at 1915 on Friday, September 24, 1976.

The 37' 6" Rother lifeboat J. Reginald Corah, with Coxswain Ronald Hardy in command, launched down the slipway ten minutes later. A moderate to fresh force 4 to 5 breeze was blowing from the south east and the flood tide, setting easterly, had been running for two hours. The evening was heavily overcast with thunder, lightning and torrential rain; visibility was very poor.

At 1932 a new position of the casualty, 157°M, 3.5 miles from St Albans Head, was passed to the lifeboat. At 1945 the position was given as 225°M, 4.5 miles from St Albans Head, and course was altered to the south west to make for this position.

Five minutes later VHP contact was made with MY Zaire which reported visibility to be very poor in the heavy rain: she was experiencing difficulty in ascertaining a true position, but, shortly before, had sighted a buoy flashing red which was thought to be the buoy east of St Albans Head which flashes red every ten seconds.

At 2017, when Swanage lifeboat reached the vicinity of the last position given, the thunderstorm was at its most severe and visibility was almost nil.

Parachute flares were set off in a vain attempt to locate the casualty. A few minutes later Zaire fired two red parachute flares but these were not sighted and the lifeboat continued hersearch of the area. By now the wind, still from the south east, had risen to strong force 6 producing rough, confused seas.

After searching thoroughly without finding any targets on the radar screen, badly obscured at times by severe clutter, Coxswain Hardy and Second Coxswain/Motor Mechanic Victor Marsh decided that the casualty must be further west of the given position—for one thing, Zaire had reported that she had sighted cliffs in the lightning flashes. Accordingly, via Portland Coastguard, Swanage lifeboat instructed both boats to steer south east clear of the land and Kimmeridge Ledges.

The lifeboat altered course to the north west and at 2110 made radar sighting of the two boats. After two trial runs in the rough, confused seas, at 2130 Coxswain Hardy, with fine boat handling, laid /. Reginald Corah alongside a 23' Westerly Pageant yacht. The yacht had been on passage from Lymington to Poole; she was out of control but with sails set and ropes, gear and her anchor trailing overside.

The wind had eased slightly and was now south east, moderate to fresh; the tide was four hours flood.By 2150 both a tow line and Phillip Dorey, emergency mechanic and firstaider, had been transferred to the yacht. On board he found three people, including a man in his late seventies suffering from exhaustion and seasickness and too ill to be transferred to the lifeboat; there was also a dog.

Twenty minutes later, the lifeboat, with the casualty in tow, had been carried by the east-going flood tide into St Albans Head race and a large sea, estimated to be about 10 feet, picked up the yacht and carried her towards the lifeboat which she struck on the starboard side, distorting and loosening five guardrail stanchions.

To avoid more severe damage, Coxswain Hardy ordered the tow to be cut adrift; this was done promptly with an axe by Crew Member Walter Bishop. The rudder, fouled by the severed tow rope, was quickly raised by its tricing lines and cleared and the yacht was taken in tow again.

Recovery being impossible at Swanage in the rough south-easterly weather, course was shaped for Poole; an ETA of 0015 and a request for an ambulance was passed by VHP. At 2330 the Haven was entered and course set inside the harbour for Poole Quay. However, at 2345 Swanage Coastguard told the lifeboat of a further casualty—a small dinghy in trouble off the Haven—so the tow was slipped and the yacht with Phillip Dorey aboard left at anchor while a search was made. Finding nothing but a small empty dinghy washed ashore at South Haven Point, the search was abandoned at 0045. The tow was re-connected and lifeboat and tow arrived at Poole Quay at 0135. The elderly gentleman was transferred to the waiting ambulance.

/. Reginald Corah returned to Swanage later in the morning and was rehoused at 1115.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have accorded to Coxswain Ronald J. Hardy and Emergency Mechanic Phillip J.

Dorey. Vellum service certificates were presented to Second Coxswain/Motor Mechanic Victor A. C. Marsh, Assistant Mechanic Eric S. Dorey, Emergency Mechanic Walter E. Bishop and Crew Members George W. Bishop and Ian P.

Marsh..