Saved yacht BEAUMARIS HONORARY SECRETARY was informed by Penmon Coastguard at 0943 on Saturday, July 23, 1977, that the skipper of Rossekop, on passage from Glasson Dock to Amsterdam and now 20 miles north east of Point Lynas, was injured and that the remaining six crew members were suffering from seasickness. Maroons were fired and at1004 the Atlantic 21 ILB Blue Peter II launched on service with David Jones as helmsman and John Askew and Simon Dubberley as crew; the honorary medical adviser, Dr Jack Dubberley, also embarked.

The sky was overcast with a fresh to strong breeze, force 5 to 6, blowing from the south west. The sea was slight and visibility was good. It was about 40 minutes before low water and the last of the weak ebb stream was setting north eastwards. The tides were small on this day with the moon being in its first quarter.

Blue Peter 11 set off at full speed for Puffin Island. As she reached Puffin Sound at 1010 she received a radio message from Penmon Coastguard describing the casualty as being a 65ft white-hulled motor yacht in position 23 miles north of Penmon. The ILB was advised to steer north magnetic and maintain radio watch on VHP channel 16. Course was set to 000°M, but, leaving the shelter of land, the sea became so much rougher that Helmsman Jones found it necessary to reduce speed slightly. As the ILB continued northwards the wind, still from the south west, freshened while visibility deteriorated.

At 1030 an RAF helicopter was heard to make radio contact with Rossekop and at 1055 the helicopter was sighted one mile ahead, the limit of visibility, hovering over the casualty.

As the ILB approached, Rossekop was seen to be heading slowly south west, into the sea, and rolling very heavily. The wind had increased to strong to near gale, force 6 to 7, with a moderate to heavy swell and breaking seas. Radio contact was established with both the helicopter and Rossekop.

Helmsman Jones approached the casualty from ahead, passed down her port side and round her stern, stationing the ILB on Rossekop's starboard quarter to assess the effect of the sea.

At 1100, with difficulty, he manoeuvred the ILB alongside Rossekop and Dr Dubberley and his son Simon managed to scramble on board over her starboard side. Blue Peter II then stood off on the starboard quarter.

It was found that Rossekop was being steered by a member of the helicopter crew, with her injured skipper in the wheelhouse. While Dr Dubberley was examining those on board.

Helmsman Jones exchanged Crew Member John Askew for Simon Dubberley because John Askew had more experience with motor yachts and machinery. At 1110 it was decided that the skipper and six crew members should be winched off Rossekop and taken to hospital by helicopter. JohnAskew would assume command of the casualty and, helped by Dr Dubberley, would take her into Beaumaris escorted by the ILB.

Rossekop was headed north east and, over a period of 40 minutes, her crew were transferred to the aircraft.

Before leaving, her skipper had told John Askew that the sight glass on the main fuel tank was fractured and engine fuel would have to be pumped every 15 minutes up to a small emergency three-gallon header tank.

The oil pressure and temperature gauges were not working.

By 1150 all seven members of Rossekop's crew were safely on board the helicopter and the pilot gave the two boats the course for Puffin Island. The wind was now gusting over force 7 and the sea was very rough. John Askew checked the engine room bilges and fuel state and set course on 195° M with the ILB in close attendance and in radio contact. Helmsman Jones in the ILB was having extreme difficulty in maintaining station with Rossekop, which was making about 7 knots. His fuel was down to 16 gallons.

At 1250 Rossekop's engine stopped, and on entering the engine room John Askew found steam and boiling water erupting from the cooling water tank.

The cooling water pump had failed and the diesel engine had overheated and seized up. It took more than three quarters of an hour working in very difficult conditions, with Rossekop lying beam to the sea and rolling violently, for John Askew to rig a jury water cooling system and restart the engine.

Course was then resumed towards Beaumaris but Rossekop's engine was to stop twice more in the next half hour due to air in the fuel system. At 1352 John Askew estimated his position to be six or seven miles off Puffin Island, but by this time Beaumaris honorary secretary was becoming apprehensive about the position of both the casualty and the ILB. An auxiliary coastguard afloat vessel, Cordelia II four miles north of Penmon, which had reported sighting Rossekop at 1300, could no longer see her 23 minutes later. It was therefore decided to launch Beaumaris 46ft 9in Watson lifeboat Greater London II (Civil Service No. 30); she slipped at 1411.

The wind, still blowing hard from the south west, was now estimated to be gusting to gale force 8 and severe gale force 9 at times. Rossekop and Blue Peter II continued slowly southward on their course of 195°M into rough and breaking seas. At 1420 the ILB was down to eight gallons of fuel and Helmsman Jones decided that he must leave the casualty and make for Beaumaris. He told Rossekop what he was going to do by radio and set off.

This was the last contact the ILB had with the casualty because Rossekop's VHP became detached from its housing in the wheelhouse and was damaged.

Still steering 195°M, Blue Peter II made a landfall at 1450 and 15 minutes later sighted West Constable Buoy to port; she had been set about seven miles east by the strong wind and three hours of flood tide. Helmsman Jones, very concerned about his fuel state, abandoned the idea of trying to reach Beaumaris and told Penmon Coastguard he would head for Conwy. Llandudno lifeboat, at sea on exercise, intercepted the radio message and advised the ILB to make for the shelter of Llandudno Bay and land on the beach where shore helpers would be waiting for her. Blue Peter II arrived alongside Llandudno public slipway at 1520 with only two gallons of fuel remaining, having been at sea for over five hours in gale force winds and rough seas. She remained at Llandudno overnight and returned to Beaumaris by sea the next day.

Meanwhile, it was now one hour since the last radio contact with Rossekop and Llandudno lifeboat, the 37ft Oakley Lilly Wainwright, was requested to join Beaumaris lifeboat in the search. At 1540 MV Sea Valiant, six miles north of Great Ormes Head, also started to search.

On board Rossekop John Askew was having difficulty keeping the engines going because of the air in the fuel system; they had stopped a further five times. Dr Jack Dubberley, despite persistent seasickness, nevertheless carried out all work assigned to him.

A little while after 1600 visibility lifted to about two miles and occasionally more. From Rossekop land was sighted ahead but could not be distinguished, and course was altered a little further westward. After a reported sighting by Sea Valiant at 1620 five miles north of Great Ormes Head, the two lifeboats made for the position and both were in company with Rossekop ten minutes later. She was escorted to Llandudno Bay, arriving in sheltered waters at 1740. By this time the wind had moderated to force 5 to 6 and visibility was good.

Rossekop's engine was examined by Llandudno motor mechanic, Bob Jones, and it was considered she could go on to Beaumaris escorted by Beaumaris lifeboat. Crew Members Roy Jones and Richard Zalot transferred to Rossekop to help John Askew and Dr Dubberley and the two boats left Llandudno at 1816. The passage to Menai Straits was made without incident at half speed and by 2135 Rossekop was safely secured alongside a concrete barge at Menai Bridge and the lifeboat had returned to her mooring off Beaumaris Pier ready for service.

For this service the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum have been accorded to Helmsman David W.

Jones and vellum service certificates to Crew Members John C. Askew and Simon Dubberley and to Honorary Medical Adviser Dr Jack Dubberley..