Over marshes AT ABOUT 1630 on Wednesday December 17, 1980, Alan Coster, assistant harbour master at Lymington and a member of the lifeboat crew, received a telephone call from the Sealink offices, Lymington, with information relayed from a ferry outward bound for the Isle of Wight that a fishing boat was flashing her wheelhouse lights on and off at the entrance to the Lymington River.

Alan Coster, together with his assistant Simon Chalk, also a lifeboat crew member, immediately set out in the 18ft harbour launch to investigate. There was a near gale, force 7, gusting to galeforce 8, blowing from the south; it was dusk on a winter evening and pouring rain restricted visibility.

Rough seas were met as the harbour launch neared the river mouth and before she reached hailing distance of the casualty, the 32ft ex-ship's lifeboat Al Mor now converted for oyster fishing.

Al Mor was being driven on to a lee shore and Alan Coster managed by shouting to convey to the two men on board that the harbour launch could be of little help so that they should fire flares to summon the lifeboat. As, however, no flares were carried aboard the casualty and because the harbour launch, which had shipped a heavy sea and was herself in danger of being swamped, carried no radio, Alan Coster decided to make best possible speed back to Lymington to alert the lifeboat.

Mooring alongside Royal Lymington Yacht Club pontoon at about 1655, Alan Coster and Simon Chalk ran to the lifeboathouse and telephoned to the station honorary secretary, who authorised the immediate firing of maroons.

First to arrive at the sound of the maroons, to make the third member of the crew, was Peter Harvey, himself an ex-fisherman, and, with the help of Douglas Baverstock, John Pope and Roger Bayzand, Lymington's Atlantic 21 rigid inflatable lifeboat was launched at 1710. Manned by Helmsman Alan Coster and Crew Members Simon Chalk and Peter Harvey, she set off down river at full speed.

Nearing the Cocked Hat Beacon rough seas some five or six feet high were encountered in the near gale force winds from the south. It was about 3'/2 hours before high water and the tide, flooding hard, was being driven along by the wind. Heavy rain continued to make visibility poor, and speed had to be reduced.

No lights could now be seen from the casualty so, as the lifeboat made her way down Long Reach at half speed, parachute flares were fired to illuminate the area. By their light Al Mor was spotted just north of No 3 Beacon. As Helmsman Coster approached the casualty more parachute flares were fired and it could be seen that seas were breaking right over the fishing boat.

now sinking and settling lower in the water. It was also seen that the casualty had her oyster trawling booms and gear streamed out to windward for about 80 to 90 feet as makeshift sea anchors and that sedge and mudbanks not yet covered by the rising tide were close under her lee.

Helmsman Coster lay off some 20 yards up to weather to take stock of the situation. After consultation with the crew he tried to manoeuvre the Atlantic 21 close enough to the stricken fishing boat to pluck off her crew. When some ten feet from Al Mor, however, a large sea picked up the lifeboat and spun her around and she fell into a trough, momentarily touching bottom; both engines stalled but restarted at the first push of the buttons. Helmsman Coster made another attempt to get alongside the fishing boat but with the six to seven foot seas, with little water and with sea room restricted by the obstructing oyster dredges, this attempt was no more successful than the first.

Realising that it was impossible to take the Atlantic 21 alongside the casualty without great risk of damage to the lifeboat and injury to her crew.

Helmsman Coster stood off again some 20 yards while an alternative plan of action was worked out. As the fishing boat was sinking fast, it was agreed that one of the lifeboat crew should swim to Al Mor to lead the fishermen over the marshes while the lifeboat headed up river to a rendezvous at Pylewell, where the survivors could be safely embarked in comparative shelter.

Crew Member Harvey volunteered for the swim but he was only wearing normal oilskins, so Helmsman Coster, clad in a dry suit, decided that he should go himself. He positioned the Atlantic 21 exactly as he wanted her, put her engines into neutral and slid out of the helmsman's seat and over the side while Crew Member Harvey took the helm. Then, while the lifeboat and the Sealink ferry illuminated the area with their searchlights, keeping him in sight, Alan Coster, carried towards the shore by the wind and rough seas, swam the 20 yards or so to the trawler.

As Alan Coster touched bottom on the soft mud the fishing boat sank, hertwo crew jumping over her lee side on to the sedge. Alan Coster reached the shore about 20 feet from them and explained to them that the lifeboat could not reach them safely but that they would rendezvous with her at Pylewell, some half a mile away.

With his long knowledge of the marshes, Alan Coster led, and at times helped, the two survivors across the half mile of sedge and gullies; both men, though young, were suffering from exposure. It took about 25 minutes to negotiate the marsh: at one moment the three men would be walking on mud and sedge, and the next they would be plunged into five or six foot deep icy water in the many gullies.

By this time the Atlantic 21 had reached Pylewell and Crew Members Harvey and Chalk had lifted her engines and pushed her ashore so that the engines would not foul themselves on the many moorings in the area. They illuminated the way for the three men crossing the marsh with the lifeboat's searchlight and helped them on board when they arrived at the boat. Then they relaunched the Atlantic 21 and best possible speed was made back up river. When the lifeboat station was reached, at 1850, the two fishermen were taken to hospital.

For this service the bronze medal was awarded to Helmsman Alan P.

Coster and medal service certificates were presented to Crew Members Peter E. T. Harvey and Simon G.

Chalk..