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Fairweather Father

Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, and Poole: While on passage from Guernsey to Portsmouth on Thursday August 19, 1982, the 30ft ferro-concrete gaff sloop Fairweather Father broke her rudder 18 miles south west by south of the Needles Lighthouse. A near gale, force 7, was blowing from west south west and the sea was very rough. The 36ft sloop Chanti Brize, on passage from Cherbourg to Humble, with considerable difficulty passed a line to the disabled yacht; she successfully took the other boat in tow (see above) but ran into trouble herself just as the 52ft Arun relief lifeboat Ralph and Bonella Farrant. on temporary duty at Yarmouth, arrived on scene. The Arun was under the command of Coxswain David Kennett. With two yachts now in difficulty, Poole's 44ft Waveney lifeboat Augustine Courtauld also launched on service: she was under the command of Coxswain/Mechanic Frank Ide. Fairweather Father's crew of four, including two children, were transferred to Ralph and Bonella Farrant in the lifeboat's Y class inflatable dinghy manned by Assistant Motor Mechanic Brian Miskin and Crew Member Alan Howard; with the four survivors on board, the Arun then took Chanti Brize in tow back to Yarmouth. Augustine Courtauld continued on her way to try to recover the abandoned yacht but no sign of her could be found. The photograph was taken by Mrs Mary Endean from the yacht Gornaway which had stood by until Chanti Brize had Fairweather Father in tow..