Yacht knocked down AFTER FINISHING a cruiser race in gale force winds, the 25ft yacht Setantii set out from Port St Mary on the morning of Monday August 30, 1982, to return to her home port of Fleetwood; she had a crew of three. Gale force winds, force 7 to 8, were still blowing from the north west and the seas were rough, but the passage was expected to be a fast run.

The yacht was reefed, all safety equipment was in place and the three men had their lifelines attached.

At 1800 Setantii sighted Blackpool Tower and realised that she was being set too far to the south. It was a squally evening and as she tried to reach back to Lune Deeps across shallow water, where the seas were short and steep, she was knocked down by an unusually large wave. One of her crew was thrown in the water but his lifeline held and the skipper managed to pull him back on board.

Setantii's rudder had also been damaged and, unable to steer, she was rolling badly in the rough seas and was knocked down twice more. Red flares were fired and at 1930 Fleetwood's 44ft Waveney lifeboat Lady of Lancashire launched under the command of Coxswain William Fairclough. Off King Scar another yacht was passed, inward bound for Fleetwood, which indicated that the casualty was to the south and west of her.

Shortly after, Setantii was sighted.

Her reefed main and small jib were still up. The yacht's crew, by now very wet, cold and tired, managed to lower the main. Coxswain Fairclough then brought the lifeboat alongside long enough for Crew Member David Bolland to jump aboard the yacht, and he managed to get the jib down.

A tow was passed and the yacht pulled head to sea. She was then handed alongside the lifeboat so that her crew could be taken off. Before Crew Member Bolland reboarded the lifeboat he secured the tow line through the pulpit, round both sheet winches and securing it finally round the mast. The tow was begun dead slow, but after about ten minutes the pulpit carriedaway; the rope swept across the forestay, which parted, and yacht's mast and rigging collapsed into the water.

Because of the wires in the water, Coxswain Fairclough did not want to go alongside again, so he tried to tow the yacht stern first, keeping down to three knots. This manoeuvre was successful until about half a mile from Wyre Light, when the tow parted.

Second Coxswain Stephen Musgrave was put aboard the yacht to make the tow fast again. Once he was back on board the lifeboat, the tow was resumed.

By 2320 the three men had been landed safely, the yacht secured and the lifeboat back in her pen, once again ready for service.

In a circular sent out later to his fellow yacht club members, the owner of Setantii wrote: 'It is difficult to express adequately our gratitude to the crew of Fleetwood lifeboat and I hope that all club members will vigorously support the annual lifeboat regatta at the club . . .'.