Off Selsey Bill A YACHT AGROUND in the Looe Channel and needing help was reported by Solent Coastguard to the honorary secretary of Selsey lifeboat station at 1910 on Friday September 9, 1983. Maroons were fired and at 1920 the 48ft 6in Oakley Charles Henry, at that time Selsey's station lifeboat, launched on service under the command of Coxswain Michael Grant.

A strong breeze to near gale, force 6 to 7, gusting to gale force 8, was blowing from the south and the seas were very rough. Visibility was poor. High water Portsmouth had passed at 1401 so that the launch was into shallow water off Selsey slipway; the lifeboat maintained two-thirds speed to reduce squat and crew members stood on deck forward to lessen the after draught, but even so the boat was bottoming in the heavy seas for the first half mile southward.

The exact position of the yacht, the 33ft sloop Enchantress of Hamble, was at first uncertain, but after further VHP communication with the sloop a new position, some half a mile south west of Selsey Bill, was confirmed. The lifeboat then headed west, to seaward of The Mixon and Head Rocks. A second yacht, Spellbinder, which had been in company with Enchantress of Hamble, was advised to remain well clear of the area and she later returned to Portsmouth.

Very heavy seas were met west of Head Rocks. At 1945, when close to the western end of The Streets, two ledges of rock running out south and then south west from the shore for about l*/2 miles, a light was seen inshore. A parachute flare was fired from the lifeboat, by the light of which it was established that the casualty was lying between The Streets, her bows to the north east.

The whole area was a mass of white water. Realising that, on a falling tide, he could not approach the sloop from his present position, Coxswain Grant turned to starboard and retraced his track eastward until he was able to head through The Hole of The Dries, a narrow passage between Head Rocks and The Mixon. In daylight, shore leading marks are used to make this passage, but at night and in breakingsurf the only reference was the coast on radar. Coxswain Grant used this radar information and his local knowledge to find the passage. Throughout this period the lifeboat was in regular VHP radio contact with the yacht.

As the lifeboat worked slowly across the inner face of Head Rocks, continuous heavy and irregular breaking seas, up to ten feet high, aggravated the situation and the lifeboat was bottoming regularly. When close to the yacht it could be seen that an anchor warp streamed from her stern lay well to the south west and that she had moved north east, clear of The Streets; she was reported to be afloat and sound but dragging her anchor.

Coxswain Grant swung the lifeboat to starboard to round on to the yacht, but as he came back hard to port, heading west, to make his approach a large sea struck the lifeboat. Crew members were just moving from the wheelhouse out to the deck and the sea passed through the doors from port to starboard, filling the cockpit to waist height.

After confirming by VHP that the six people on board the yacht wished to be taken off, a first approach was made but breaking seas knocked the bow to starboard. In the full knowledge of how close behind him were Hook Sands, Coxswain Grant moved astern in the confined space to prepare for a second approach. This time the lifeboat's starboard bow was brought hard on to the sloop's starboard shoulder and pinned there by constant use of the engines.

Two women and two men were taken aboard by the crew standing along the rails and it was then agreed to pass a towline to the two remaining yachtsmen.

After the line had been secured forward and the anchor warp cut at the stern the last two men also came aboard the lifeboat. It was now 2055.

Coxswain Grant steamed ahead and to port to clear Hook Sands and then, at half speed, turned on to an easterly course; this was the only way of clearing the rocks before, half a mile east of The Mixon, he could head south for open water and then turn westwards for Portsmouth with his tow. It was known that it was too rough to make Chichester Bar or to re-house the lifeboat at Selsey. However, one of the women crew of the sloop was becoming very ill from seasickness and so, passing south of Kirk Arrow Bank, course was set for Selsey lifeboathouse and, at 2100, a request was made that the station's D class inflatable lifeboat should be launched to land both the women.

The inflatable, manned by Helmsman Mark Donald and Crew Member Anthony Delahunty, who were already in the boathouse standing by as shore helpers, rendezvoused with the Oakley lifeboat at 2110 in the lee north east of the slipway. The two women were taken off and landed safely ashore at 2120; both were cared for at a crew member's home overnight.

Passage with the tow was now resumedresumed for Portsmouth, through the Looe Channel. Once in deeper water progress was good and by 0030 on Saturday September 10 the lifeboat was entering Portsmouth Harbour. By 0111 the sloop had been moored in Camper and Nicholson's marina.

After the crew had taken refreshment ashore, Charles Henry left Portsmouth at 0257. She arrived off Selsey at 0520, by which time the weather had eased, and was rehoused and once again ready for service at 0556.

In a letter bringing the thanks of the crew of Enchantress of Hamble to Coxswain Grant and his crew, and everyone in the RNLI, the yacht's skipper said how impressed he had been both with the rescue and with the considerate way in which he and his crew had been looked after.

For this service a bar to his silver medal has been awarded to Coxswain Michael J. Grant. Medal service certificates have been presented to Second Coxswain George E. Woodland, Assistant Mechanic Terence A. P. Wood, acting motor mechanic, Crew Member Donald E. Lawrence, acting assistant mechanic, and Crew Members Martin J. Rudwick, David F. Munday, Keith W. R. Lintott and Nigel L. Osbourn..