Four very experienced coxswains were in London last May to be awarded medals for bravery. For all of them, Michael Berry of Jersey, Michael Scales of Guernsey, Michael Grant of Selsey and Thomas Cocking of St Ives, it was at least their second medal. While in London, they met Lt-Cdr Roy Portchmouth, staff inspector of lifeboats in charge of operational developments, trials and sea training, to talk about their award-winning rescues, all of which took place at night in extreme weather to casualties in very shallow water.Lt-Cdr Roy Portchmouth, Staff Inspector/ Operational Developments, Trials and Sea Training: Gentlemen, our intention is to have a free and easy discussion about the particular lifeboat services and experiences which brought you the RNLFs grateful recognition this year. I hope that we can bring to light various aspects which may be of interest and value, whether to the RNLI when we are considering the operational development of new lifeboats, or to yourselves as you operate them, or to the owners and skippers of vessels who may need your help some day. Mike Berry, could you start things off by just giving us a run-down of your service? Coxswain Michael Berry, St Helier, Jersey: Well, where we went is not the best place to go in daylight and high water, especially on a falling tide. But on this occasion it was pitch dark, and you were chasing something that was going in faster than you would like to go yourself; you are just waiting to be picked up on a rock. As it happens we were fortunate that we caught up on the casualty and there was no thought of careful timing. It was a case of snatching them off and getting out of it. Unfortunately just after we did get them off, they'd got so far in that we grounded.

We managed to get clear and about ten minutes later I found myself much further to the east than anticipated.

Then we struck a second time, and this was quite severe. After getting clear of that I didn't think the boat could take much more. I don't think a Waveney boat has ever experienced coming down on the rocks like that, especially twice. I tried to find water to anchor, and although I had 35 feet, by the time the anchor was out and held, I had shoutsfrom my crew of rocks all round, so there was no question but to cut the anchor and try to find our way out amongst the rocks. As it happens, we just managed it. I had enough of a picture to start with on the radar to see a gap to come out of. And then we picked up two bearing lights which I knew, and which meant there was clear water. That was all we had to go on.

Portchmouth: So in your service the anchor was a very useful piece of equipment, even though you didn't use it actually to veer down, you used it to hold yourself in a reasonable position until you could ascertain where you were?photograph by courtesy of Press Association Berry: Well, we didn't actually ascertain where we were. Put it this way: I tried to hold the boat. I would have waited on the anchor for daylight but unfortunately when it did hold we were in a worse situation than I wanted to be, so it was a case of cutting and getting out; although I would still, if it warranted it, use an anchor to veer down.

Portchmouth: Have you ever done that? Berry: Yes, we have done it, for a yacht on the Dogs Nest Rocks, where we had several rocks between the yacht and ourselves. We veered the lifeboat down, then the boarding boat, and then the dinghy to facilitate getting the yacht away.

Portchmouth: So the ultimate veering down was by the dinghy. Was there anything particular about the yacht Cythara that is worthy of note? Berry: Apparently they'd blown their canvas out; they'd come from the French coast and they'd tried to get in from one port to another. The weather had broken on them, they couldn't get in to the port they wanted to get into.

The next thing, all their canvas blew away and they were twelve hours adrift, so by the time we got to them they hadn't a clue to where they were.

Obviously they were getting tired and cold and wet; and weren't very much use to themselves.

Portchmouth: It's often the case. Had they sent out their distress call in good time? Berry: No, because they'd crossed the Demie de Pas light tower; there again, they didn't know where they were.

They'd crossed the lighthouse and they were, well, what we call 'up the gutters' there. They were well on their way up before they started setting off flares.

Consequently, by the time we launched and got to the area, they'd travelled several miles further in amongst the rocks. They had no radio. I don't think they even had a liferaft.Portchmouth: Now, can we pass on to you, Michael Scales, to give us your account? Coxswain Michael Scales, St Peter Port, Guernsey: Well on this particular service we were called out to Wild Rocket, which was a 60 foot, transatlantic, steel yacht. She was rammed up. She'd been aground for a period of time up in a gully; she had an experienced skipper on board as well who had sailed around the world. We believe he'd been relying on his automatic pilot, gone down and made a cup of coffee and the automatic pilot had failed in an area which isn't too bad for offshore rocks. But the rudder had locked hard over and she went full speed up a gully. They then tried to get the boat off themselves before summoning help. So, by the time we got there she was well high and dry.

The problem was actually to effect a rescue. I had to make a decision either to take the people off, or to try to get the boat out and the people with it. The main thing was to get the people, but we couldn't get them to leave the boat.

They were probably better off on the boat at that particular time as they were high and dry, but the tide was going to rise, and we didn't know if she was holed. If she was, the boat would have sunk and then we might have had people in the water. I thought about anchoring; the sea had just started to moderate and the wind had died down a little. The problem for me, as she was in amongst rocks, in a gully, was to get into a position to veer down on him without putting the lifeboat in danger.

He was up around the corner in between two heads of rocks either side of him. So I couldn't manoeuvre in to a position on the anchor, and bearing in mind that I had to put a rope out, I would have broken water around the propellers.

Anyway, I decided this time it was better to keep the stern to sea, with my nose up towards the rocks. We veered down our inflatable dinghy and managed to get our second coxswain, Peter Bougourd, aboard the boat to ascertain the situation. They also took a veering line down, attached the line to the yacht and made up a towing line. We then attempted to pull her out with a towline coming from the bow of the lifeboat to the stern of the casualty. She just started to move but hooked the bottom again and the rope parted. Our second coxswain, on board the yacht, noticed that there was a rock right underneath the stern of the yacht which was jamming her.

I had the decision: do you get the people off, or do you carry on trying to tow the yacht clear? The second coxswain then informed me that there was a blind person on board which meant that it was putting him into more danger trying to get him off than towing the yacht clear. So anyway, we eventually got another rope to her and only then, after taking a different approach paral-Portchmouth: Now, can we pass on to you, Michael Scales, to give us your account? Coxswain Michael Scales, St Peter Port, Guernsey: Well on this particular service we were called out to Wild Rocket, which was a 60 foot, transatlantic, steel yacht. She was rammed up. She'd been aground for a period of time up in a gully; she had an experienced skipper on board as well who had sailed around the world. We believe he'd been relying on his automatic pilot, gone down and made a cup of coffee and the automatic pilot had failed in an area which isn't too bad for offshore rocks. But the rudder had locked hard over and she went full speed up a gully. They then tried to get the boat off themselves before summoning help. So, by the time we got there she was well high and dry.

The problem was actually to effect a rescue. I had to make a decision either to take the people off, or to try to get the boat out and the people with it. The main thing was to get the people, but we couldn't get them to leave the boat.

They were probably better off on the boat at that particular time as they were high and dry, but the tide was going to rise, and we didn't know if she was holed. If she was, the boat would have sunk and then we might have had people in the water. I thought about anchoring; the sea had just started to moderate and the wind had died down a little. The problem for me, as she was in amongst rocks, in a gully, was to get into a position to veer down on him without putting the lifeboat in danger.

He was up around the corner in between two heads of rocks either side of him. So I couldn't manoeuvre in to a position on the anchor, and bearing in mind that I had to put a rope out, I would have broken water around the propellers.

Anyway, I decided this time it was better to keep the stern to sea, with my nose up towards the rocks. We veered down our inflatable dinghy and managed to get our second coxswain, Peter Bougourd, aboard the boat to ascertain the situation. They also took a veering line down, attached the line to the yacht and made up a towing line. We then attempted to pull her out with a towline coming from the bow of the lifeboat to the stern of the casualty. She just started to move but hooked the bottom again and the rope parted. Our second coxswain, on board the yacht, noticed that there was a rock right underneath the stern of the yacht which was jamming her.

I had the decision: do you get the people off, or do you carry on trying to tow the yacht clear? The second coxswain then informed me that there was a blind person on board which meant that it was putting him into more danger trying to get him off than towing the yacht clear. So anyway, we eventually got another rope to her and only then, after taking a different approach paral-Scales: No, I wouldn't have liked coming in stern first. You know, you're putting the lifeboat into danger, but I wouldn't hesitate to anchor if I had to.

Portchmouth: Have you ever had to? Scales: Yes. Once we were doing an exercise and we were called out with the inspector on board, and we had to carry out a rescue in strong tidal conditions.

The casualty was aground in one of the gullies north of Herm, and we had to anchor and veer. We actually used the dinghy as well; we veered down lines, anchored the lifeboat and then winched the boat sideways off the rocks as the tide made.

Portchmouth: At the moment we are trying to find an anchor that we can have as much faith in as you've got in the fisherman's anchor, but which will be a lot easier to handle.

Scales: I think if we used a fisherman's anchor in anger we wouldn't think about pulling it up.

Portchmouth: So you just look upon it as a sacrificial piece of equipment, for emergencies only? Berry: If it's got you out it's done its work.

Portchmouth: I know you're familiar with the rocks around your island, just as Mike Berry is with his, but I expect this was a situation similar to Mike's.

You wouldn't have known for sure where those rocks were, would you? In that particular spot you wouldn't have been absolutely confident that you were in deep water, and not in danger of touching rocks yourself? Scales: We weren't quite as bad as Michael was, because we were up against a sheer cliff, so we were only dealing with the immediate rocks around, which we could see with the searchlights; we didn't have to worry about making a passage. The problem was actually carrying out the rescue when we got there.

Portchmouth: You make regular rounds of the island to keep yourself familiar with the rocks, don't you? Scales: Yes. But often at night you don't know exactly where you are. You're relying on your radar. I'd just like to ask Michael Berry how many parachute flares he used on that sort of night? Berry: We used quite a few going in, when we had a following wind, and they were ideal. We started to use them coming out, but found that they were useless. Coming out against the wind, firing them at any angle from vertical to nearly horizontal, by the time they burst, they were far behind us. We eventried getting them fired from the shore but it was a waste of time. In no way were you able to angle them under those conditions; mind you, it was blowing. My helmet is one of those motorcycle type. I didn't have the strap done up, but as we turned to come out I could feel the helmet lifting and we were only coming out at five or six knots. It was blowing. But before the wind, going in, the flares were a marvellous help.

Also our lifeboat has a forward searchlight position, a second searchlight. It's far more effective than the one on the wheelhouse. With a man inside the forward rails—he's quite safe and handy. And he's got the intercom.

Portchmouth: You found that more use than anything did you? Berry: More use than anything.

Portchmouth: How about you, Mike Scales. They were all at night, weren't they, these services? Scales: Yes. We used a parachute flare originally to locate the casualty, but the police were on the cliffs with a searchlight pointed down. We illuminated the scene on arrival just to ascertain the position and what sort of rocks were about. After that we used the searchlight.

We had a few complaints from the crew members on board the casualty that sometimes we were dazzling them and they couldn't see, so it was a matter of keeping the searchlight above them.

Portchmouth: What about the casualty's own conspicuousness or otherwise? Is there anything that you can think of that would have helped that? Reflective material perhaps, or something on board the yachts concerned?Coxswain Michael Grant, Selsey: I should think possibly something on the yacht which would show up, because in the dark, it's a job, until you're really close, even to tell which way round she is, if she hasn't got any lights. But if you've got something to give you some idea, something reflective like you've got on the lifebelts, that helps.

Portchmouth: Most of them carry radar reflectors don't they? I wonder how the radar reflector would be affected if it had reflective tape on it.Berry: For us, because of the sea conditions and the number of rocks, the radar was virtually useless, in and most of the way out. And no way would it have picked up any yacht's radar reflector.

Not with the rocks that were around it.

Scales: If the reflective tape is high up on the radar reflector only, and the yacht's dismasted, then you've lost that.

It should be on the hull as well.

Berry: The most effective thing on Cythara, because it was only a small coble of a thing, was when he sent up his hand flares. He lit himself up and he lit up the rock ahead of him.

Portchmouth: They were slow burning hand flares rather than parachute flares? Berry: The ordinary red hand flares. On many occasions, they have been the most effective. Sometimes, when flares have been sent up at a distance, we have located the casualty a long way from the first estimated position, because the flares had drifted in the wind.

Scales: What we found very effective the night we were out was the reflective tape on the lifejackets. That stood up even though the searchlight wasn't directed solely on the inflatable dinghy.

The inflatable was moving out of the way, but the lifejackets were still showing up at all times as any light was picked up on them, so we could keep an eye on them.

Portchmouth: So, lifejacket manufacturers please note: it would be a good thing if all lifejackets had reflective tape on them. Now, Michael Grant, can we have your story? Grant: Well, we do quite a bit of getting yachts off rocks, sandbanks and shingle banks around Selsey, as you know.

There's not a lot of water anywhere, and we used the anchor a lot to veer down with the older style boat that we had at the time of this service, because of course you can keep going in until she bumps. Sometimes when we get a line aboard we don't really pull because with most yachts, if you really put on a lot of strain, something gives. You pull the windlass out, or a cleat. So what we usually do is take up the slack, leave everything tight and let the tide lift the yacht so she will swing round behind you like a pendulum. But with Enchantress of Hamble, it was a bit different because there was no chance to get an anchor over at all.

There were two yachts originally and they were racing when the weather deteriorated. They were going across the other side but they abandoned that and made for Brighton. Well, one of them kept clear in the channel, and the other one thought he could gain a bit and cut a corner. So, sailing hard, he in fact sailed over one lot of rocks with a bump, and as soon as he bumped, of course, he took all his sail down and chucked an anchor over which moored him stern first, in a bit of a lagoon. He was over one lot of rocks and anchored before he got to the next lot.

When we launched the lifeboat we had a rough idea where he was. We knew, more or less, what lot of rocks he was on, but once we got down close to him we put up a parachute flare. At that point we could actually see that he was between the two lots of rocks, so we had to retrace our steps. It would have taken up probably another hour to come back up and then down the side; we knew a little bit of a gully where we could get through and we got through there. I spoke to the skipper of the yacht, and they were obviously not in a happy situation. But the boat was afloat and he was saying Could we save the boat? I thought we possibly could, but I insisted that he left her. I didn't fancy towing the yacht in those conditions with the crew on. What I wanted to do was get the crew off and then, if we towed the yacht, all well and good. If we didn't, if she became fast on the bottom again and broke away, well, it wouldn't matter, we had the crew aboard. So we went round, in fact we came up to, and had to get inside of him and come bow to bow. We took all four off, two of them, girls, weren't in too good condition. The last two tied the tow rope on, cut the anchor cable and jumped aboard the lifeboat. By the time the yacht had come round astern of us and we'd actually got under way, she was banging again, on a sandbank this time. So if she'd really stuck on this and broken the tow I wouldn't have got back in to take the crew off. I think, in all cases like this one, if possible, the crew have got to come off, and if the yacht's lost the yacht's lost.

Portchmouth: Yes, unless you've got plenty of sea room, and plenty of time to put a good tow on board and take the tow, and then it's probably better not to try taking them off.

Grant: It's sometimes a lot easier to put a tow on a yacht and just tow it than to mess about alongside doing damage getting the crew off, if you haven't got to. But in this particular rescue, they had to come off.

Portchmouth: You've had a few services now with the new Tyne class? Grant: Yes, but nothing where she's actually banging on the bottom. I think that is going to be quite interesting, because obviously to get the speed, the Tync's propellers are a lot bigger. So the experience is going to be worth noting when it happens.

Portchmouth: Perhaps you will have to adopt the technique that Guernsey have been using since they got their Arun.For how long have you had the Arun, Mike? Scales: Ten years she's been on station.

Portchmouth: I suppose during the whole of that time, you've had to change your ideas haven't you and go in head first? Scales: That's right, yes. We had another job which was a yacht anchored in a gully. We had to make a decision either to anchor, or run in with the bow.

In the event we ran in with the bow, but nearly came unstuck when we ran over his tow rope. If we had fouled the rope he would have been ashore and we would have been following him.

Portchmouth: Would you agree, Mike Berry, about the different method you use with the Waveney, compared with the old conventional protected propeller boat? Berry: If you're talking about shoal work, you know that you can go so far and stop. But what I've been practising is going in and putting the anchor, which is a Danforth, on the end of a tow rope over the stern and running in as far as possible on that, and I've found it most effective.

Scales: Of course our anchor is slightly heavier, we've got a fisherman's anchor and there is no way that we can think about banging that one down from the after deck. If we had another anchor, perhaps aft, we could consider it.

Berry: Recovery is our problem. But I've often thought, in a hurry, especially on to a beach, it is easier to go in bow first with your rudders and propellers in deeper water. Even if you're closing on a casualty you can still have a certain manoeuvrability.

Scales: If the bow bumps first at leastyou haven't damaged your propellers and you can come out.

Portchmouth: Your turning manoeuvrability is so superior to the old conventional type, even in the Tyne at Selsey isn't it? Grant: Oh, compared with the old boat, yes.

Portchmouth: But your propellers in the Guernsey Arun and the Jersey Waveney are both totally exposed aren't they? Berry: Totally exposed.

Portchmouth: At least you, Mike Grant, do have some protection. It will be interesting to note, in due course, how much you feel you need to change your techniques.

Grant: Now that we have got the Tyne, we've also got an inflatable dinghy which we didn't have with our old boat.

We have rigged it up to take the breeches buoy block across to the casualty and ferry people across like that. The problem is, it's not a very big dinghy so you're limited by weather conditions. But it's useful.

Berry: That rock between you and the casualty, Mike, you say you had a way you could go back round it. Now you have the dinghy, although you had a rock between you, if you anchored and veered your dinghy over that reef could you have got to him? With the Tyne could you have approached it in a different manner to the way you did with the old boat? Grant: No, probably not, because there was too much sea breaking on the rock to chance the inflatable over it. It was really get back round inside where it was smoother.

Berry: In all my time we've never fired a line in anger.

Portchmouth: Haven't you? Not even to pass a tow? Berry: No. With the manoeuvrability of the Waveney you can virtually go in and not even use the heaving line to pass a tow.

Grant: That's good, but not when they're aground.

Berry: Not when they're aground, no.

We have used the inflatable taking a tow from us. I suppose I could have fired a line ashore but it's easier for the inflatable to take the rope.

Grant: Yes, it probably would be, but we've only just acquired one so we haven't tried yet.

Portchmouth: Both your dinghies are rowing dinghies, whereas the Guernsey one is powered, isn't it? Which makes a little difference, although I assume that under these circumstances you veer it down anyway, don't you? Scales: Yes we veer it down. When I was deputy coxswain on board, we had an instance when we had to fire a rocket line across to a boat that was on the rocks. The casualty was in a tideway as well, with about six knots of tide running.

We didn't anchor the lifeboat, and we didn't put the engine on the dinghy.

We fired the rocket line and made contact with the casualty and then used the veering lines to take the people off, using the dinghy as breeches buoy with one of our crew members on board.

Portchmouth: It's difficult getting more than one crew member into the dinghy isn't it? You can just squeeze two in, but one is really getting in the way of the other chap rowing.

Berry: There's another use for an Avon dinghy as well. I know I will get shot to pieces, but several times when we've used it to put a hand aboard a yacht, it's made a damn good fender.

Portchmouth: No reason to get shot to pieces for that. That's improvisation.

We'll just make a note to replace your dinghy with a fender! Berry: With a man holding a line at either end of it, you can drop heavy on that yacht and you know that your man's going across safely without getting caught between. Because that's one point I've found with the customers we have, when you do get to them you have to put a man aboard if you're going to tow them. And he goes aboard with his first aid satchel, his knife and torch, plus his portable radio, because you have to do the lot, most often.

Portchmouth: You'd probably all agree with that wouldn't you? Grant: Yes. We have now got a portable radio on the Tyne which is going to be useful.

Berry: Ninety-nine times out of a hundred you have to go alongside and drop a man on the yacht to secure the tow rope. And I've had four or five occasions when I've said to the crew, 'Well I'm not towing, we are going in, snatching them off and out1.' Portchmouth: You get a lot of charter people don't you? Berry: Yes, on the other hand if you've got a good French yachtsman you've got a good seaman.

Scales: I think that one problem that's arisen from our discussion is the fact that it's very difficult to get somebody to abandon his yacht.

Portchmouth: Which is why you finish up towing, isn't it, half the time?Scales: Because they are reluctant to leave; they think more of their yachts than their lives. You know, we are interested in their lives not their property.

If only they were to understand us a little bit more on that.

Grant: I think they tend to think 'I've broken down in the car on the motorway', but it's not quite the same.

Portchmouth: Do you think they usually appreciate what danger they are in? Grant: No. Many of them haven't got a clue.

Berry: I agree with that.

Portchmouth: . . . And they do not realise how different it's going to be just 100 yards further in than they are now.

The difference between living and dying.

Thomas Cocking, you don't have too many rocks at St Ives. Did you on this rescue? Coxswain Thomas Cocking, St Ives: No, sand.

Portchmouth: Sandbanks? But it was shallow. What were the general happenings of that night? You had two calls, one after the other? Cocking: Yes. Well the first one was a tug. She had her propeller fouled and when we got to her, she only had three shackles of cable out and she was dragging her anchor ashore. The Orca's skipper told the tug master to give her more cable, but he replied, 7 can't, I haven't got any more to give.' And he continued to drift. When we got to the position of the tug we told him he was going ashore on the bar. We told him on the VHP, 'If you go aground you might turn over.' So we advised him to get out of her fast. He said, 'I've got to make a link call first.' I said, 'Look. Just for your information you are going ashore now in an estuary where the tide rip, coming down the estuary with the ebb tide, is around five or six knots. It's up to you what you do, but my advice to you is to lighten the boat with the crew, get some crew off, and then make your link call.' Well, we took off five from her.

She was lying bow on to the wind, and all we had to do was run in, drop astern, run out, drop astern one at a time. Got five off all right, but in the meantime the tug touched bottom and swung bow in, so this made it more difficult because she was right on the edge of the surf. The skipper's telephone call took 20 minutes after which time we had the sea breaking outside of us, as well as inside. Well, then we had to run in on that, and this was when I said to the crew, 'Grab the two of them, don't matter what happens!' I said, 'We've got to run in bow first, and come astern full steam'. I don't know if Mike Grant knows, but with a lifeboat withtunnels she will come astern faster than she will go in really. So we ran in one run, got two of them off by the scruffs and come away astern over breaking water.

Portchmouth: You had your stern to the sea did you? Cocking: Yes. That was the only way we could do it. We couldn't wait and come about and pace it because there was too much break on the water, too many banks in there. Especially around the estuary, there's very large banks. We couldn't do that. The only other alternative was to drop the anchor; we could have had them off that way. It would have made it more dangerous if we did wait and drop our anchor, and drop in on her. As it was, I ran in, took them off and came out full astern. He was on the bottom by then.

Portchmouth: So that's interesting. If the anchor had been easier to let go, I suppose, it might have been a different story, but it takes a long time to get it out, doesn't it? Cocking: We can get our anchor over the side in a minute. We've got davits there and we just swing it out and let it go. It wouldn't have taken too long to drop the anchor, but it was just as quick to go in bow first and come astern.

Portchmouth: You had a little bit of persuading to do, of course, as well, to get them to leave.

Cocking: To start with, yes. They didn't want to come off.

Portchmouth: Well that link call, I suppose, was the skipper trying to get permission to leave? Cocking: He got through to his owners.Portchmouth: How big was the boat? Cocking: Oh, only a small tug. 140 feet long, drawing nine foot aft, six foot forward.

Portchmouth: Too big really for you to tow.

Cocking: I think he was.

Portchmouth: I guess yours was the only rescue where you were having to get casualties down on to your lifeboat.

These boys were all having to get them up on to the lifeboat.

Cocking: The tug was level with the lifeboat's bow. They jumped on there.

The coaster was a bit more difficult.

They had to jump down and we had to catch them as they jumped. We had a wind blowing then, force 9, northerly and the coaster was dragging her anchor very fast—she was only drawing four foot of water.

Portchmouth: Same night wasn't it? Right after the first one? Cocking: Right after, yes.

Portchmouth: You hadn't even rehoused, just got up the slipway.

Cocking: Yes. We got to her, I called the skipper and he said he would like to lighten the crew. The trouble was we had to wait for the right time before going in. The tug was near enough, like you were going alongside a yacht. But with the coaster we found that, being light ship, we had to wait for our chance. If you saw a sea coming, you would have to run in before that sea came in so that you would have a little bit more lift to take one of the men off.

That's what we found out. The first run I had was really just a practice run because it was dark and we had to wait for them to come down. We ran the boat up to them, beautiful. She came in perfect, with her bow just inside, perfect, lifting together. I thought, 'That's the way to do it'. We came astern again, and called the skipper up on the radio asking him if he was ready. He said, 'We've got three down there ready.' We went in and took the first one off. The first sea that came I'd say was round about ten foot and breaking. That was a Godsend because we were going in, we were committed then; I thought, 'She's got to go now'. I kept it on full speed, we lifted on the sea, the sea broke over us and she just stuck up the side and we took the first one off. That's the way we did it. We watched the sea coming, a breaking sea out in the cove, up to the coaster and we'd run in. Both would lift together. On one of the runs we took off one and another jumped as I was going astern. All we saw was him jumping. We had to come full speed ahead again to catch him on the box on the fore deck. The crew saw him andjumped for him then and dragged him back.

Portchmouth: What height were they coming down? Cocking: About eight feet.

Portchmouth: That fore end box isn't really clear, is it? Cocking: No, because of your side lights.

Portchmouth: It's a wonder he didn't break something.

Cocking: Yes. Luckily the rest wouldn't come until the crew said 'Jump'. I made them understand that on the wireless when I spoke to the skipper. One at a time and jump when the crew say jump, not to jump on your own. We've found before when someone's jumped on their own, you miss them and they've dropped into the sea; when you've been dropping astern they've jumped. That's the only killer we can find. But they were very good, except that one, who did jump when we were going astern.

Portchmouth: After that five, what happened? Cocking: The skipper was making a link call at the time on the other set and the next thing he came and said, via the Coastguard, 'We're on the ground, what do you suggest?' So we went in there and took the other two off. The first thing he passed down was the boat's papers. The crew said, 'We don't want the boat's papers, Captain, we want you.' He said, 'They're more interesting than I am.' Those were the words he said; the boat's papers were more interesting than his own life! The skipper, he was a bit difficult to get off, he was a big chap, and as we went in, so he hesitated; of course we dropped and he was hanging over the side. We've got one good fellow—you know Eric Ward—who's 6ft 4in who grabbed him by the ankles and gave him a jerk! Grant: If the boat's going down and you're jumping down it's a long drop isn't it? And it's even worse if the boat comes back up when you're still going down.

Cocking: Eric Ward, he's a big fellow too, he grabbed him and everyone was waiting to catch him, and he came down. Anyway, that was it. It was quite simple really, I thought.

Portchmouth: All I can say is your modesty becomes you! Berry: I've taken people off small yachts, in both a Watson and a Waveney and I've thought to myself with the Watson when I'm going to line up, 'How am I going to get this so and so alongside that thing,' But under those circumstances it just happens. And the same thing if you're going in for a yacht with the Waveney to take people off, and you know it's just to take them off, because there's nothing else you can do.

I think you've got it in the back of your mind that you're not worried about scratching the paint or anything like that and it therefore becomes more natural.

Grant: Well, as you know, I've only just changed over to the Tyne from the Oakley, the 48ft 6in Oakley, and a Watson before that. But with those older types of boat I found that once you did put them somewhere then they stopped there. With the Oakley, you know when we took 20 off a freighter, we put her bow or shoulder in there, opened the engines up full, and she just plunged up and down the side of the ship, damaged, but it stopped there.

But with the modern boats with the flared bow . . .

Berry: Well I think we've got more of a flared bow with the Waveney, than you've got with the Tyne. But there again you've got the power and manoeuvrability which you didn't have with the Oakley.

Grant: Yes, but it is more of an 'in, out' business.

Berry: Yes. Get there, get one off or two off and out, and then have another go. The only thing I've found with a Waveney, that whereas in the other boats you go to leeward of a yacht to take them off, and let it drop on you, you've got to approach from windward with a Waveney, because a Waveney, as soon as you stop your engines, she's down wind faster than a yacht. It's the height of the wheelhouse, I think. One thing about a Waveney, it's got a well deck aft. I don't think there's a boat today that's better designed for getting people out of the water.

Portchmouth: No, that's right. Because your feet are down low and they're inboard. As all four of these services were at night, have any of you further comments about illumination? Mike Berry's got a special searchlight forward.

Does anyone else have one? Cocking: We've got a forward one as well. We've got a small RNLI issue handlight, and what I've done is to put it on a little bar so that we can make it turn like a searchlight and we find that as good as anything.

Grant: If the conditions are right, flares give you a far better panoramic view than a searchlight. The searchlight on the Tyne, the position of that is quite good. Now, on the Oakley if something was shining forward then it all reflected back off the bulwarks and tended to dazzle. But on the Tyne, it's good.

Berry: You've got a choice of positions, haven't you Mike Scales? Scales: Yes, we've got them either side on the wings of the flying bridge and in the centre. That seems to cover. The problem we had was that we had quite a lot of white paintwork up top, aerials were white and in certain close quarters you would get a lot of light reflected back. So what we've done now is matt black the mast, matt black the aerials and that's done away with the reflective glare.

Berry: The first thing we had to do was black tape all the aerials.

Portchmouth: So you would recommend that wherever we don't have to have orange superstructure for visibility, so that other people can see us in the distance, we should have matt black wherever there is likely to be light reflection, from our own lights? Scales: I think it's important when you're in shallows, or any rock conditions where you have got to be as aware as possible where you are, that the less reflected light you've got, the better. Of course if we're in close quarters we're not inside on the Arun, we're always up top.

Berry: You can go up top, I suppose, under any conditions? Scales: Oh, yes. In our particular Arun we've worked two force ll's for hours on end. With our steering position on the after end you can stay there all night. In shoal conditions, close quarters, you get a great sense of security being outside because you are more aware of the elements, you've got nothing false, you've got spray in your face and you know if you're going too fast, and you can see as well.

Berry: If I'm going alongside a yacht generally I find I'm working just abaft the wheelhouse where I've got a clear view of its position.

Scales: It's nice to have a wheelhouse, but it's nice to have the alternative to go out, and be with the elements.

Portchmouth: Gentlemen, I'm afraid it's now time for us all to go out and be with the elements. Thank you for your time and your comments. You have provided much food for constructive thought. Readers of THE LIFEBOAT journal will be interested to note that one of the main lines of operational development by the RNLI at present is towards greatly enhanced capability in shallowwater operations for fast lifeboats. We believe that water-jet propulsion, as now being fitted in our Medina class prototype, may provide one answer.

Perhaps in a year or so we shall know..