Drifting trawler THE RAMSGATE TRAWLER Nancy reported to Ramsgate Harbour Radio on the evening of Monday January 30, 1984, that warps and nets had fouled her propeller. Her position was one and ahalf miles east south east of North Foreland and she needed immediate help. The lifeboat station was contacted, maroons were fired and at 1842 the relief 44ft Waveney class lifeboat, Wavy Line, on temporary duty at Ramsgate slipped her mooring and cleared the harbour at full speed.

The weather was very bad and deteriorating; wind was south south east force 8, gusting 10 and there were heavy, confused and breaking 12 foot seas. It was three and a half hours before high water. Coxswain Ron Cannon, in command of the lifeboat, set a course for the trawler, placing wind and sea on his starboard quarter.

Dover coastguard who broadcast the fishing boat's predicament to other shipping had already ascertained that the coastal tanker Bouncer and another trawler were standing by the casualty.

However, when the lifeboat arrived on scene at 1855 it was clear that neither of the stand-by vessels had been able to manoeuvre close to Nancy in the prevailing conditions.

The lifeboat approached her sternfirst, keeping head to sea, and a tow line was passed to the trawler's stern without serious difficulty. The lifeboat crew knew both the fishermen and knew them to be competent to deal with the situation without the assistance of a lifeboatman on board. The trawler was hauled astern so that her crew could safely cut the trawl warps. This manoeuvre required very skilful boat handling by the lifeboat coxswain to prevent the trawler from broaching.

Clear of any shelter or lee from the North Goodwin shoals, the seas had lengthened and become more regular, but the lifeboat was rolling heavily and taking water over all. Wind was still south south easterly but with more frequent gusts of over force 8 or 9.

With warps cut and nets still fouling her propellers, a tow was secured forward on the trawler and course set for Ramsgate at slow speed. At about 1925 the tow parted abreast of Ramsgate's East Beach and, knowing the trawler's draft to be seven feet, Coxswain Cannon manoeuvred with great urgency to re-connect the tow, only one and a half cables from the shore.

No sooner had the tow resumed with the two boats starting to make a wide swing to port before entering harbourthan the rope parted for the second time. This was the area of the Quern Shoal and seas were again confused and steep and the added effect of waves reflected from the harbour wall meant that exceptional boat-handling by the coxswain and prompt action by his second coxswain and crew aft was required to get the tow re-connected almost immediately.

Lining up with the harbour entrance, Coxwain Cannon gave as much throttle as was safe and ran the trawler through the pierheads at speed. By 1953 Nancy was safely berthed on the eastern pier arm and the lifeboat was refuelled and ready for service at 2030.

For this service a framed letter of thanks, signed by the Duke of Atholl, chairman of the RNLI, was sent to Coxswain/Mechanic Ron Cannon, Second Coxswain Derek Pegden and Crew Members Timothy Hurst, Michael Petts, Nigel Stephens and Raymond Noble..