Eight saved on January night IN THE SMALL HOURS of Thursday January 31, 1985 the coastguard reported to Oban's honorary secretary that a fishing vessel, Shemara, was aground on Lady's Rock and was in urgent need of the lifeboat.The crew were paged and at 0332 Oban's 33ft Brede class lifeboat, Ann Ritchie, launched on service with Coxswain/ Mechanic Patrick Maclean in command. It was showery and there was a moderate breeze, force 4, in the shelter of the harbour and the tide was ebbing.

Once clear of the harbour, the coxswain headed west north west towards Lady's Rock at full speed. The weather was worse clear of the harbour and there was now a near gale force 7, gusting gale force 8 and a rough sea was running across the tide. At 0353 the lifeboat arrived off Lady's Rock to find the fishing boat hard on the reef, bow up with a list of 40 degrees to port, heading east.

Coxswain Maclean sized up the situation and consulted with Shemara's skipper who recommended an approach on his starboard side. The coxswain disagreed and considered a port side approach would be safer with the likelihood of more available water. The sea had begun to moderate but there was still a westerly gale with showers when the lifeboat made the first of a series of controlled runs to the fishing vessel's port quarter. Some 15 to 16 such runs were needed to recover her eight crew members on to the starboard shoulder of the lifeboat.

By 0405 the coxswain was able to report to Oban coastguard that the rescue operation had been carried out and he also requested an ambulance to meet the lifeboat on her return as the fishing boat's skipper was sufferingfrom angina. Shemara's sister ship Golden Dawn had arrived on scene and intended to stand by the stranded vessel until the weather moderated.

The lifeboat returned to Oban, landed her survivors at 0434 and was refuelled and moored ready for further service at 0500.

For this service the thanks of the Institution on vellum were awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic J. Patrick Maclean.

Vellum service certificates were awarded to Acting Assistant Mechanic David M. Graham and Crew Members William E. Forteith and Michael J.

Robertson..