Yacht sinks in gale THE 30ft yacht. Fidget, of stout construction, was on passage from Gosport to Plymouth on the morning of Sunday August 11, 1985, when she hit a huge crest south of Gara Rock, near Salcombe.

Within one and a half minutes she had sunk; her three man crew, two of them Royal Navy officers, managed to scramble into their liferaft and fire off a distress flare. Fortunately for them two ladies had seen their plight and informed the coastguard.

At 1050 Salcombe lifeboat, a 47ft Watson class. The Baltic Exchange, headed out on service at full speed.

Coxswain Brian Cater at the helm. The wind had recently veered from southeasterly force 6 to a westerly gale force 8 and even inside Salcombe Harbour the sea was choppy. Visibility was good, low water had occurred at 0746 and now, at half tide flood, the bar was breaking heavily.

The lifeboat received confirmation from Salcombe Harbour Radio that the flares had come from a yacht about three miles east of Bolt Head. She steamed on at full speed and by 1103 had cleared the bar and was steering south east in rough seas. The crew were positioned on deck to search among waves of 25 to 30 feet in height. A further message from one of the ladies who had raised the alarm that she had just seen the lifeboat steam past a liferaft was relayed by the coastguard at 1115. At almost the same moment CrewMember Roger Evans caught sight of the liferaft two cables astern. (It later transpired from the survivors aboard the liferaft that they had earlier seen the tips of the lifeboat's aerials but, having run out of flares, could not attract her attention.) The liferaft was lying with its drogue streamed westward about a mile south of Gara Rock. Her motion was severe in the 25 to 30 ft swell and very rough seas created by the force 9 strong gale which was now blowing from the west.

Visibility was still good and the tide had reached half flood and was slack in the vicinity of the lifeboat.

First briefing his crew. Coxswain Cater approached the liferaft from the east; Crew Member Stan Turns threw a heaving line into the liferaft just as the coxswain put his helm to starboard to place the liferaft under the starboard side of the lifeboat's foredeck. With engines engaged slow ahead, the three survivors were helped on board, one at a time, while the raft passed towards the lifeboat's stern.

Coxswain Cater made sure that the survivors were in no physical distress and that there was no one else missing and then turned the lifeboat down wind to retrieve the liferaft. The drogue was recovered first and then the liferaft was dragged on to the foredeck. This was carried out just as a particularly large sea broke overall.

At 1125 a course was set for Salcombe.

Conditions were poor at the bar and the coxswain had to ease his speed while waiting for suitable sea on which to make the crossing. This delayed the return for about three minutes until finally, rolling heavily and shipping heavy seas the lifeboat crossed the bar.

By 1135 she was in relatively quiet waters and the coxswain arranged over the radio for the survivors to be taken by harbour launch to the Island Cruising Club for hot showers and dry clothing. After refuelling, the lifeboatwas placed on her mooring, ready again for service at 1215.

Following this service a letter of appreciation, signed by the RNLFs director, Rear Admiral W. J. Graham, was sent to Coxswain Brian Cater and his crew..