French yachtsmen saved SECOND COXSWAIN Peter Bisson was in command when St Peter Port's 52ft Arun class lifeboat, Sir William Arnold, slipped her moorings at 0950 on the morning of Sunday August 11, 1985. A report had been received from a cliff top observer that a yacht anchored below the cliffs at Corbiere was in difficulties.

A strong gale, force 9, was blowing from the south and as the lifeboat cleared the harbour speed had to be reduced as she met high seas and swell.

The tide was ebbing to the south at two knots and heavy rain squalls reduced visibility to a quarter of a mile.

The lifeboat was shipping heavy seas overall as she steamed south from the harbour. When she was three cables clear of St Martins Point the acting coxswain altered course to 260°M and increased speed to full ahead. As she passed four cables to the south of Icart Point the crew saw a red parachute flare. Then a red hand flare was sighted just to the east of La Corbiere; Peter Bisson altered course to pass clear of the many breaking rocks in the area and at 1015 began to approach the yacht in distress.She was a 20ft French yacht, Matam H, with three people on board. She had tried to sail clear of the land using her 7 HP outboard motor but had become embayed so had used her Danforth anchor with 15 metres of chain and 25 metres of nylon rope to avoid being cast ashore. The force 8-9 southerly gale and a tidal flow of IVi knots to the east was creating a heavy breaking sea and a swell of 20 to 25 feet. A heavy backwash from the cliffs caused the yacht to lie beam on to the shore, first one way then the other as she was snubbed around on her anchor, plunging heavily.

Where the yacht lay, the bottom shelves steeply, so the lifeboat approached bow first, stern to sea (keeping the propellers in deep water) and, avoiding the many rockheads in the area, manoeuvred to within 15ft of the yacht's 8ft bowsprit. The heaving line was thrown and one of the yachtsmen, despite instructions to the contrary, secured the heaving line itself to the mast and then returned at once to the cockpit.

Immediately the line parted and it soon became clear to the lifeboat crew that the yachtsmen were going to stay in the cockpit, unable to help themselves any further. Acting Coxswain Bisson realised, with a rising tide, that the yacht's anchor was becoming less and less effective and that he needed to get a lifeboatman aboard her without delay.As seas washed over the lifeboat's stern, the Y class inflatable, carried aboard, was launched with Assistant Mechanic Alan Martel at the helm and Crew Members Richard Hamon and Michael Guille on board. The Y boat was taken alongside the yacht with some difficulty in the broken water and Crew Member Guille boarded over her port side. He crawled forward on the yacht and caught the heaving line thrown from the lifeboat which Peter Bisson had again manoeuvred, stern to sea, to within 15 feet of the yacht.

Guille pulled in the tow line, secured it round the base of the mast and snatched it off at the forward fairlead.

The lifeboat, with towline secured on her foredeck, moved clear and held position while the Y boat was recovered.

Then, as the lifeboat took the strain, Michael Guille cut the yacht's anchor rope. Slowly she was towed clear until some two cables from the shore. The towline was then transferred to the stern of the lifeboat and the tow began at four knots on a course of 100°M to clear the land. The time was now 1046.

The lifeboat cleared St Martins Point at three cables, altered course to 005°M and increased speed to six knots. By 1141 she and the yacht were back in St Peter Port harbour where the yacht was moored in Victoria Marina. St John's Ambulance officers took care of those on board and the lifeboat was refuelled and returned to her mooring, ready again for service at 1200.

Following this service a bar to his bronze medal was awarded to Second Coxswain Peter Bisson. Assistant Mechanic Alan Martel and Crew Member Michael Guille were presented with the thanks of the Institution on vellum and bronze medal service certificates were presented to Motor Mechanic Robert Vowles, and Crew Members John Webster, John Bougourd, Keith Martel, Richard Hamon, Anthony White and John Le Page..