Yacht swept out to sea AN UNMANNED YACHT, Xephd, had broken adrift in Braye Harbour, Alderney, on the evening of Sunday May 5, 1985, and Coxswain Stephen Shaw of Alderney lifeboat, who is also the deputy harbour master, was aboard the harbour launch towing the yacht back to her mooring. As he passed the breakwater head he saw that another yacht was being carried seawards; someone on board was flashing a hand torch at him.

The first yacht was secured to a mooring and the harbour launch then returned to the breakwater head. By this time the second yacht was no longer in sight. A few minutes later Coxswain Shaw caught sight of a red parachute flare about three miles north from the breakwater. The deputy launching authority for Alderney lifeboat was contacted and at 2152 maroons were fired.

While Stephen Shaw was preparing to launch the lifeboat, a bedraggled yachtsman approached him and told him that he had been swept from the deck of the yacht Sea Keveral, the one that had been seen earlier being carried out to sea. The man believed that it must be his yacht which was now in distress and firing flares. She had put out originally to assist the yacht Xepha but had developed a fire in her electrical circuit. On board were still an instructor and eight trainee yacht masters and she was being swept out to sea by a strong south westerly wind and spring tide with neither power nor electricity.

At 2200 Alderney lifeboat, the 33ft Brede class, Foresters Future, was under way at full speed and heading for theharbour entrance. High water springs' had occurred at 2036 and a north-going tide was now flowing at about 2'/4 knots.

Heavy rain squalls raised the wind from south-westerly force 5 to near gale force 7 and this helped to create a steep breaking sea. Visibility between the squalls was about four miles.

The lifeboat headed due north from the breakwater head and to the north of the Swinge channel Coxswain Shaw had to reduce his engine speed in some particularly heavy overfalls. The radar could not pick any targets in the steep seas but at 2210 a red flare was seen on a bearing of 350°M and the lifeboat altered course accordingly.

The lifeboat was some three miles north of Alderney and still without a target on the radar when the coxswain ordered a hand-held maroon to be fired. There was no response from the run-away yacht. (It was later learned that she had seen the maroon but had, by then, used up all her flares). Four miles out from Alderney and the lifeboat's radar began to show a target two miles away.

The lifeboat closed the target to within a quarter of a mile and fired a white parachute flare. Lit up before them was the brand new 40ft masthead sloop lying across wind and tide, her headsail backed across her stays and an anchor hanging loose from her stemhead and swinging from one side of the bow to the other, banging on each swing. In the heavy seas, about 15 to 20 feet high, she sheered around and rolled heavily every time the near gale force wind caught the headsail. People could be seen in the cockpit.

The lifeboat approached the weather side of the yacht while Motor Mechanic Nigel Rose used the loudhailer to ask the yachtsmen to lower the sail and stow the anchor; but they could not respond.

A second approach was made, this time with the intention of putting a lifeboatman aboard the yacht, but the yacht swung suddenly 90 degrees to starboard and made slight contact with the lifeboat before the coxswain was able to manoeuvre clear.

On the third approach the yacht's anchor narrowly missed Second Coxswain Martin Harwood on the side-deck of the lifeboat, but the coxswain succeeded in dropping close alongside the yacht's port quarter while Crew Member Craig Osborne jumped aboard with a portable VHP radio.

On board Sea Keveral, he found her to be full of acrid fumes and her crew seasick and frightened. He calmed them down and with the help of the lifeboat's searchlight beam managed to secure the headsail and anchor and prepare the yacht for towing. A 2'/2-inch nylon line was passed via the heaving line and secured and at 2245 the lifeboat began to tow at about four knots into a rough head sea.

Crossing the north of the Swinge, where the tide had now turned to give wind over tide, the lifeboat and tow encountered very heavy seas. Although the yachtsmen were severely seasick with the heavy pounding. Crew Member Craig Osborne was able to report that they were in no danger. As soon as the lee was found under Alderney, Coxswain Shaw brought the lifeboat alongside so that her occupants could be examined.

He then radioed the harbour to ask for the honorary medical adviser, ambulance and Red Cross to meet the lifeboat.

At 0018 the lifeboat secured to the quay. Three of the survivors who were suffering from mild hypothermia, shock, sickness from the noxious fumes and seasickness were taken by ambulance to hospital. Later the yacht's master was also admitted to hospital.

The lifeboat was refuelled and ready again for service at 0054.

Following this service the thanks of the RNLI inscribed on vellum were presented to Coxswain Stephen Shaw and vellum service certificates presented to Second Coxswain Martin Harwood, Motor Mechanic Nigel Rose, and Crew Members Craig Osborne and Peter Gamblin..