Yacht towed in THE HIGH WINDS OF Sunday August 11, 1985, which brought about a bronze medal service at St Peter Port, Guernsey and vellum services at Weymouth and Ramsgate (already reported in earlier issues), and which involved 39 stations in saving over 70 lives in one day, were also the reason for the coastguard to contact Bridlington lifeboat at 1437 on that same afternoon.

Several fishing cobles, some with angling parties aboard, were still at sea with the weather getting worse. When Bridlington's 37ft Oakley class lifeboat.

William Henry and Mary King, put to sea at 1454 with Coxswain Fred Walkington at the helm it was overcast with moderate visibility in rain showers.

The east by southerly force 6 to near gale force 7 wind was producing heavy breakers on the beach.

The lifeboat headed for four cobles which were making for the harbour entrance and escorted two of them in through the confused seas. The coxswain then received a request from Humber coastguard to go about a mile north of Hornsea where the coble Serene was trying to stand by a yacht which had set off a red flare. The lifeboat headed south to this position, but not before she had escorted the remaining two cobles safely into harbour.

By now the wind had increased and was blowing force 7 to gale force 8 and because the wipers had stopped working, Coxswain Walkington was forced to drop the windscreens which subjected the crew to the full force of the driven sea and spray.

At 1540 Serene and the yacht were in sight. The yacht had a small jib set and was heading east towards the shore which was less than a mile away. Her escort, the coble, was having difficulty in keeping close and standing by her.

Coxswain Walkington steered to within hailing distance of Serene whose crewtold him that they thought there were two, possibly three aboard the yacht, one of them a child.

The wind was stronger now and still giving 10ft breaking seas and the sky was heavily overcast with driving rain and poor visibility. The tide was setting north at 0.8 knots. The yacht had no radio so the coxswain made a run in close to her port side, holding position with helm and engines. He learned from the man in the cockpit who had a child with him that there was a woman and another child down below who were very ill with seasickness. The man was told to try to bring the yacht's head up further to the north and the lifeboat then cleared astern.

Coxswain Walkington decided he would have to tow the yacht as she was so near to the shore, but first he would take aboard the two children and the woman. He made a second run in to tell the yachtsman what he intended to do and by this time the man had managed to bring the yacht up to a north-westerly heading.

Again the lifeboat closed the yacht and this time the coxswain brought his starboard side up along the yacht's port side allowing wind and weather to hold her there. Seas broke over both vessels and the yacht was at one point lifted on to the lifeboat's starboard guard chains and stanchions causing some damage.

The two children were brought safely aboard the lifeboat, however, and the woman who was too ill to help herself was also taken off with some difficulty.

A tow rope was then passed to the yacht and Coxswain Walkington manoeuvred slowly ahead on his engines allowing plenty of slack. The yachtsman was instructed to lower his jib and with about 100ft of tow rope out both vessels were brought up to the north.

As the tow headed back towards Bridlington in the rough quartering sea the coxswain had constantly to adjust his speed as the 28ft yacht surged forward on the wave crests. The children and the woman on board the lifeboat were covered with blankets and tended throughout the passage by the lifeboat crew. At 1645 the tow was shortened and the yacht taken through the rough confused seas in the harbour entrance.

During this manoeuvre the lifeboat heard over the radio that another incident had developed just outside the harbour. A coble, Valhalla, with an angling party on board had got into trouble and was now breaking up under the north harbour wall. Coxswain Walkington passed the yacht and her occupants into the care of a fishing vessel inside the harbour and cleared the harbour once more.

For the next 35 minutes the lifeboat lay off in broken water north of the north wall where Valhalla had been driven while an RAF helicopter winched her occupants to safety. When they were all accounted for the lifeboat re-entered Bridlington harbour, escorting another coble on the way.

Reports were now coming in that a cabin cruiser may be missing so the lifeboat left the harbour once again at 1810. It was soon learned that the cabin cruiser was, in fact, safe and the lifeboat returned to the beach using her drogue and was rehoused and ready for service at 1910.

Following this service the thanks of the Institution on vellum was presentedto Coxswain Fred Walkington and vellum service certificates were presented to Second Coxswain Anthony Ayre, Assistant Mechanic Brian Cundall and Crew Members Rowland Stork, Paul Staveley, Nicholas Wood and Harry Wood..