Effective co-operation A FRESH WEST by southerly breeze gusting to near gale, force 7, was blowing along the south coast off Eastbourne on the afternoon of Monday September 1, 1986, when the town's 16ft D class inflatable lifeboat was asked to investigate a 100 ton sailing barge, Olive May, which had anchored in a dangerous position near a submerged wreck. The inflatable's crew soon discovered that the barge's anchor was not holding and she was drifting eastwards towards the shore. There were two adults and two four-year-old children aboard.

By 1500 Eastbourne's 37ft 6in Rother class lifeboat, Duke of Kent, had launched with Coxswain/Mechanic Graham Cole. When he reached the barge, he asked her skipper to raise the anchor so that he could be towed into deeper water. Two lifeboat crew members were put aboard to assist and, with the barge's anchor up, the inflatable lifeboat passed a tow line between the lifeboat and Olive May where it was attached to her anchor cable.

When the tow began there was only ten feet of water below the lifeboat and her coxswain headed seaward to clear the lee shore. It had now been decided to take the barge into Newhaven and the tow continued on at 3 knots into the wind. The flood tide began to set, the wind freshened from the west and the sea became rough. Newhaven's 52ft Arun class lifeboat, Keith Anderson, which had been on stand-by, was now asked to launch to give assistance.

Coxswain Len Patten was in command.

She arrived at 1757 and soon afterwards Eastbourne lifeboat passed the tow over to the Arun class. For a while all was well but then a message came from the barge that she had started leaking badly and her engine room was under four feet of water. The attempt to make Newhaven was abandoned and instead the tow headed for a safe anchorage in Eastbourne Bay. Meanwhile, Eastbourne lifeboat successfully transferred a pump from Newhaven lifeboat to the barge. A second pump was then flown in by Royal Navy helicopter, winched down to Eastbourne lifeboat and put aboard Olive May.

An attempt to lower the helicopter's winchman on to the barge was unsuccessful and eventually Eastbourne's inflatable was asked to launch again to take the winchman off Eastbourne lifeboat (where he had been landed) and on to the barge which had by now been towed into smoother water. The barge was then anchored and Eastbourne lifeboat tied up alongside until the pumps had done their work. She then headed back to station with the skipper's wife and two children aboard and arrived there at 2027.

Newhaven lifeboat, as soon as Olive May was safely anchored, headed out to a position 16 miles south east of Newhaven.

While she had been towing the barge a message had come for her from the coastguard that a 22ft yacht, Marieta was in difficulties in heavy weather. At 2055 the yacht was sighted and soon taken in tow. Two hours later and six miles south east of Newhaven the lifeboat crew spotted a red flare to the south of them. Eastbourne lifeboat was immediately asked to launch once more to take up the tow of Marieta while Newhaven lifeboat headed south to investigate the flare.

At 2328 Newhaven lifeboat came upon the yacht Saeth which had fired the flare after a rope had fouled her propeller. The car ferry Chantilly and MV Paula were also standing by as the lifeboat secured a tow line to the yacht.

The lifeboat and yacht then set course for Newhaven. During this passage Coxswain Patten was able to direct Eastbourne lifeboat over the radio to the other yacht Marieta. She too was taken in tow and soon after Newhaven lifeboat had berthed her casualty inside Newhaven Harbour, Eastbourne's Rother class also entered Newhaven with Marieta.

It was now 0320 on September 2 and Eastbourne lifeboat set out again for home. However, before she finally returned to station she tied up alongside the barge Olive May to check that all was well. On finding that her engines were back in working order and her own pumps in service, the lifeboat left her and was back at station at 0700..