Leapt to the rescue THE STORMS WHICH SWEPT ACROSS THE English Channel on August Bank Holiday Monday, 1986, continued unabated the next day and it was towards the end of the afternoon on Tuesday, August 26 that a yacht in Alderney Harbour reported seeing the 25ft sloop Gypsy Rover adrift and heading out to sea on an ebbing tide.

Spray was being blown at least 100ft above the Admiralty Breakwater, the outer end of which is submerged for a distance of 400 yards.

This submerged breakwater, with a westerly wind and an ebbing tide, creates very high breaking seas which roll across the harbour and crash against Bibette Head.

The maroons were fired and Alderney's 33ft Brede class lifeboat Foresters Future slipped her moorings at 1623, proceeding at full speed under the command of Coxswain Stephen Shaw. As he approached the casualty, Coxswain Shaw realised he had little time to assess the situation as the Gypsy Rover was being carried by the tide—ebbing at three knots—further into 20 ft breaking seas.

Second Coxswain Martin Harwood also realised the urgency of the situation and agreed to jump on board the casualty. All the crew, with the exception of the second coxswain, went inside the wheelhouse and strapped in. Second Coxswain Harwood positioned himself on the port quarter.

As the lifeboat approached the Gypsy Rover, her elderly owner could be seen hunched in the stern.

Coxswain Shaw drove Foresters Future towards the yacht and, as he came close, Second Coxswain Harwood seized the chance and threw himself across the gap, landing across the boom as the lifeboat backed off astern.

As the second coxswain clung to the boom an exceptionally large sea rolled the yacht on her starboard side, but she righted herself just as Coxswain Shaw was getting ready to run in and rescue both men.Second Coxswain Harwood went to the yacht's cockpit where he found the elderly man, wearing no lifejacket and apparently with little idea of what was happening. The yacht's hatchcover was open and the washboards were out, making the Gypsy Rover liable to fill with water and sink at any time.

Martin Harwood told the survivor to put on a lifejacket, closed the hatchcover and went forward to get ready to receive the tow before returning aft to man the tiller.

Coxswain Shaw had very little sea room in which to manoeuvre and had to nurse the yacht to port and then clear of the 20ft breaking seas. This he did by running across the Gypsy Rover's bow, putting Foresters Future beam to sea and taking the top off the wave before it struck the yacht.

The yacht was taken to port, ran down sea for a short while and then returned to harbour, returning some 17 minutes after setting out.

Twice the day before Foresters Future had been out in the same storm, once to the aid of the 34ft ketch Seylla II (see report on page 150) and that night in search of a missing yacht, found on rocks, but with her occupants all safe.

The service to the Gypsy Rover was therefore the third within 24 hours in conditions outside the operating limits of the Brede.

Following this service, the thanks of the RNLI on vellum have been accorded to Coxswain Stephen Shaw, in recognition of his skill in very heavy seas close to the casualty and to Second Coxswain Martin Harwood for his courage in boarding the casualty and for his cool, competent manner when on board.

Vellum service certificates go to the other members of the crew, Mechanic Nigel Rose, Assistant Mechanic Michael O'Gorman and Crew Members Graham Fisher and Johnathan Postlethwaite..