25 Years Ago Dangerous Approach to Yacht Aground ON the morning of the 21st July, 1962, Coxswain Harold Parkinson of Lytham-St. Anne's was told at 10.15 that a yacht was aground on the north side of the Ribble channel about two and a half miles off shore. He immediately told the honorary secretary, Mr. John Kennedy. It was clear that because of lack of water the life-boat would not be able to approach the yacht for an hour and a half, and Mr.

Kennedy and the coxswain therefore drove to St. Anne's, where they could have a closer view of the yacht. They saw her aground between Feet's Light and Sailers Bank on the north side of the Ribble channel. She was the seven-ton motor ketch Lone Seeker with a crew of four.

A near gale was blowing from the south-west, the sea was rough, and the weather was cloudy, although there was good visibility. It was two hours after low water, and the tide was flooding at three knots.

At 11.5 the Lytham-St.

Anne's life-boat Sarah Townsend Porritt, which is one of the 46-foot 9-inch Watson type, proceeded down channel. As soon as there was enough water Coxswain Parkinson took her over the training wall at some risk to the life-boat. The life-boat did in fact touch bottom, and Coxswain Parkinson decided to stand off while Motor Mechanic George Harrison fired a line across the yacht.

Hand Severely Burnt A tow line was successfully secured to the thin line which had been fired, but as the lifeboat and the yacht surged apart the thin line was cut on the broken stem-head fairlead of the yacht, and contact was lost.

Mechanic Harrison then tried to fire a second line but burnt his left hand severely and the pistol was dropped overboard. Although in severe pain he returned to the engine controls, and Coxswain Parkinson decided to go to windward and anchor in two fathoms on a sandy bottom. His aim was to veer down on to the yacht so that a line could be passed by hand.

The weather conditions grew worse, and the wind increased.

Heavy seas were breaking over both the life-boat and the yacht, and the tide, now at half flood, was running at four knots. The yacht was dragging her anchor and was being continually driven further up the bank by the wind and tide. As the coxswain tried to make contact by veering his cable the life-boat was thrown about violently and struck the bottom more than once. There was also a clear danger that the life-boat's propellers or rudder might foul the yacht's cable.

Cable Cut by Anchor In fact the life-boat's manila cable was cut by the ketch's anchor, which fouled it, and Coxswain Parkinson now knew that he had no alternative but to try to close the yacht with considerable risk to his own boat as she struck the bottom. The lifeboat could not in fact go alongside because there was too little water, but her crew succeeded in throwing a heaving line on board the yacht. Once the line was secured the yacht's cable was cut, and the life-boat towed her into the deeper water of the main channel. It was then found that the damage to the yacht was only superficial in spite of the heavy pounding she had received, and she was able to continue up the river under her own power.

For this service the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Harold Parkinson; Mechanic George Harrison received the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum.

Additional monetary rewards were given and medal service certificates issued to the other members of the crew: Arthur Wignall, second coxswain; John Parkinson, bowman; Harry Bamber, assistant mechanic; Harold Crompton, Bernard Gill, William Cardwell, and Richard Wright, members of the.