Exercise turns into busy day for City of Plymouth Plymouth - South West Division Plymouth's new Arun class City of Plymouth took part in no less than seven rescues on Sunday, 22 May 1988, when a sudden increase in wind strength to around Force 7 from the SE caught a large number of small boat owners unprepared.

City of Plymouth had left her berth in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth at 1030 for a special medical exercise with a total of ten crew members aboard, but just ten minutes later Brixham Coastguard contacted Coxswain John Dare with the first of the day's casualties.

Rocks A yacht was in trouble SW of the bridge in Plymouth Sound. She had been driven on to rocks by the SE wind, and when the lifeboat arrived the crew were ashore and making their way back to Plymouth by ferry. The Arun towed the yacht clear and took her to Stonehouse Pool, making fast at 1135.

Almost immediately Port Control reported a catamaran in need of assistance to the east of Drakes Island. When the lifeboat arrived she found the cat on the rocks with the fishing vessel Metan attempting to tow it clear. The coxswain was able to offer some advice, and the fishing vessel finally pulled the yacht free and began towing her towards Sutton Harbour, escorted by the lifeboat.

She was barely clear of Drakes Island when Brixham Coastguard called once more. This time a dinghy was in trouble off the entrance to the River Yealm, just outside the harbour. The crew of the lifeboat were still recovering the Y boat, but set off as soon as possible, only to to have the dinghy reported safe five minutes later.

Returning to Metan and her tow they escorted them to Queen Anne's Battery. As the lifeboat was now near Sutton Harbour the coxswain decided to put the Honorary Medical Adviser ashore, but as he was disembarking Brixham Coastguard called...

This time the Arun was asked to remain on call to monitor the activity in Plymouth Sound, which the coxswain decided could best be achieved from a position just to the east of Drakes Island.

The lifeboat took up station here at 1215, and did not have long to wait until she received the next call.At 1300 a diving boat called. It had an inflatable in tow, and by 1320 the lifeboat had taken over and gathered up the seven divers belonging to the boat, intending to return them to Fort Bovisand.

But then Brixham Coastguard called...

Now the casualty was a small motor boat, drifting on to the rocks off West Hoe.

With'the inflatable still in tow City of Plymouth set off, arriving at 1345 to find one speedboat, four people and a windsurfer on the rocks near the Hoe. After a confused conversation with the people ashore three of them boarded the boat and secured a line to the stern. The boat came off the rocks, but overturned in the process, and the people scrambled back ashore.

The Arun towed the speedboat back to Queen Anne's Battery, before going on to deliver the divers and their boat to Fort Bovisand at 1512.

But then Brixham Coastguard called...

Catamaran At 1531 a catamaran was reported in trouble off the River Yealm and the coastguard asked the lifeboat to assist. The Arun began to head for the Yealm, and Brixham Coastguard called...

A canoe had been reported missing, but one of the lifeboat crew had seen it off Mountbatten Pier and so the lifeboat was able to proceed to the catamaran off the Yealm.

When she arrived the cat was already being towed by a fishing vessel, so the lifeboat turned for home again and sailed back to Sutton harbour. By this time most of the small boats in the Sound were back on their moorings and City of Plymouth was finally released by Brixham Coastguard. She was moored and made ready for service again by 1715.

In all, seven incidents involving 23 people were investigated, and assistance given in varying degrees during the sevenand- a-half hours the lifeboat was out on service..