Seven-hour service to cargo vessel in storm conditions Giving help to the 400-ton cargo vessel Calf Sound kept Eyemouth's 44ft Waveney busy for some seven hours in winds of up to Force 10 on 25 March 1988. The vessel was anchored about two miles north of Eyemouth with engine failure when help was first requested at 0940.Engineering assistance was needed, and with the NW wind at that time at Force 8 and moderate to rough seas it was felt that the local fishing boats would not be able to cope with the conditions.

The Waveney Eric Seal was launched at 0950 with Second Coxswain/Mechanic James Tarvit in charge, and by 1015 she had closed the casualty and landed an engineer.

The cargo boat could not be manoeuvred to provide a lee and a 15ft sea and 6-8ft swell were running.

The problem was diagnosed, and a spare part and the services of a second engineer were found to be needed. The lifeboat returned to the shore for the part and the engineer, and then put them aboard the Calf Sound, before lying in the bay or harbour out of the worst of the weather.

By mid-day it was discovered the parts were unsuitable, and so, with the weather deteriorating all the time, the lifeboat hadto go alongside the cargo boat once more, pick up the engineers and put them ashore.

At 1405 she returned once again to the vessel with the modified part and lay off out of the weather. The repairs to the ship were finally completed, and she was able to sail at 1530 and continue her passage to Blyth.

With the vessel under way she was at last able to provide a lee when the engineers were finally taken off at 1545, but the weather had now deteriorated still further and the wind had reached Force 10 during the service.

During the long service coxswain Tarvit had taken the lifeboat alongside the cargo vessel four times in very bad weather, only once with any sort of lee provided..