Cruiser sinks minutes after crew rescued Fowey South West Division The vigilance of Fowey Deputy Launching Authority Capt Mike Mitchell, which led to the Fowey lifeboat leaving harbour as a casualty fired her first red flare, has been recognised by a letter of thanks from the RNLI's chief of operations.

The DLA first spotted a small yacht with no mainsail and her jib flying loose off the Udder Buoy, about half-a-mile from the station, at 1555 on 3 November 1988. A small motor cruiser was in company with the yacht, which seemed to be making about 2 knots out to sea, beam on to a heavy easterly swell and a Force 8 wind from the E.

Unhappy Captain Mitchell was unhappy with the.

situation and told the coxswain and mechanic to stand by.

By 1605 the cabin cruiser appeared to have broken down and the yacht now appeared to be un-manned, so a launch was authorised and the coastguard informed.

Just as the lifeboat, the 44ft Waveney Thomas Forehead and Mary Rowse II, cleared the harbour a red flare was fired from the motor cruiser. The pre-emptive launch meant that the lifeboat was alongside the casualty only eight minutes after the flare was sighted.

The Waveney picked up the single occupant of the motor cruiser, which sank ten minutes later, and then picked up the yacht, which was now some half-a-mile away, and towed her in to Fowey harbour, returning at 1715.

Abandoned The unusual circumstances of the rescue were due to the fact that the yacht, which had been on a single-handed passage from Brittany to Fowey, had found the abandoned motor cruiser in mid channel and taken it in tow. The yacht skipper then found himself in difficulties off Udder Rock, and had attempted to tow the yacht with the cruiser - being defeated first by a broken tow-line and then by engine failure. With the tow parted and the cruiser unable to pursue it the yacht had drifted away leaving the survivor marooned on a broken down cruiser which foundered soon afterwards.

Captain Mitchell was praised for his excellent pre-emptive launch which saved valuable minutes..