28 saved from Bulgarian vessel aground in southerlv gale «/ ^5 Stornoway's Arun class lifeboat Sir Max Aitken II rescued the entire crew of 28 from the Bulgarian fish factory ship Condor when she was stranded on rocks some 26 miles from the station, and subsequently sank.Stornoway Coastguard alerted the station at 0135 on 25 April 1990 and the lifeboat was under way 14 minutes later for the two-anda- half hour passage, almost directly into the increasing SW Force 5 wind, which was producing a heavy sea and swell.

The ship was found aground on Eugene Rock, settling by the bow with her stern lifting. By now the wind had increased to Force 6 and the lifeboat, having made her first approach by the ship's Low ramp, moved forward to lay alongside and began to embark the crew, using a pilot ladder lowered over Condor's starboard quarter.

At 0445 the ship's captain gave the order to abandon ship and ten minutes later,with all of her crew aboard, the lifeboat cleared the casualty which was now well down by the head with her propeller showing above the water. The wind was still increasing and had reached gale Force 8 by this point, having also backed to the south so that the Arun now had to run directly down-wind to reach her home port.

With the extra weight of 20 survivors below and another eight in the wheelhouse, plus their personal effects, the lifeboat waswell laden and the coxswain could only make 13 knots in any comfort for the passage back to station.

All survivors were landed safely in Stornoway, and the lifeboat was refuelled and ready for service again an hour later..