Man rescued by yacht's dinghy The rescue of a non-swimmer from the River Axe at Westonsuper- Mare has earned yachtsman Mr John Dark a Letter of Thanks from the RNLI's Director, who praised him on 'a highly commendable rescue', commenting that 'there is no doubt that your prompt and decisive actions saved a man's life'.

On Monday 8 April 1991 Mr Dark was aboard his yacht Hot Pepper on his mooring near Walbrough Sluice, with co-owners Mr and Mrs Banks, who are not experienced yachtsmen.

At approximately 13 30 Mr Dark heard shouts and went ol» deck to see two persons floundering in the water downstream.

Mayday Mr Dark told Mr Banks to broadcast a Mayday to summon help, while he rowed quickly towards the two people in distress in his 6ft pram dinghy, taking with him a lifebelt.

The first man, obviously a nonswimmer, was holding on to a buoy. Mr Dark handed him the lifebelt and went to look for the second person. He was unable to find any sign of him.

The man on the buoy, wearing a heavy combat-style jacket, shouted that he could not hold for much longer and requested immediate assistance. Mr Dark, realising it would be imprudent to recover the man into the pram dinghy from the water, hoisted him first onto a speedboat on an adjacent mooring and then into his dinghy.

As he returned the survivor to Hot Pepper, Mr Banks told Mr Dark no response had been received to his Mayday call, and ittranspired that Mr Banks had not activated the transmit button. The subsequent Mayday was received by Swansea Coastguard at 1346.

Mr Dark dressed the survivor in his own trousers, shirt and sweater as he was shivering violently with cold and shock. In foul weather gear, Mr Dark resumed his search for the missing man, but again to no avail.

Update Weston-super-Mare deputy launching authority, Terry Green, then appeared in his own dinghy and was updated on the situation.

Mr Dark returned to Hot Pepper as he was getting tired.

MrGreen recovered the remains of the dinghy, and Weston's Atlantic 21 and D class arrived to search for the missing person, but no one was found.

At low water that evening Mr Dark returned to the scene and Police divers recovered the body of the survivor's son from the spot where he had last been seen. Neither of the men had been swimmers and neither wore any form of lifejacket.

Risk Captain Hugh Fogarty, deputy divisional inspector, south west, said: 'To recover a man from the water in a 6ft pram dinghy is hazardous and had Mr Dark not thought the matter through, this service could well have ended with three drowned. However, he achieved his aim with the minimum, albeit not inconsiderable, risk to himself.'.