The front cover photograph of this issue of THE LIFEBOAT, reproduced here, sums up the work of the lifeboat crews - a survivor in good hands and on his wayto safety ashore.

This service, by both of Portsmouth (Langstone Harbour)'s inshore lifeboats is hardly an epic, yet it illustrates well the almost routine work which means so much to survivors and crew members alike.

This incident began when Solent Coastguard informed the station that a small 14ft power boat was stranded on the southern end of the East Winner sandbank in a SW Force 3 to 4.

The station's D class inflatable took only 10 minutes from launching to reach the casualty, but had to be 'bumpwalked' as near as possible on the falling tide. A crew member walked to the stranded vessel, and finding there were six people aboard radioed back to the D class which in turn requested the station's larger Atlantic 21 to launch.

The six survivors, including the four -year-old pictured and a seven-year-old with physical and mental disabilities, were then escorted to the D class, whichwas then walked out to deeper water to meet the Atlantic.

All of the survivors were returned safely to the lifeboat station where a warm room and hot drinks soon returned them to health. The stranded motor boat was recovered at the next high tide..