ONLY TOP OF YACHT'S MAST VISIBLE IN SEAS Five saved as yacht drifts on to shoal in gale force windsA service in severe conditions to a disabled yacht with five people aboard has earned Robert Wright, the coxswain of Pwllheli lifeboat, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum. The yacht was being driven into extremely shallow water and could have broken up on a dangerous shoal had the lifeboat not been on hand.In his report George Rawlinson the deputy divisional inspector of lifeboats, west division, remarked that Coxswain Wright's careful boathandling during the first part of the tow was important to the success of the rescue.

Emergency mechanic Clive Moore will receive a framed letter of thanks from the RNLI's Chairman for his part in boarding the yacht and the remainder of the crew will receive Vellum Service certificates.

It was at 1712 on 28 March 1994 that Holyhead Coastguard requested a launch to Pollyann, a yacht in difficulties some 13 miles south of Pwllheli.

The station's Mersey class lifeboat Lilly and Vincent Anthony launched on service at 1723 into a SW Force 6 to 7, with poor visibility and drizzle. It was just after low water on the biggest tide of the year and the strong SW wind resulted in a rough, short and steep sea in the very shallow northern part of Cardigan Bay.Course was set for the Causeway Buoy, some 12 miles to the south of Pwllheli, and the lifeboat made good speed in the direction of the casualty while trying to establish radio contact with her.

Contact was eventually established and as a result of a VHP DF bearing the lifeboat altered course slightly to port, directly towards her. About ten minutes later a new bearing and the yacht's description of her position indicated that she was to the south of the notorious Sarn Badrig, or St Patricks Causeway.

Danger Radar contact at four miles showed the casualty about a mile south of the South Prong of the Causeway - an area of shallows extending ten miles offshore and known for its violent breaking seas.

The casualty was in danger of being driven onto the Causeway and the lifeboat needed to pass over the West Prong, an outlying corner of the shoal, to reach her before she was driven into dangerously shallow water. Lilly and Vincent Anthony shipped some heavy seas crossing the shallows of the West Prong before reaching the disabled Pollyann at 1835.

Here the SW Force 6-7 was gusting Gale Force 8, with a very rough, short breaking sea. A moderate SW swell, poor visibility and drizzle compounded the difficulties.

The best way to effect a rescue was to tow the yacht clear of the area, but although two of the yacht's crew were in her cockpit they could not catch and makefast the tow line.

Emergency mechanic Clive Moore volunteered to go aboard and, after four attempts, he was transferred onto the violently rolling yacht. A tow was then passed successfully at the first attempt and the coxswain brought the yacht headto- sea while the casualty drogue was passed and streamed by Moore.

Having made sure the yacht's crew were safe and secure a course was set to the NW in order to clear the shallows of the West Prong before making for Pwllheli Harbour. The yacht had lost her rudder and was very difficult to tow despite the steadying effect of the drogue so, as the casualty had a roller furling headsail, Clive Moore set it partially in an attempt to steady the motion of the disabled yacht.

Breaking The coxswain had to nurse the lifeboat and yacht through the breaking seas, which were so large that at times only the top of the yacht's mast was visible to the lifeboat crew. The coxswain continually altered course and speed to ease the casualty through the waves, with the lifeboat taking the worst of the breaking seas.

Coxswain Wright had to watch the yacht continuously, so he put assistant mechanic Alwyn Roberts on the wheel with a course to steer and instructions to square up to the worst of the breaking seas. The coxswain then controlled the engines and watched the casualty from the upper steering position - by the light of the searchlight as darkness fell.

After rounding the West Prong the seas came round to the port quarter when on a course for Pwllheli, and the motion on both vessels eased considerably so speed could be increased from around four knots to seven knots.

The crew of the yacht were suffering from severe seasickness, but the harbour entrance was made at 2205 and the yacht was berthed alongside at 2217 where an ambulance was waiting.

By 2315the lifeboat was rehoused, refuelled and ready for service again.Escort for barge with dangerous list Holyhead's relief Tyne class Voluntary Worker was called on to stand by when the cargo aboard the 40m lifting barge Eileen Dubv E shifted in a Force 6 WNW wind and moderate to rough seas some seven miles from the station.

During the two-and-a-half hour service on 15 November 1994 the lifeboat escorted the vessel, whose list had increased to 20° when her cargo of buoys and chains shifted, into the safety of the outer harbour at Holyhead.

The P&O RoRo ferry Buffalo provided a lee for the stricken vessel and also escorted her during the passage to Holyhead.Thanks on Vellum for Scarborough service A service on 12 August 1994 by Scarborough's Mersey class Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs, which was reported in the Autumn issue of THE LIFEBOAT, has led to Coxswain Richard Constantine being awarded the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

The lifeboat had been launched to help search for a woman who had been swept into the sea, and Coxswain Constantine made eight attempts to approach her in extremely difficult conditions.

A strong onshore wind was creating a 12ft sea, which rebounded from a sheer sea wall to create very rough and confused conditions.

In his report Tom Nutman, divisional inspector of lifeboats for the north division described Coxswain Constantine's seamanship as 'superb' and said: '...he kept excellent control of his lifeboat in a very dangerous situation and although he was unable to retrieve the casualty nothing but praise has been heard from all of those at the scene.' onThe reason they do it 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 way Portsmouth South Division Portsmouth to 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, which was 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.LIFEBOAT LESS THAN 20FT FROM CLIFFS 67 saved from stranded factory ship in Storm Force winds Lerwick's Arun class lifeboat Soldian was involved in another service to a Russian factory ship on 31 October 1994, another service in very bad weather and involving the evacuation of a large number of people.

There was a SE Gale Force 8 gusting to Storm Force 10 when Shetland Coastguard contacted Lerwick lifeboat station at 0056 on 31 October 1994. The 10,074 tonne Pionersk with 155 people on board had run aground at Trebister Ness, about 3 miles south of Lerwick and the Coastguard requested the lifeboat launch immediately.

Soldian launched at 0116, and by 0130 she was alongside Pionersk. The casualty's midships section lay on rocks with her bow facing seaward and her port side to the shore. She was yawing violently in a heavy swell.

Ladder The coxswain decided to start taking the crew off from an accommodation ladder over the stern, and he managed to recover four survivors before the ladder became so badly damaged that it could no longer be used.

By manoeuvring around the stern of the casualty and between her and the rocky shore and sandy "baas' under the surface coxswain Hewitt Clark put the lifeboat alongside a pilot ladder hung over the casualty's port side. The wind was gusting to Storm Force 10 from the SE, causing a strong swell and surge between the shore and the casualty which made it very difficult to handle the lifeboat which was being tossed around in the boiling water often less than 20ft from the cliffs.

At times the casualty was yawing 60ft back and forth and also rolling down on top of the lifeboat. Coxswain Clark had to make between 70 and 80 approaches to recover the other 63 men from the stricken vessel, as only one man at a time could be taken off the ladder. The lifeboat crew Lerwick Scotland Division, , Lerwick had to hold on to the rails as the lifeboat rolled and, at the same time, help the frightened Russian crew members down on to the heaving deck of the lifeboat before the casualty rolled down on top of them again. At times the lifeboat crew had to crouch below the level of the for'ard inboard rails to avoid being crushed between the two vessels.

The casualty was now beginning to take in water fast, and the engine room was flooded. There were signs that the for'ard holds were also leaking and, as the water level rose the engines and generators stopped. With all power lost there was a complete blackout and the lifeboat was now working in total darkness.

Oil To add to the difficulties the casualty's bunker oil was now beginning to leak into the sea where it was whipped up by the high winds and the down-draught from a rescue helicopter now on scene.

The lifeboat and crew were constantly sprayed with a highly unpleasant mist of diesel oil.Additional hazards were provided by large grips and bags thrown from the high deck level of the casualty as the survivors tried to bring some of their possessions with them and leaking ammonia from the ten tons of the gas carried on board as the refrigerant in the fish freezing equipment. The battering the vessel was receiving was causing pipes to break on board and allowing the gas to escape.

While the rescue attempt continued the harbour rugs/pilots vessels Knab and Kebister tried to put a line on board the vessel to pull her free. A skeleton crew of 15 were to remain aboard the casualty to attach lines but as the condition of the vessel worsened this was abandoned.

At 0248 the lifeboat advised the Coastguard that 67 survivors were on boardand that she would return to Lerwick, as no attempt would be made to transfer anyone to the harbour vessels because of the sea conditions.

By 0310 the lifeboat was alongside her berth to land the survivors and then returned to the casualty to stand by while the helicopter evacuated the remaining crew.

Although the weather was slowly moderating and the wind strength dropped quickly sea conditions were still heavy, with a south east swell running into the Voe.

At 0429 the Coastguard asked the lifeboat to pick up the remaining four crew, including the captain, as the helicopter which had made eight lifts to take off 84 men was now refuelling at Lerwick.

Plans were made to evacuate them from the pilot ladder, but the helicopter returned and lifted them before it could be put into action. The lifeboat stood by until all the crew were accounted for and then returned to her station. By 0535 she was alongside, refuelled and ready for service.The rather factual accounts from lifeboat coxswains can often make services such as this seem almost routine. It is therefore worth quoting directly the remarks of Magnus Shearer, the station honorary secretary, on his report of this service: 'Once again the coxswain and crew were called on to make a superhuman effort in rescuing 67 crew members from a vessel in what amounts to impossible conditions.

'The fact that no lives were lost or injuries sustained sometimes makes it seem easy. But the seamanship, consummate skill and boat handling ability of Coxswain Hewitt Clark is second to none. To go in and take the lifeboat alongside the vessel where there was absolutely no margin for error is a skill in itself, but to do it in the conditions which prevailed that night and in total darkness is beyond belief- to do so over 70 times without loss of life or injury is surely nothing short of a miracle.

'The crew's part in this rescue, and their faith in the coxswain's skill is exemplary, as it was such a thin line between success and failure. If at any time they had lost their grip or had been washed overboard their chances of recovery were virtually nil. I have never seen the coxswain and crew so physically and mentally shattered after a service and they really did give of their all.' Magnus Shearer added this comment: 'On a slightly lighter note, if that's the word, the crew were called out again four days later in another SE gale. As the lifeboat got underway the crew started to put their heavy weather gear and seaboots on - as the second coxswain pulled his on he noticed that the right one still seemed damp from Monday's service... but on closer inspection he realised that one of the 67 Russians had used it as a sick bag! Needless to say a closer inspection of all possible receptacles followed!'D class saves three from holed yacht Helmsman Gary Miller and crew members Russell Wignall and Martin Jaggs of Lytham St Annes D class inshore lifeboat have received framed letters of thanks from the RNLI's chairman after the rescue of three people on 6 June 1994.

Deputy divisional inspector for the north division Guy Flatten said in his report that the speed and brevity of the service in no way detracted from the skill and seamanship of the lifeboat crew.

It was carried out at the upper limits of the weather conditions for a D class lifeboat and, he added, any delay in reaching the casualties could have resulted in tragedy.

Events had begun earlier on Monday 6 June when the 37ft motor-sailer Gean, outward bound for the Isle of Man, had run aground just outside the deep water channel. The tide was falling and there was a rocky training bank close to leeward.

A lifeboat crew member noticed the yacht at 1730 and reported her presence to the station and the Coastguard. Although she was in no immediate danger the wind was increasing and the tide would soon start to flood strongly up the channel. An Auxiliary Coastguard kept watch as the vessel lifted and suddenly saw her float off, swing towards the rocky wall and part her anchor cable. By now the wind was SW Force 6 creating a nasty sea and the flood was running strongly up the entrance channel.

Gean broadcast a Mayday as she had been holed on the training bank, and the water level had risen to high enough to drown the engine.

The coastguard alerted the station at 1950 and just over ten minutes later the station's D class had launched from her low water launch site half-a-mile away and was making for the casualty through 4ft to 6ft seas. About two miles away from the scene Martin Jaggs caught sight of the yacht's mast, and as it was not rising and falling with the seas surmised that she had sunk. With the tide flooding hard towards them the lifeboat crew kept a sharp lookout for the survivors, soon spotting some debris in the water. Moments later they crested a wave and saw an overturned rubber dinghy about 200 yards away with the people in the water clinging to it.

There were very confused 6ft seas in this area and helmsman Miller had to use great skill to put the lifeboat alongside the dinghy.

The three survivors - two men and a Lytham St Annes North Division young woman -had now been in the water for about 30 minutes and helmsman Miller was concerned that the girl was low in the water and might let go.

Crew member Wignall jumped in to the water and helped her to the lifeboat, which was washed away from the dinghy while she was being helped aboard.

Helmsman Miller put the lifeboat alongside the dinghy again and the two men were then helped aboard followed by Andrew Wignall.

At 2025 the lifeboat headed back to the station, and as the suvivors appeared to be sufferring from varying degrees of hypothermia they were carefully monitored on their way back to the station where an ambulance and the station's honorary medical adviser were waiting.

All three were safely landed at 2045 and found not to need hospitalisation.

After being given warm showers and dry clothing the HMA stayed with them until they had recovered.

The station's all-weather Tyne class had been launched at 2015 to provide back-up and she proceeded to the casualty to recover the dinghy. The yacht broke up completely just as she arrived.YACHTS MttVgmgi BS ?S.i!li«IS«|t ;ipsSIIIS THE SOUND Breezy conditions lead to six calls in one day for Plymouth's Arun Plymouth's Arun class lifeboat City of Plymouth was kept extremely busy on 9 August 1994 when she received no less than six calls - launching first at 0048 and finally returning to her mooring at 1855! The eventful day began with Brixham Coastguard contacting the station at 0035 with news of a 29ft yacht, Blue Star, experiencing difficulties some 25 miles to the south east of the station.

Launching at 0048 the Arun made good speed to the casualty despite heading into an easterly wind which increased from Force 5 to 6 at the mooring to Severe Gale Force 9 at the casualty. Arriving at the casualty at 0155 the lifeboat found the commercial vessel Bell Pioneer standing by and providing a lee until the lifeboat's arrival. Here the wind, a rough sea and a 3m to 4m swell made conditions difficult for the lifeboat, which had to be manoeuvred alongside twice, once to put two crew members aboard and then to connect a tow. The yacht's man and wife crew - described as of 'mature years' - were exhausted by the conditions and so the lifeboat crew made the tow secure and the Arun began the long tow back.

Conditions were such that over 45° of leeway were being allowed for at one point and the speed over the ground was less than 2 knots.

Finally lifeboat and tow arrived back at Plymouth, the casualty was taken to Sutton Harbour and the Arun was back on her mooring at 0735.

...again Less than two hours after the lifeboat had been refuelled Brixham Coastguard called again, at 0945. The French yacht Avocette 2 with seven people aboard had been dismasted eight miles to the westsouth- west. It took City of Plymouth just 11 minutes to get under way again and in moderating conditions she arrived on scene in just over half an hour.

A fishing vessel had the yacht in tow, but her spars and sails were still overboard.

Launching the Y boat three lifeboat crew members boarded the yacht and, working with the three male crew from the yacht, cleared away the rig in about an hour despite the still-difficult conditions - a SW Force 4 and a swell 1 m to 2m high.

The casualty was then brought into a marina in Plymouth and the lifeboat crew had barely finished helping the crew put the remains of the rig ashore than the Coastguard called again.

This time the casualty was a yacht called Islay Mist, on fire four miles to the south-south-west but as the lifeboat neared the scene the single-handed sailor reported that he had extinguished the blaze, was being towed by another yacht and that the situation was under control.

He had received slight burns but did not need medical attention.

Meanwhile, during the approach to Islay Mist the lifeboat crew had spotted the three occupants of a small motor boat waving at them. She was in no immediate danger so the lifeboat continued to Islay Mist, returning as soon as she was released. She found the vessel proceeding with difficulty with a jury rudder rigged to replace the broken original.

The jury rudder was not able to cope in the conditions, a SE Force 5, moderate sea and swell up to 2m high, so the Arun took her in tow and delivered her to the marina.

Tow...

But that was far from the end of City of Plymouth's day.

The yacht towing Islay Mist to safety now reported that assistance would be needed in berthing her tow so the lifeboat took over, put a crew member aboard the casualty and berthed her safely at 1629.

Just one minute later Brixham Coastguard called again - the lifeboat was needed in nearby Jennycliffe Bay where the son of the skipper of the yacht Lady Llamedos had received a head injury. The Arun was alongside the yacht in less than ten minutes, took the casualty aboard and transferred him ashore to be met by an ambulance.

This time the lifeboat made it back to her moorings, making fast at 1745 and being refuelled and ready for service again by 1750.

However, that service was to come sooner than anyone expected - the next call from Brixham Coastguard arrived Plymouth Plymouth South Division three minutes later! This time it was a fast motor cruiser called Amie with eight people aboard which had run out of fuel for her main engine two miles to the south-south-west. Amie did have an auxiliary engine but with the SE wind now back up to Force 5 to 6 again she could not make headway in the conditions.

It took just 10 minutes for the lifeboat to reach Amie, to find her under tow by another yacht and with a MoD police launch standing by. Taking over the tow City of Plymouth took the casualty back to Mayflower Marina where, in suitable shelter, she was able to made the fuelling berth under her own auxiliary power.

Peace...

At long last the lifeboat made her way back to her berth, making fast at 1855 and being declared ready for service again by 1915.

No doubt to the relief of her crew City of Plymouth was then allowed a little peace - no less than 18 hours after her first call of the day! Submitting the large sheaf of service returns to headquarters at Poole Paul Willerton, the station honary secretary, concluded:'.. .Although none of the services were life-threatening the skill and endurance of the crew were well tested and worthy of note.' A masterpiece of understatement! We are still interested in receiving accounts of rescues from the casualty's point of view, particulary recent services and those from which lessons can be learned.

Please see the Lifeboat Services page of the Autumn 1994 issue for more details..