Five saved from foundering yacht When five Danish sailors found themselves in difficulties off the Yorkshire coast with their engine :ailing in appalling weather, the Bridlington lifeboat crew needed all their skill, courage and determination to bring them safely ashore.In early July this year, the 13m sailing yacht Lobo left Denmark with five experienced sailors on board. They were planning a straightforward journey to the Moray Firth, then down through the Caledonian Canal, circling round the southern part of Britain before heading back to Denmark. Just a few days later, however, engine problems and steadily worsening weather off the Yorkshire coast caused an unwelcome interruption to their trip.

Early in the morning of 11 July, strong northerly winds had blown the yacht off course and she decided to run for shelter in Scarborough.

But as the night wore on, the weather worsened and she was blown further south towards Bridlington. The yacht was now suffering engine problems and the crew, who had been battling the heavy seas all night, were exhausted. Noting the navigation hazards in the area, the yacht's skipper requested assistance to enter Bridlington Bay.

The six-man lifeboat crew was alerted and at 0640 the Bridlington Mersey class lifeboat Marine Engineer was launched. On board was one of the RNLI's most experienced coxswains, Fred Walkington, with Second Coxswain Roland Stork, Mechanic Stewart McKie, Assistant Mechanic Andrew Brompton and Crew Members Stuart Tibbett and Stuart Cundall. 'When the pagers went off my mind went first to the weather', recalls Fred, 'but I expected a straightforward escort or tow job'.

Local knowledge proves vital The lifeboat headed north east from the launch site towards Flamborough Head, through a narrow passage between the head and Smithick Bank.

This passage can be treacherous in certain winds and tides, and it took all of Fred's experience and local knowledge to proceed safely. All shelter from the wind was lost once Flamborough Head was cleared and, to the untrained eye, the passage between the bank and the head was hidden by the large breaking seas stretching south from Flamborough Head. A local tide called the Hive, which runs counter to the main current, meets the tidal flow out of the bay head on in the narrow gap, creating large, random, breaking waves, further complicated by the northerly strong gale.

As the lifeboat cleared the headland, the weather conditions deteriorated. Winds increasedto Strong Gale Force 9, whipping up a 6-8m swell and heavy showers reduced visibility. At this point the yacht was following an erratic westerly course at 6 knots, about five miles east of Flamborough Head. Although the engine was running, it was not driving the propeller. The lifeboat reached the yacht within half an hour of launching and closed in to assess the situation.

Exhausted yacht crew unable to help Only one member of the yacht's crew was on deck, lashed to the tiller to protect himself from the violent movement of the boat. He had been at the helm for over 36 hours, in appalling weather conditions and was nearing total exhaustion. The other crew members were below decks, and all were worn out and unable to assist the lifeboat crew.

The high seas and gale force winds had heeled the yacht over to port, with the boom swinging out over the side, so the coxswain tried to close on the starboard side and, after many attempts, managed to get close enough to pass a heaving line. On board the yacht, one of the crew members crawled out of the cabin and reached the line. He managed to haul the line aboard and made it fast, but the crew were clearly unable to offer further assistance.

A leap in the dark It was now that Fred realised that he would have to try to put a man aboard the yacht. This would be hard enough in such tempestuous seas but was made all the more formidable by the yacht's ferro-concrete construction. He knew that if he laid alongside the yacht, or even made contact, he risked seriously damaging it. Crew Member Stuart Cundall positioned himself on the outside of the lifeboat's port rails and the coxswain made 20 or more attempts to get close enough to the yacht for Stuart to board her. each time defeated by the erratic course of the yacht, the heavy breaking seas and the gale force winds.

Then a huge wave broke over the lifeboat, sweeping Stuart off his feet. Assistant Mechanic Andrew Brompton and Crew Member Stuart Tibbett leapt to his assistance and heaved him aboard. As Stuart reached the relative safety of the deck, a wave momentarily pushed the lifeboat within reach of the yacht. Andrew looked up, saw the yacht's rigging and immediately leapt over the rail and flung himself towards the yacht. As the two boats moved apart, Andrew was left clinging to the outside of the yacht's rail with the lower half of his body submerged.

'/ have little recall of jumping from the lifeboat.-- I ached for about three days, but I had a great sense of satisfaction.' Assistant Mechanic Andrew Brompton 'When I first saw Andrew clinging to the yacht everything seemed to go into slow motion' recalls Fred. 'We couldn't go in to help; he would have been crushed between the boats. The yacht's crew couldn't help due to exhaustion, we just hadto leave it up to Andrew to pull himself onto the yacht.' Finally, Andrew managed to haul himself up onto the deck and made his way forward to take the lifeboat's tow line. With Andrew safely aboard, Fred was able to stand off while his crew paid out the heaving line and tow line. Andrew made fast and the yacht was safely under tow.

Heading for home The lifeboat headed back towards Bridlington with the yacht in tow. As it reached the lee of Flamborough Head, it was almost low water and again Fred needed to make full use of his local knowledge to find a safe path through the narrow passage. The low water also meant that they couldn't enter the harbour, so Fred towed the yacht to the relative shelter under the lee of Sewerby Cliffs. The lifeboat went alongside, and Mechanic Stewart McKie and Second Coxswain Roland Stork transferred to the yacht. With the yacht now in safe hands, the two yacht crew went below deck to join their comrades and get some rest.

When the lifeboatmen checked up on the engine problems, the cause was soon apparent, as the engine room was partially flooded and the gearbox was submerged. The lifeboat's salvage pump was transferred and the engine room pumped dry, returning the drive to the propeller shaft. Once the tide had risen sufficiently, the lifeboat towed the yacht to the entrance of the harbour. With the engine now working properly, and under the command of Stewart McKie. the yacht was able to make way under her own power to berth in the Inner Harbour at Bridlington at around 1030.

'In my 35 years as part of Bridlington lifeboat crew, this was the rescue that will stand out above alt the others. I have been out in far worse weather many times, but never with the handling of the lifeboat in bad weather being so crucial to the saving of five lives in one go.' Coxswain Fred Walkington >fyThe Lifeboat Mersey class ON 1169 Marine Engineer The Crew • Bronze Atedgf Co» swain Fr«d WalMngton for his 'courage, seamanship skills.

competence, local knowledge and professional manner'.

Assistant Mechanic Andrew Brompton for his 'courage and determination m boarding the yacht, making her ready lor towing and ensuring a safe and successful outcome' Medal Service Certificate Mechanic Stewart McKie Second Coxswain Roland Stork Crew Member Stuart Tibbeti Crew Member Stuart Cundall.