Quick action saves life of fellow lifeboatman lost overboard It is particularly difficult for a lifeboat crew to go to the rescue of somebody that they know. It makes it even harder when the casualty is a fellow lifeboatman. The crew of Borth lifeboat took their D class to the very limits of its capabilities in their search for Aberdovey helmsman Phil Nicol. It is without doubt that their bravery and determination in appalling conditions saved Phil from serious injury or even death.'We first heard Aberdovey ILB talking over the radio to Milford Haven Coastguard concerning the loss of one of their crew members,' Amos Bewick remembered. 'We had just returned from exercising in the surf around Borth Head and were aware of the poor conditions.' Aberdovey's Atlantic had lost helmsman Phil Nicol overboard and were having trouble recovering him. He had been caught in an eddy caused by the strong ebb tide, the flow of floodwater-out to sea from the River Dovey and the south-westerly waves.

Borth's D class had been on exercise when the worsening conditions had forced them to return home. They were just 200m from the beach, with the trailer already waiting to recover the boat, when the call came through. As soon as it was confirmed that their assistance was needed, Amos started the three mile journey north.

'The weather had deteriorated while we had been on exercise,' he said. The wind was from the south west and we were glad we were travelling with the wind rather than into the freshening breeze. The swell offshore was getting bigger the further we travelled north. We went as fast as we could between the waves but frequently had to turn seawards and negotiate large breaking waves that threatened to upset the boat.' 'Due fo the onshore wind we had to climb slowly up the waves so as not to hit them like ramps leaving the boat in mid-air, vulnerable to flipping over.' Helmsman Amos Bewick The three mile passage took around half an hour in steadily deteriorating conditions. The ride was exceptionally uncomfortable for the three crew, with heavy wind-blown spray and unpredictable waves. Amos is an experienced surfer and did an outstanding job of controlling the pitching lifeboat. He needed all of his experience and skill to maintain the boat's stability, while continuing to make best speed towards their stranded colleague.

'We encountered increasingly large swells, three of which will be with us in our memories for some time,' said Amos. 'When the boat crawls upthe face of a particularly big wave and then the wave drops away leaving you, your crew and boat in mid-air, causing you to land standing on the transom, it does cause you to think a bit!' As they arrived at Aberdovev, the Berth crew spotted the Aberdovey lifeboat and went alongside.

Aberdovey crew told them where they thought Phil was. in an area too shallow for the Atlantic to operate. Phil had been spotted intermittently between the waves.

-,e» ""\ The seas around him * i were closer and more confused than they had been on passage, making it difficult to locate the man in the water. To make matters worse, Phil had lost his helmet and was floating low in the water.

As Amos entered the North Bank to start searching, the crew thought they had spotted Phil and headed south to investigate. Sadly, they turned out to be mistaken. Amos headed north again, turning west when he reached the line that they had originally been following. Almost immediately Martyn and Alex spotted Phil over to port.

'We knew that with these conditions and for his sake we had one chance to get him, haul him quickly into the boat and then just get out of there,' said Amos. Bringing him alongside on the port sponson, Alex grabbed hold of Phil and managed to pull him onto the sponson. Martyn joined him and, between the two of them, they managed to pull him into the lifeboat.

Just as Phil was safely in the boat, a large wave, topped with white water, crashed into the boat, forcing them north into the breaking seas. As Amos struggled for control, Martyn and Alex threw themselves onto the port sponson to stop the lifeboat from being capsized.

As soon as he got the boat under control, Amos headed straight for Aberdovey boathouse. 'Once Phil was in the boat, we turned towards Aberdovey and raced out of the surf,' Amos remembered. 'On the way in, it was good to be able to tell his crew that he was safe. We travelled as fast as possible to Aberdovey boathouse to pass Phil onto his anxiously waiting crew. A D class isn't the best place to administer first aid! Once he was in their hands, we knew his condition could only improve.' When they first picked him up, Phil was conscious and talking, but on the passage back to the boathouse he began to slip in and out of consciousness and he was unconscious by the time they reached the slipway. He was stretchered into the boathouse where trained station staff began to treat him for hypothermia.

An ambulance arrived within 10 minutes and the paramedics took over. When his lifejacket and drysuit were cut off, his body temperature was found to be just 25.2°C.

The rescue helicopter arrived shortly afterwards and Phil was airlifted to Bronglais Hospital at Aberystwyth, where he was rushed to intensive care. By the evening Phil was able to talk and receive visitors but he was kept in intensive care to watch for signs of secondary drowning. He was also found to have an injury to his back, with bruised and strained ligaments. By the following day he was feeling much better but hospital staff found a small amount of fluid in his left lung and he was kept in a further day for observation. After three days in hospital, he was discharged and has now made a full recovery.

'Many of the shouts I have been on in the summer are much shorter, involve less arduous conditions and aren 't so immediately critical. But we all train throughout the year for occasions such as this.

When I heard about the medal, I was dead chuffed. We knew we had done a good job that resulted in the saving of a fellow lifeboatman's life. But it means a lot that this service has been recognised by experienced seamen, and in such a public manner. It is an award for all the work Berth does. Not only is the boat one of the best... but so is the whole crew.' ^ Helmsman Amos BewickThe Lifeboat D class lifeboat D-479 M*Y Buili 1995 Cost £11,275 Funding Gift of Or May Road ThaCftw Helmsman Amoi Bewick tor his 'outstanding skill, calm leadership and unswerving deter mi na lion lo perform a hfesavmg service' Joined crew 1994 Occupation Protect worker M*d*l S*rvic* Certificates Crew Members Marty n Da VIM Ale. Shepherd _ Bortti LHeboat Station Established 1966 Previous Medals Thanks on Vellum 1978. 1987 Helmsman Phil Nicol Joined crew 1995 Occupation Inttructor.