Grounded crew pulled to safetyOn 11 August last year, a small rigid inflatable boat (RIB) with two people on board ran aground on West Pole Sands, on Hayling Island, Hampshire. Hayling Island lifeboat station launched the Atlantic 75 lifeboat Betty Battle at 11,30pm with helmsman Graham Raines and crew members Evan Lamperd, Ian Harris and Darren Dancer. The weather was fair and dry, with a southwesterly Force 5 wind.

When the crew spotted the RIB, it was firmly aground with 1,5m waves breaking over it. Graham tried to take the lifeboat closer to the RIB but when it was still about 25m away the lifeboat hit theseabed. Graham decided to move down to deeper water to the south, where he thought he would be able to get closer to the grounded vessel.

Sure enough, this brought him within 15m of the RIB. He decided that it was safe enough to send someone into the water and Evan climbed into the sea with a towline to attach to the RIB. The water was only knee-high in the troughs, but breaking waves reached Evan's shoulders.

On the first attempt, wind and waves pushed the lifeboat away from the RIB and Evan ran out of rope before he could reach them. He was pulled back into the lifeboat for second try. Graham used full power to manoeuvre the lifeboat within a boat's length of the RIB and Evan dropped back into the water.

The force of the waves knocked him over several times on his way but he reached the RIB in one piece. He held onto the woman crew member and Darren hauled them both back to the lifeboat. Evan then returned to the grounded RIB and helped the man to the lifeboat.

The RIB was by now completely awash and Graham decided it was not safe to try to save it.

They returned to Hayling Island lifeboat station where the two people were checked over and found to be unhurt.

For this rescue, Graham Raines and Evan Lamperd received the RNLI Chairman's letter of thanks. Ian Harris and Darren Dancer received Operations Director's letters of appreciation..