THE LIFEBOAT Mersey class lifeboat ON-1166 Lincolnshire Poacher Cost £460,221 Funding Provided by a major donation to The Lincolnshire Lifeboat Appeal by the John and Lucille Van Geett Charitable Trust THE CREW Coxswain/Mechanic J Irving Ciew Members 1 Johnson R Watson E Epton D Sellers S Wymer G Abbott SKEGNESS LIFE BOAT STATION Established 1825 Previous Medals Thanks on Vellum. 1998 THE CASUALTY Lone yachisman and the vac hi Wing THE CONDITIONS Weather Cloudy Visibility Good 5/10 miles Wind NNWForce5 Sea state Rough'Run-of-the-mill1 job turns into heroic rescue, as Skegness lifeboat Lincolnshire Poacher saves life of solo yacht skipper aground in pounding surfRescue a dramatic struggle becomesCold, tired and wet, the lone skipper of the yacht Wing had been without sleep for nearly two days when his yacht ran aground on the Long Sands, south of Skegness, on the morning of 5 May 2002. As rough seas and a chilling north northwest Force 5 wind pounded his yacht harder and harder onto the sandbank, the Skegness lifeboat Lincolnshire Poacher was launched, with Coxswain John Irving in command.John recounts how he first thought this would be straightforward launch. 'I wasn't perturbed by the weather - and the job seemed to be run-of- the-mill.

We were to locate and help re-float a vessel that had run aground in the Wash, and then escort it to safety.' Initial reports indicated that the yacht was believed to be aground to the seaward side of the Long Sands, the treacherous sandbanks in the Parlour Channel, to the south of Skegness. But as the lifeboat raced to the stricken yacht, new information placed her inside the channel.

As they approached the sandbanks, the wind had increased to Force 6 but, more significantly, it now became clear for the first time that the job would be much more difficult than expected- The stricken yacht was trapped on the inside of the sandbanks, with the weather driving her further up the bank, making approach and rescue much more difficult and hazardous.

Rapidly assessing the situation, John changed his plans and tried to get alongside the yacht. Thwarted by the rough seas, 2m swells and crashing surf, he tried to manoeuvre the lifeboat in order to fire a rocket line to secure a tow to the Wing. However, in the confusion it proved difficult to get the yacht's skipper to take cover. By the time a line was successfully fired aboard, he was too tired to haul it on deck and make fast.

While the lifeboat moved to and fro in the surf, often touching the sandbank itself, John began to appreciate the advantages of working with a good depth of water under his keel. As he tried to manoeuvre the lifeboat into position, breaking waves kept driving him back.When a particularly large wave swept over the yacht, John feared the worst: 'I was really concerned for the yachtsman, and knew that he was in big trouble. The yacht was now being pounded onto the sandbank by the surf and was likely to lose its mast and keel/ Fancy footwork saves the dayFor an instant, on his final approach, the distance between the boats'narrowed to inches. Seizing his chance, Third Mechanic David Sellars stepped nimbly across the gap between the boats, and boarded the Wing. As the lifeboat dropped back, David quickly secured the towline - and the Lincolnshire Poacher was able to tow the yacht to safety. By this time, the exhausted skipper of the yacht had already gone below and immediately fallen fast asleep.

At one point the rough seas made the towline jump out of the fairlead, but David spotted it immediately and averted disaster. But in the process, a large wave threw him down and his head struck a deck fitting - only his helmet saving him from serious injury.

For his inspired leadership and quick thinking, Coxswain John Irving received a letter of appreciation from the Chief Executive of the RNLI; and David Sellars received a letter of thanks from the Chairman of the RNLI for his selfless courage.

'Although it turned into one of my most difficult shouts as coxswain, it was good to see that all the hours of training paid off, and the crew all acted instinctively to give their very best.' Coxswain John IrvingTHE LIFEBOAT Atlantic 75 lifeboat B-731 Dorothy 5*Jin* Funding A generous gift from Mf Rag Dawe of Hereford THE CREW Senior Helrrisman Aubrey Diggle Crew Members Anthony Summers David Ricketts TREARDDLJR BAY LIFEBOAT STATION Established 1967 Previous Medals. Bronze 19711x21 THE CASUALTY Two surfers THE CONDITIONS Weather Fair Visibility 1/4 mile* Wind NW Force 8 Sea state: HighSurfers saved in lightning rescue dashAs senior helmsman Aubrey Diggle was leaving the boathouse on the morning of 23 February 2002, a surfer reported that two of his colleagues were being swept away. Looking out to sea, Aubrey instantly summed up the situation, and realised that the surfers were indeed in danger, for they were in a known tidal rip that was rapidly taking them out to sea.

Aubrey fired two maroons to summon the lifeboat crew and telephoned the Coastguard. The launch was authorised, with Aubrey at the helm, and Anthony Summers and David Ricketts as crew.

Rip-tide drags surfers out to sea From its sheltered launch site on the northern shore, the Atlantic 75 lifeboat Dorothy Selina surged into the high seas, with breaking waves of up to 4m, although it was initially protected from the full strength of the northwesterly Force 7-8 winds. The surfers were still in the bay but caught in the dangerously powerful rip-tide running along the southern side of the bay. Using his excellent knowledge of the local seas, Aubrey kept to the sheltered northern shore as long as possible, heading for the surfers who were some 100m south of a large outcrop of rocks known as Cod Rocks.

Once the lifeboat left the lee of the rocks, it was exposed to the full brunt of the seas running into the bay. Aubrey steered the boat down sea at first, then turned head to sea to allow the crew to pick up the surfers. They had just got them aboard, but not properly secured, when a large wave, some 2- 3m high, hit the lifeboat. Aubrey instinctively headed into the wave, while the crew used their feet to hold the surfers down.

Lifeboat swamped Applying full power, Aubrey headed as fast as he could for the shelter of Cod Rocks. But just 50m from safety, a steep wave of 3-4m began to break ahead of them. Throttling back, he squared up to it. The bow was completely buried as a huge wave of water swamped the boat, pushing theboat to starboard. Keeping his nerve, Aubrey increased power and turned to port, as the Atlantic surfaced safely- Gaining the shelter of Cod Rocks once more, the lifeboat soon returned to station.

Courage recognised For his courage and exceptional seamanship in safely steering the lifeboat in conditions that were at the limit of its capabilities, senior helmsman Aubrey Diggle received a letter of appreciation from the Chief Executive of the RNLi; while helmsman Anthony Summers and crew member David Ricketts both received letters of commendation from operations director Michael Vlasto for their swift teamwork and commitment.

Although the rescue only lasted 11 minutes, it amply demonstrates the quick thinking that saves lives.It was a dark and stormy night...

The Invergordon lifeboat Douglas Aikman Smith was launched just before midnight on 10 May 2002, following reports that two craft were overdue at Golspie, in winds of Force 5-6. Contact was soon established with the 11m yacht Regulus, which had suffered engine failure. The other, smaller craft was a 5m dinghy - with no radio or life saving equipment - which had failed to return having set out to search for the Regulus.

Within the hour, the lifeboat was alongside the Regulus and established that its skipper - and his dog - were safe.

While the skipper tried to anchor his boat, the lifeboat began a search for the missing dinghy. A helicopter joined the search and after the dinghy's sole occupant used his mobile telephone to give an indication of his position to the Coastguard, it was spotted by the helicopter and located by the lifeboat shortly after 2am.

In 30 knot winds, the dinghy was towed safely to the harbour at Golspie. The lifeboat returned to the Regulus and at 3.30am began to tow her to Golspie, returning to station at 6.25am.

Coxswain Coutts and his crew were commended by the operations director of the RNLI for their teamwork and commitment on this long service conducted in darkness and in poor conditions.THE LIFEBOAT Severn class lifeboat ON-1255 Altc and Christina Dykes Funding: Legacies of Helen C Dykes and Robert Buchanan THE CREW Coxswain David Hurford Crew Members Mark Griddle Richard Fowler Simon James Nigel Con I ton John Ashlord TORBAV LIFEBOAT STATION Established 1866 Previous Medals Thanks on Vellum 1999 THE CASUALTY Fishing vessel Our Johanna THE CONDITIONS Weather Gal* Visibility Very good 10/30 miles Wind: SE Force 9S Sea state. RoughAll-night rescue of trawler and crewWhile others enjoyed a Saturday night out on the evening of 6 April 2002, the five-man crew of the fishing vessel Our Johanna were drifting, powerless, in heavy seasIt was shortly before 10pm that her skipper contacted the Brixham coastguard to report that his boat had suffered a gearbox failure some 18 miles southeast of Berry Head.

A few minutes later, the Torbay lifeboat Alec and Christina Dykes was launched, with six crew aboard. As the lifeboat slammed through the heavy seas, the crew of Our Johanna would have to drift for a further hour before the lifeboat - and any hope of salvation - reached them.

However experienced the crew, the conditions were a real trial, with a Force 9 southeasterly gate, rough seas and a 7m swell. As the boat rolled in the turbulent seas, with waves swamping her decks, the crew could only pray that the lifeboat would reach her in time.

A long night ahead When the lifeboat eventually arrived, it was only the beginning of a drama that would last the rest of the night.

In situations like this, it isn't always easy to decide whether just to rescue the crew or to attempt to save the stricken vessel. But if the crew think there's a chance of saving the vessel, they will.

As both boats were tossed about in heavy seas and driving spray, in constant danger of crashing into each other, it took nearly an hour to transfer a line and secure it so that a tow could begin.

Although the trawler had lowered its beams to provide extra stability, this made a difficult task even more complicated.

Finally, just after midnight, a line was secured and the lifeboat could begin the slow and difficult task of towing the trawler through the near gale to safety.

Making only two and a half knots, dawn had broken by the time they reached the sanctuary of Brixham harbour. Here it was necessary to secure the trawler alongside the lifeboat, which was far from easy in the conditions. But, with a little help from the harbour pilot boat, this was managed and Our Johanna was safely secured just before 6am - some eight hours after the drama began.

In recognition of their courage, perseverance, seamanship and teamwork the crew received a letter of thanks from the Chief Executive of the RNLI.Saving precious moments saves lives The rocks at Buchaness lighthouse at Boddam In the early afternoon of 18 October 2001, 10 year old Arron McLauchlan was understandably engrossed watching seals on the rocks near Buchaness lighthouse, 1.5km south of Peterhead. But when he realised that the incoming tide had cut him off, the situation suddenly became desperate. Luckily for Arron, a passer-by saw his predicament and alerted the rescue services.

As they say, time and tide wait for no man, and Arron was in real danger of being swept away by the freezing sea or dashed to pieces on the rugged rocks. But less than 30 minutes after the alarm had been raised, the Peterhead lifeboat Babs and Agnes Robertson, with Andrew Brown in command, had been launched and had reached the boy, despite the foggy conditions and choppy seas.

Crewman Patrick Davidson used the X-boat to reach the frightened boy and quickly fitted a lifejacket on him. The heavy swell made it dangerous to return to the lifeboat so, with the lifeboat standing by, Patrick reassured Arron until the helicopter arrived and winched them both to safety.

The lifeboat was back at its station less than hour after it had launched - which just goes to show the skill of lifeboat crews and the benefit of their professional training.Comedy dinghy capsize nearly turns to tragedy in Lyme BayAs she watched her father and boyfriend capsizing their Laser dinghy, Sky Rocket, in Lyme Bay on the evening of 27 April 2002, Lisa King was at first amused. But each time it took a bit longer to right the boat, until she realised that they had been drifting upside-down for 15 minutes in the water, and that she could no longer distinguish the upturned hull from the foaming waves.

Running for help, she found an ex-RNLI crew member who contacted an incoming trawler, which was able to provide some protection but could not effect a rescue. The Coastguard was called, the maroons fired and five minutes later the inshore lifeboat was launched. The Laser's occupants later spoke of their enormous relief at hearing the maroons, then seeing the lifeboat charging towards them.

Within a few minutes it was all over. The helmsman, a long-time governor of the RNLI.confessed to his embarrassment at being rescued. Lisa's boyfriend, John, received treatment for the early effects of hypothermia. The lifeboat crew - and shore helpers - were thanked profusely for their prompt and professional service and, within a few minutes, the lifeboat was washed down refuelled and ready for its next shout.The grateful sailors were soon able to return home, thanks to the professional action of the crew in a situation that could easily and quickly have got much more serious, with the real danger of life being lost.Canoeists rescued in unseasonal Force 9 galeThe two kayaks which got into trouble off Achill Island in the early afternoon of 20 May 2002 were perhaps unlucky to experience such unseasonal weather. With visibility down to one mile, in rough seas and Force 7 winds, they were being blown out to sea when the lifeboat Sam and Ada Moody was launched. Coxswain Tommy Kilbane had only three crew on board and was intending to pick up two more, but due to the urgency of the situation, Tommy proceeded without them.

The Coastguard asked a helicopter to assist, and two other experienced canoeists also set off to help.

But by the time the lifeboat reached the kayaks the weather had further deteriorated, with winds now up to Force 9, gustmg 70 knots, with rough seas and a swell of 2-3m. All four canoeists now needed rescue.

The helicopter recovered two of the casualties from the water. The lifeboat managed to rescue the two other casualties there, together with their three canoes. They were taken to Dugort where conditionswere too severe for the lifeboat to tie up, but Tommy Kilbane held the bow to the pier while other crew members helped the casualties ashore. Four crew members were at Dugort to assist in landing the survivors.

The remaining canoe was recovered during the return passage to Achill Island.In recognition of their arduous service in severe and unseasonable weather, the crew of the Sam and Ada Moody received a letter of commendation from the operations director of the RNLI..