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..