Rescue 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 a 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 it 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.

For 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.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.