THE LIFEBOAT Tyne class lifeboat ON-1116 Roben and Violet Funding Anonymous gift THE CREW Co swain Anthony Barclay Crew members Dave Jones Dave Jones IJnr] Vincent Jones Rod Pace Gary Roberts David Williams MOELFRE LIFEBOAT STATION Established. 1830 Previous RNLI medals 4 Gold. 7 Silver and 26 Bronze THE CASUALTY Crew of two on the Annarchy. e 12m sail yschi with auxiliary engine THE CONDITIONS Weather: Squally Visibility: Poor, at night Wind SW itorm force 10 Sea state: RoughIn storm force winds and darkness, the yacht Annarchy had engine problems and was steering an erratic course. The Moelfre crew had to manoeuvre the lifeboat close enough to the yacht for Rod Pace to jump aboard and regain control of the AnnarchyTel ITI J the AnnarchyThe yacht Annarchy, with a crew of two, was motor sailing from Liverpool to Caernarfon when she developed engine problems. Soon after midnight on 17 June 2002, the Moelfre Tyne class lifeboat Robert and Violet launched, with Anthony Barclay in command.

On the way to the casualty, the lifeboat crew felt the storm building behind them and knew that it was going to be a challenging service. Despite poor visability from heavy rain and darkness, the crew located the Annarchy quickly by radio. They spotted the lights on the yacht 11 miles northeast of Moelfre and arrived on the scene half an hour after the lifeboat launched.

On the radio, the yachtsman told the lifeboatmen that his companion was lying down below and could not help. He asked whether a crew member could corne aboard to secure a tow.

Second Coxswain Rod Pace was acutely aware of the risks involved in this dangerous transfer. In similarly rough conditions Rod had broken his leg in two places while trying to board the catamaran Alicatln July 1995. But Coxswain Anthony Barclay knew it would not be fair to ask someone less experienced to jump across and get the yacht under control. Rod was the man for the job, with sailing knowledge, experience and maturity.

Preparing for the leap, Rod shouted back to Anthony: 'Don't break my leg!'The job of getting close enough to the yacht for Rod to jump was complicated as the yacht was steering an erratic course with the mainsail swinging out of control. In waves of 4m and storrn force 10 winds. Anthony attempted the manoeuvre five times and had to take evasive action several times to avoid a major collision. The waves in the Irish Sea can be notoriously short and steep, and Anthony described the yacht as being 'all over the place', with darkness and the weather making it all 'doubly confusing' for the crew. At one point Dave Jones, who was below deck, saw the yacht high above, looking like it was going to land on the bow, but the lifeboat pulled away just in time.

Anthony was thankful for the lifeboat's D-DEC engine control system that made the Tyne instantly responsive, giving it power and manoeuvrability. He had to use all his experience to judge the distance to the yacht and without the benefit of being able to see the bow of the lifeboat from the Tyne helm.

Teamwork was vital.On the sixth attempt, the two boats came close Bnough for Rod to try his jump across. Taking his ' chance, Rod leapt across to the yacht. Anthony saw Rod jump off the lifeboat and immediately took the lifeboat full astern to prevent a crash. He lost sight of Rod and was unaware whether he had reached the Annarchy safely for what he said was 'probably a few seconds, but it seemed like hours'. Once clear, Anthony looked back and to his great relief he saw Rod had made it. He later said that he had been involved in lots of rescues in the same kind of weather, but that Rod's jump was 'the bravest thing I've seen anywhere'.

At first, as the yacht pitched and rolled, Rod clung on to the cabin roof. The crew later described the yacht as a wild horse, resisting its rider. Rod held on tight and then managed to move below deck to check the man's partner did not require assistance.

He then fought to get the yacht under control, helping the yachtsman. Rod tightened the sheets in to secure the loose sails and pulled in the jib, which helped the yachtsman steer a straighter course into the waves at about 4-5 knots. The tow line was passed to Rod at the starboard bow. He was on his hands and knees gathering it in when the yacht suddenly sheered off to port. With lightening reflexes Rod managed to secure the tow line on the cleats before the line caught him.

Meanwhile, back on the lifeboat the crew were hit by a huge wave. Brothers Vince and Dave were thrown against the side of the boat, but found their feet quickly.

Rod made the tow line fast, and pulled the rest of the sails down which made the towing easier. The yacht was finally under control. Rod took over the steering of the yacht and the lifeboat towed Annarchy safely back to Moelfre. The couple on the yacht were hugely relieved and the yachtsman said his wife knew what Christmas cards she was going to buy this year. Divisional Inspector (west division) Andy Gift said that Rod: 'displayed tremendous courage in transferring to the yacht and subsequently displayed good seamanship in bringing the yacht under control before he could receive the tow line'.

Rod Pace received the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum and Anthony Barclay received a letter of thanks from the RNLI's chairman. Rod stressed that lifeboatmen don't do it for the award, but was: 'very pleased with Moelfre station being recognised and that we'd done a good job'.Pushed to the limit Two inshore lifeboats were tested to their limits on 9 March 2002, when an angling vessel with a crew of three was in difficulty 1.5 miles from Southend-on-Sea. The weather was fair and dry.

but there were winds of force 9-10 and rough seas.

The lifeboats launched at 2.20pm and, despite waves of 3.5m breaking from the starboard quarter, they reached the scene 5 minutes later. As agreed before launching, the Atlantic held back while the D class entered the gutway (a channel of deeper water between sandbanks) to reach the casualty. Helmsman Michael Whistler had to take great care to avoid capsizing and the crew later praised the lifeboat: 'The D class performed to its limits and was outstanding.' Once alongside, Crew Member Anthony Bonham climbed aboard the Badger and established a tow. However, on leaving the gutway, the lifeboat could not make headway and was being swept towards the shallows by the wind and waves. The Badger was in danger of capsizing. Stewart Olley, helmsman on the Atlantic lifeboat, reacted quickly and steered alongside the vessel to pass a tow line. The Atlantic took over from the D class and all three boats moved away from the danger of the shallows.

The D class stood down when they reached Southend pier and the two lifeboats went separate ways. Michael had the unenviable task of taking the Ethel Royal back to the station single handed in terrible conditions. The Atlantic ploughed through steep breaking seas towing the Badger towards Two Tree Island. At one point, a squall nearly blew a crew member of the Atlantic off his feet.

The Badger was safely moored at 3.41pm and the Atlantic was reunited with the D class back at the station at 4.1 Opm. The crew were delighted with the Atlantic lifeboat Vic and Billie Whiffen, which only came to Southend in December 2001: 'It was the first severe weather call in our new Atlantic 75 and its performance was exceptional.' The outstanding performance of the Southend lifeboatmen has also been recognised. Stewart Olley and Michael Whistler received a letter of appreciation from the RNLI chairman, Peter Nicholson, who thanked them for their 'determination and skilful seamanship'. The remaining crew members received a letter of thanks from Operations Director Michael Vlasto. After the rescue Stewart Olley said: 'It gave us a great sense of achievement to have saved three lives and the vessel,' and put it down to the crews working together as a team.Strom neit THE LIFEBOAT Severn class lifeboat ON-1236 Violet. Dorothy and Kathleen Funding: Legacy of Mi»s VJ Matton THE CREW Coxswain John Banks Crew members Fred Brack Callum Maclver Neil McGibbon Colin Mowat Alan MacLeod David Sutherland Stewart Taylor David Wish art UFEBOAT STATION Established 1867 Previous medals: 2 Silver, 2 Bronze Thur»o THE UFEBOAT Arun class lifeboat ON-1149 The Queen Mother Funding: Legacy of Miss SS Gray and RNLI funds THE CREW Coxswain William Munro Crew members Duncan Munro Gordon Munro William Miller James Brims John Webster Scott Youngs on LIFEBOAT STATION Established i860 Previous medals: 7 silver, 3 bronze THE CASUALTY Crew ot five on the Faith Ann, a 17m commercial fishing vessel THE CONDITIONS Weather Rain Visibility Poor Wind: NW force 9-10 Sea state Very roughIn for the long haulDisabled and drifting with a fouled propeller, the fishing boat Faith Ann was in trouble in storm force winds, 50 miles off Orkney. Soon after midday on 26 April the Shetland Coastguard requested the launch of the Stromness lifeboat on a demanding service that was to last until the following dayAs soon as the lifeboat Violet, Dorothy and Kathleen cleared Stromness harbour and entered Hoy Sound, she hit rough and confused seas. Once clear of the west coast of Orkney the swell was up to 12m. Stuart Taylor, the mechanic, said afterwards that it was the worst conditions he had experienced in his 33 years of serving on lifeboats. Coxswain John Banks recalls 'looking up at green water,' leaving Hoy Sound.

The lifeboatmen were thankful that the Faith Ann was not in immediate danger. They knew it would be hours before they reached the casualty as the lifeboat could only manage 12 knots in the rough sea.

Afterwards, John commented: 'The crew performed as a team, and stood up marvellously well under the conditions and length of service'.

Four hours after leaving Stromness, the lifeboat reached the fishing vessel and her crew of five.

Because of the angle of the fishing vessel in the sea, John realised that he would have to adopt an unorthodox approach to pass a tow. In a difficult manoeuvre, the lifeboat was run down sea towards the bow of the Faith Ann. It worked at the first attempt. The lifeboatmen were able to pass the tow line and the fishermen secured it.

John decided to take the Faith Ann towards Scrabster, to avoid the sea conditions in Hoy Sound.

The weather was deteriorating and there was little difference in distance between the two harbours: both were around 50 miles away. The gruelling tow commenced.

After only 20 minutes the tow parted when the tyre it was attached to ripped in half, despite the slow speed of 6 knots. Any slower and the Severn class lifeboat would have been impossible to control in the sea conditions. Over the next 5 hours the tow kept parting and had to be reconnected six times, testing the lifeboatmen's patience and endurance. One of the most dangerous moments of the rescue came while reconnecting the tow one time, when a particularly large wave almost landed the fishing boat on the deck of the lifeboat. Disaster was prevented by excellent boat handling by John and the skill and seamanship of his crew. Each time the tow was reconnected swiftly and safely.

Nine hours after launching, John realised that the tow line length was getting dangerously short and requested the launch of the Thurso lifeboat.

The Arun class lifeboat The Queen Mother launched from Thurso with Coxswain William Munro in command. It battled through 10-12m seas to reach the Stromness lifeboat soon after 11pm, 9 miles west of Scrabster. The Thurso lifeboat took over the towand was able to reduce the towing speed to under 4 knots, while maintaining controi, with less pressure on the tow line. John later praised the actions of the Thurso lifeboat crew: 'They did their duty in a very professional and seamanlike manner.' The Stromness lifeboat assisted with a safe entry into Scrabster harbour by attaching a stern rope.

By 3am, after a 14-hour marathon service, Faith Ann was safely moored and crews of both lifeboats took a well deserved rest.

In recognition of his seamanship skills and determination, John Banks received the RNLI's Thanks of the Institution on Vellum. In response, John said he felt: 'honoured, not only for myself but for the crew and station, and the guild which works tirelessly on our behalf- John Caldwell, the divisional inspector of lifeboats, Scotland, praised the 'exemplary' efforts of all the lifeboatmen involved in the combined rescue: 'Both crews are to be commended for their determination and endurance.' The Stromness crew received Vellum Service Certificates and the Thurso crew received letters of appreciation from Andrew Freemantle, the RNLI's Chief Executive.THE LIFEBOAT D class D-543 Saint David Dtwi Saitt Funding: From members of Rotary International District 1070 THE CREW Helmsman Neil Thomas Mechanic Michael Phillips ST DAVIDS LIFEBOAT STATION Established 1869 Previous medals 7 silver and 9 bronze THE CASUALTY Three surfers THECONDmONS Weather. Partly cloudy Visibility: Good Wind: WSW Forea 5 Sea State Modorate/choppySplit-second timing When the St Davids D class lifeboat launched in the afternoon of 21 March 2002, the crew of two knew the race was on to reach the surfers in trouble at Newgale beach. With 9 miles to travel, the crew had to take the quickest route possible as the surfers couldn't hold on foreverInitially Mechanic Michael Phillips took the hetm with Neil Thomas as crew on the Saint David-Dewi Sam.

They predicted that the 9 miles would take at least 25 minutes. They knew seconds could mean the difference between life and death for the two surfers at Newgale beach, and there were also reports of another missing surfer. The lifeboatmen chose the shortest, fastest route, which made for an extremely uncomfortable ride as there was a large choppy swell, with waves of up to 2.5m.

Despite launching a few minutes after the Tyne lifeboat Garside, the D class soon overtook the larger vessel. After 25 minutes, they spotted Newgale beach. Here Neil took the helm because of his experience of working in surf as a qualified lifeguard.

The two surfers were soon located and Neil made one pass through the surf to assess the situation. The man and woman were clinging to a surf board, trapped in a back eddy 100m from the beach in 2m surf. They were unable to reach the beach and the woman was slipping in and out of consciousness.

Garside reached the scene soon after the D class lifeboat, but the crew of the all-weather lifeboat could only observe, as the waters were too shallow for them to help directly.

With a real danger of capsizing in the surf, Neil judged that it would take too long to pick up bothcasualties together.

Timing was crucial. Neilwaited for a brief lull in the waves, ran in from the northwest and Michael quickly recovered the semiconscious woman. Meanwhile a large set of waves was building. Before the three of them were engulfed by waves, the lifeboatmen reached the beach, where the casualty was passed on to awaiting paramedics and Broad Haven Coastguard team. Afterwards, Neil commented: The relief of getting the young lady aboard before the surf swallowed us up was enormous.'During the rescue of the woman, a second man paddled out from the beach on his board to assist the other surfer, but he too got into trouble. The lifeboat relaunched to rescue the second and third casualties, but was filling with water from the surf. Michael and Neil recovered both the original casualty and the second man and his board. The D class held up well with a full quota of people and a great deal of water and it reached the beach safely. The surfers were taken to hospital, but all made a full recovery.

Within 10 minutes of arriving on the scene, the lifeboatmen had saved three surfers. The crew were relieved to find out that the initial report of another missing surfer was incorrect and the search for the lost board was abandoned due to surf conditions.

The two St Davids lifeboats returned to the station together, arriving at 6.05pm after a rather more comfortable journey home.

In recognition of his actions on this service, Michael Phillips received a letter from Operations Director Michael Vlasto, who pointed out that the mechanic was officially on leave at the time, which made his actions: 'all the more noteworthy'. Peter Nicholson, the RNLI chairman, thanked Neil Thomas in a letter for his 'fine assessment of the situation' and his 'skilful boat handling in the surf',Ashore inshore lifeboat Flash floods hit St Ives in mid- November when the Stennack River burst its banks in heavy rain. Six St Ives lifeboatmen were asked by police to search buildings for stranded occupants in the middle of the night. The inshore lifeboat launched in the High Street and met a torrent of water and bits of floating debris.

Wading up to their necks m water, pulling the boat along, the crew rescued people from the first floor windows of a bakery and from a local pub. An off duty crew member listening to the radio overheard the lifeboat tell the Coastguard its position; 'Just pulling alongside the Three Ferrets,' - a 'shout' he was sorry to have missed.Stripped search , tWmer lifeboats took part in a search for a drunken skinny dipper in the summer when a pile of clothing was found on the beach. Meanwhile, the nude swimmer was safely tucked up in bed. A fter taking a dip he had been unable ro find his clothes, so had crept back to his B&B naked. When woken, the man was suitably embarrassed and apologetic.

Seasick baby Donaghadee lifeboat's open day was interrupted this summer by an unusual emergency. The lifeboat took a paramedic and a doctor to assist a baby who was suffering from severe seasickness. The mother and baby were taken tack ro shore and the baby made a full recovery, Poop deck ftxky, a nine-year-old Labrador cross, was swept out to sea after racing into ftesea ro chase seagulls at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland. Haifa mfe from shore. Rocky soon tired of doing doggy-paddle and was relieved to tssavedby the Newbiggm lifeboat. A lifeboat spokesman said: 'In gratitude, he pooped on the deck!' Knife to see you? •opte in rroubte are usually pleased to see a lifeboat, but not so for a man B to evade the police in Heme Bay in August. Holding a knife, he cycled, onto the sea and swam out. The man, who was not training for a triathalon, utus8dhelp from the Whitstable lifeboat, despite being400m from the Kfare After nearly half an hour the man agreed to come on board, after fang assured by the crew that they were not there to take him into custody.Alertness and teamwork saves livesSenior Helmsman Gary Barlow was carrying out routine maintenance at the Cleethorpes lifeboat station when he spotted a small fishing vessel to the north side of the Number. On 6 February the fishing boat Hueee was heading into heavy weather and Gary was concerned for her safety.

He drove to the north end of Cleethorpes for a better view, in a move that probably saved the fishermen's lives. Gary had the presence of mind to take binoculars and a VHP radio with him. He was right to be worried: Hueee had suffered engine failure and the two fishermen radioed the Coastguard requesting immediate assistance. The fishermen themselves were unsure of their position, but Gary soon informed the Coastguard that he knew where they were.

The inshore lifeboat Blue Peter VI launched at 9.55am, 5 minutes after the crew of four were paged, With Gary Barlow at the helm knowing where Hueee was, the lifeboat reached the casualty only 15 minutes after launching. Later, Operations Director Michael Vlasto commented: 'Had the launch not happened as quickly as it did, it is most probable that the men would have ended up in the sea, with possible fatal consequences.' Finding the fishing vessel was only the start of a difficult rescue. With westerly winds of force 8 against the fast flowing tide, the rough seas had a swell height of 2m and the drifting Hueee was being battered by the waves. Despite the demanding conditions, after 11 years operating a D class Gary had: 'every confidence in the boat and its equipment'.

The lifeboat ran in and the crew established a tow.

They then started the tricky journey home, negotiating the shipping lanes. This was the most dangerous point in The rescue as Gary said: The seas were breaking over the starboard side of both the casualty vessel and the lifeboat, which could induce a capsize'. Gary steered into the weather, close to the navigation buoys while an inward bound ferry and an outward bound coaster passed.

Once it was clear to cross the shipping lanes, the lifeboat headed towards Cleethorpes with the weather on thestarboard side. In these conditions the lifeboat itself was in danger of tipping over, so the crew — Helmsman Shaun Sonley, and Ian Sanderson and Ashley Roe-Gammon — had to balance on the starboard edge of the boat to act as ballast.

Meanwhile the lifeboatmen kept a close eye on the Hueee, which Gary described as: 'being thrown around like a fairground ride'. They feared a man overboard and were relieved when, one hour after launching, Hueee was out of danger and landed at Wonderland beach into the care of the local Coastguard.

In a letter of appreciation, Michael Vlasto praised the crew: 'Gary Barlow's alertness and initiative, the prompt launching of the lifeboat and the excellent teamwork displayed by the whole crew of the D class in the prevailing weather conditions resulted in the saving of the two men's lives.' Receiving the award, Gary said he was: 'very proud of the crew for their courageous performance,' and stressed that rescues like these were only made possible by all the different groups of people involved: the crew and their families, fundraisers, RNLI professional staff and the generosity of the public.'Having the vessel in tow in those conditions was difficult enough, but with no option but to navigate across the busy shipping channel and without putting the casualty in further danger, made it far more difficult and much more to consider than many shouts I had ever been on.' Gary Bin™, i.