High and dry on the Solway Firth From the shifting sand and mud banks of the Solway Firth, the grounded yacht Susiila radioed for help. It took a joint service by Workington and Silloth Lifeboats to locate the yacht and find a way to reach her in shallows only 2m deep The crew of two on the stricken yacht Susiila were unsure of their position, but soon after launching at 9.25pm on 26 November 2002 the Workington lifeboat made radio contact with the casualty and discovered that the yacht was to the north of the station. It was an uncomfortable passage in southerly winds of force 7-8 and with the tide ebbing, the sand banks of the Solway Firth made navigation difficult. Coming from the south the lifeboat crew couldn't see the yacht, which was hidden behind a horseshoe-shaped sand bank. The casualty fired a red flare at 10.17pm to help the lifeboat locate them.

As the Tyne got further north the waters began to shoal, so Coxswain John Stobbart requested the launch of the Silloth inshore lifeboat to assist with the search in shallow water. Sitloth's Atlantic 75 lifeboat launched at 10.38pm with Helmsman Steven Henderson in command, with two other crew members.

The crew spotted the casualty immediately as they had a clear view from the north. Steven recalls:'My main concern was that it was low water. Due to the ever-shifting sand banks in the Solway Firth it can be a real headache simply finding water, which is even more difficult at night.' For much of the passage the Atlantic 75 was in less than 2m of water.

Both lifeboats approached Susilta. The Workington all weather lifeboat was first to arrive, but she ran aground 50m from the casualty. Soon after this the Silloth inshore lifeboat got to within 20m before she too grounded.

Meanwhile the casualty was regularly being slammed on the seabed. With a 3m swell breaking over the bank and yacht, there was a real danger that the yacht could founder at any time. If it did, there was little chance that either lifeboat could assist quickly. At this stage all three vessels were aground.

John decided to try an alternative method to reach the casualty. He attempted to veer the X boat down onto the yacht. However, the effect of the tidal stream rounding the bank meant that the X boat was thrown off course. The inshore lifeboat picked up John and the X boat.

John remained in the inshore lifeboat and encouraged Steven to reach the casualty.

Steven remembers: 'On several occasions the Atlantic hit the seabed, was filled to the top of the sponson and had both motors swamped. Despite this, the Atlantic performed brilliantly.' At 11.20pm they finally reached the casualty and John transferred onto the yacht.

The inshore lifeboat stood off and then Steven made another difficult approach down sea. The lifeboat manoeuvred alongside the yacht and the man was transferred quickly. With both Susilla and the Atlantic pitching and rolling heavily, this was no easy task. The crew helped the woman on board the inshore lifeboat. Steven later summarised the service: The sea conditions, shallow water, darkness and the urgency of the situation made this the most difficult and demanding service call I've ever been involved in.'Steven manoeuvred into deeper water and the two were transferred to the all weather lifeboat along with John. Steven remembers the transfer of the yacht's crew from the swamped Atlantic: 'They were waist deep in water ... I can only imagine how pleased they must have been to reach the shelter of the all weather lifeboat's cabin.' The all weather lifeboat remained aground until around 12.30am, but the couple were made comfortable in the main cabin. On way back theTyne got stuck on another uncharted bank for 45 mins, but they were back safely at Workington at 3am.

The sea conditions, shallow water, darkness and the urgency of the situation made this the most difficult and demanding service call I've ever been involved in.' The inshore lifeboat stood by the yacht, which refloated around midnight. Peter Gilmour and Adam Pearson boarded the yacht and set up the tow and took the Susilla back to Silloth, arriving at 1.15am.

Helmsman Steven Henderson received a Chairman's letter of ( thanks for his skilful boat handling and cool judgement under trying circumstances. Coxswain John Stobbart received a Chief Executive's letter in recognition of his selfless actions and determination. John praised the teamwork of the two crews involved and Steven commented: 'The success of this service is testament to the design, build and maintenance of our lifeboat fleet and the training of our crews for which the RNLI can be proud.'THE SILLOTH LIFEBOAT Atlantic 75 B-714 Spirit of Cumbria Funding: The new Silloth lifeboat appeal and the Lake District branch centenary appeal THE WORKINGTON LIFEBOAT Tyne class lifeboat ON-1141 Sir John Fisher Funding: The Sir John Fisher Foundation SILLOTH LIFEBOAT STATION Established: First established 1860, closed 1896. Re-established 1967 WORKINGTON LIFEBOAT STATION Established: First established 1886, closed 1905. Re-established 1948 RNLI Medals: One Bronze Medal 1974 THE CASUALTY Crew of two on the 8.5m yacht Susiila THE CONDITIONS Weather: Rain showers Visibility: Moderate, dark Wind: Force 7-8 Sea state: Moderate to rough.