Injured yachtsman saved from certain deathD A mayday call from an injured sailor who had lost control of a yacht was relayed to Falmouth Coastguard on 29 October 2003.

The Royal Navy (RN) search and rescue helicopter from Culdrose and the Severn class lifeboat TheWhiteheads from St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly, were tasked to help. The helicopter had an estimated time of arrival of 4pm. With 40 miles to cover in gale force conditions, the lifeboat crew knew there was a chance that the helicopter would save the yachtsman before they got there.

During the passage the lifeboat encountered constant force 8 northwesterly winds and seas of 8-10m on the starboard side of lifeboat. Coxswain Andy Howells steered around larger waves, making a best speed of 20 knots Winched to yacht Meanwhile the helicopter did indeed reach the casualty first and lowered a winchman, Leading Air Crewman Graham Hatch, to the deck of the 10.4m yacht. Graham found the man conscious, but in considerable pain, in the saloon of the yacht. He had head, neck and back injuries, was bleeding from a cut to his right hand and was unable to move. The yacht too was in a bad condition: beam to the seas, no sails set, and the engine not running.

Soon after 5pm the crew of the helicopter lowered Petty Officer Air Crewman David Rigg onto the yacht with a spinal board and first aid equipment. In severe gale force 9 winds, and waves reaching 13m, Dave was totally submerged twice on his descent. Graham and Dave carefully placed the injured sailor on the spinal board, but soon realised they were unable to get him safely on deck in the dreadful sea conditions. So the pilot on the helicopter, Lieutenant Claire Donegan, asked St Mary's lifeboat for assistance. The lifeboat would have a major role to play in the rescue after all.

Lifeboat ahoy! Claire asked if the approaching lifeboat would transfer some of its crew to the yacht to help evacuate the casualty. Coxswain Andy Howells agreed to place two crew members onto the yacht. They planned to then transfer the man onto the aft deck of the lifeboat and air lift him from there with more room to manoeuvre.

Claire also requested the support of the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor, as she was aware that the fuel level on the RN helicopter was getting low, and feared they would have to return to base.

The lifeboat arrived on scene just as daylight was fading. Andy commented: 'It was useful to have a bit of light on arrival so as to see the sea state at scene and feel what it was like when stopped and at slow speed.1 Andy asked for the help of a 250m tanker Okeanis that was close by and ready to shield the yacht and lifeboat from the gale force winds.

While the Okeanis was manoeuvring into this position, Andy briefed the crew and decided Mark Bromham and Phil Roberts would be placed on board the yacht:'! tried to pick the younger and more agile to get aboard,' he said.

During a practice run to judge the conditions, a large wave hit the lifeboat and knocked her onto her port beam. The wave pushed her 30m sideways and broke acrossthe bow. None of the crew was hurt, but they were in no doubt as to the danger of what they were about to try.

Andy reflected: 'It was a good reminder of what to watch out for if we chose to go alongside.' A perilous transfer Andy went ahead and repositioned the lifeboat, and Mark and Phil stood on the port shoulder ready to jump. As the lifeboat reached the yacht, the pair leapt. Phil landed safely, but the strap at the back of Mark's lifejacket snagged on the lifeboat rail. Mark was hanging precariously between two vessels. With lightening reflexes Andy swiftly engaged full port bow thrusters and came astern on the starboard engine to stop the boats from crushing Mark. Crew Member Paul Guy grabbed Mark and both air crewmen dashed from the yacht's cockpit to help.

They pulled him up and clear, on to the yacht.

Andy approached the yacht once again with great manoeuvring skill and successfully passed some more equipment. The yacht was now in danger of capsizing, as waves filled the cockpit. In an attempt to reduce the motion of the yacht, Mark set up a sea anchor while the others prepared the injured sailor for the transfer.

Abandon yacht At 6.20pm all was ready to be transferred. Okean'ts, 100m from the yacht, once again provided a lee from the winds, now gusting up to 55 knots, but Andy became concerned that the tanker was itself being blown towards the yacht. 'I was always aware of the ship's position, hence I was keen to get the crew off at that moment,' he said.

Without hesitation he approached the yacht and placed the lifeboat alongside just as the swell put the two vessels' decks level. The crew on the yacht slid the stretcher over the guardrails into the hands of the crew the lifeboat. All four men on the yacht now saw their own opportunity and jumped for the lifeboat. When all landed safely, Andy quickly manoeuvred full astern, clear of the yacht and the encroaching Okeanis. As he was clearing, the yacht was hit by the tanker. Within two minutes, the abandoned yacht disappeared beneath the ship's bow.

The damaged and dismasted yacht was spotted a few days later and was towed into Newlyn Harbour by the Penlee lifeboat.

Back to shore On board the lifeboat the injured sailor was taken into the wheelhouse.The crew decided that they should not risk an air lift in such severe conditions, and the two airmen also elected to stay on board the lifeboat.

They headed back to St Mary's for quayside transfer.

The RN helicopter returned to the Isles of Scilly and the RAF helicopter was recalled to base.In case of spinal injury, Andy Howells kept his speed to 15 knots on the homeward journey and they arrived back at St Mary's pier at 9.24pm. An awaiting ambulance took the casualty to the airport. He was transported by the RN helicopter toTreliske hospital in Truro, Cornwall, where he made a full recovery.

Combined rescue praised In recognition of their actions in saving the sailor from certain death, Coxswain Andy Howells, Phil Roberts and Mark Bromham are to be awarded Bronze Medals for Gallantry. The rest of the lifeboat crew will each receive a framed letter of thanks from the RNLI Chairman.

Petty Officer Air Crewman David Rigg and Leading Crewman Graham Hatch will be awarded the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum for their determination, courage, skill and the vital part they played in the success of this service.

A letter of thanks from Chief Executive will also be sent to Lieutenant Claire Donegan aftd the remaining crew on board the RN helicopter and to the Master of the Okeanis for the support provided.

Summary of service 3.20pm Launch of St Mary's lifeboat to help lone sailor 40 miles away 3.55pm Royal Naval helicopter arrives on scene and lowers a winchman onto the yacht 5.07pm Second helicopter crewman lowered onto yacht. Waves estimated at 13m 5.55pm St Mary's lifeboat arrives on scene 6.00pm Lifeboat crew Mark Bromham and Phil Roberts leap to yacht 6.25pm Transfer of injured sailor in stretcher from yacht to lifeboat. Leap by two helicopter crew and two lifeboat crew onto lifeboat.

Yacht abandoned 6.27pm Yacht hit by tanker 9.24pm Lifeboat arrives at St Mary's pier. Casualty is taken to Treliske hospital in TruroTHE LIFEBOAT Severn class lifeboat ON-1229 The Whiteheads Funding: Bequest of Olive Elsie Whitehead THE CREW Coxswain; Andy Howells Crew Members: Phil Roberts Mark Bromham Andy Brown Clive Sibley Paul Guy Chris Jenkins ST MARY'S LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1837 (lapsed 1855 and re-opened 1874) Previous RNLI Medals: One Gold, nine Silver and 13 Bronze THE CASUALTY Lone sailor on 10.4m yacht THE CONDITIONS Weather: Cloudy Visibility: Very good, but fading light Wind: Force 8 Sea state: Rough, waves up to 13mBronze for selfless braveryOn the same day as the Redcar incident (see page 12] volunteers at Filey too were called upon to save lives.

Particular tidal and weather conditions combined with the local geology to create hidden dangers in the bayTHE FILEY INSHORE LIFEBOAT D class lifeboat D-563 Rotary District 1120 Funding: Rotary District 1120 THE CREW Helmsman Michael'Pip' Farline Stuart Lane, Francis Speak Jnr THE FILEY ALL WEATHER LIFEBOAT Carriage-launched Mersey class lifeboat ON-1170 (12-13) Keep Fit Association Funding: The Keep Fit Association Appeal, Filey Lifeboat Appeal, with other gifts and legacies THE CREW Coxswain: Barry Robson Crew members: Neil Cammish, Peter Macauley Mark Johnson, Frances Wilkins Christopher Vernon, Philip Birchall FILEY LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1823 Previous RNLI Medals: One Silver and two Bronze THE CASUALTIES A 12-year-old girl and a woman THE CONDITIONS Weather: Clear skies Visibility: Good Wind: Force 4 northerly Sea state: Slight at shore, rough with 3-4m swell around banksDespite facing the North Sea, Filey's beaches are remarkably sheltered, lying between Fiiey Brig and Flamboraugh Head, so they and their caravan parks are a popular holiday destination. On 15 August 2003, a 12-year-old girl ventured into the apparently calm water at one of these beaches, Reighton Sands, and quickly got into trouble. The ground underfoot was being rapidly scooped away by the waves and she was washed off her feet and out to sea. A woman watching from the beach used a neighbour's mobile phone to call the Coastguard and at 1.28pm the D class Rotary District 1120 was launched, with Helmsman Michael 'Pip' Farline and Crew Members Stuart Lane and Francis Speak Jnr on board.

At the launch site of Coble Landing, the sea was slight. Pip warned his crew that conditions would worsen dramatically as soon as the lifeboat was out of the shelter of the Brig so they prepared themselves for a buffeting. Meanwhile, another bystander on the beach had gone into the water to try to rescue the girl and had got into difficulties herself in the tidal currents.

With a mile to go, the casualties were still not visible, the swell having reached 3-4m. An additional hazard now presented itself: the waves had scoured deep troughs in the underlying gravel and sand, throwing up the debris into leys or banks just below the surface of the water.

From the crest of one wave the crew suddenly saw the woman, about 200m away on a bodyboard just inside one bank, and the girl, on the far south eastern end of the same bank, being knocked about by heavy dumping waves - Pip decided that she was the priority for rescue.Pip took the boat in and behind the bank and, at the right moment, turned smartly round, head to sea. Unfortunately, he had to use so much power against the breaking waves that he overshot the casualty. He powered backwards until both he and Francis could rab the floundering girl over the starboard side.

Now it was the boat that was vulnerable. Water was pouring in and the nose was lifting violently. Pip said afterwards that this Tioment took them all beyond their experience.

'Our training would never include this: it would be too risky. This was the worst situation I've been in in 20 years.' Stuart took over holding on to the girl from Francis who, as the heavier man, moved to the bow and leaned over to try to stabilise the boat. The girl was imploring her rescuers not to let her go and, at last, Stuart and Pip were able to lift her in. By this time the water was up to the sponsons.

With the helm having been briefly unattended, the boat became grounded on the bank. Five or six more waves hit the boat directly and Stuart had difficulty keeping hold of the girl, despite wrapping his tegs around her and wedging himself up against the anchor box.

In a brief lull, the boat floated free and Pip regained control, turning and manoeuvring towards the second casualty. The boat was sluggish with the extra weight of water but the woman was eventually reached and successfully hauled in over the port side with her (broken) board.

For a clear run into the beach, Pip wanted to go back out a short distance, turn and catch a wave but, with five people and water on board, they couldn't complete the spin and instead broached on the sea ard side of the bank.The boat was pushed shoreward, side on but, once back within the bank, the quieter sea allowed Pip to regain control once more and he did make a successful landing at 1.55pm.

The casualties were both shocked but otherwise uninjured and were able to walk up to the waiting Coastguard unit.

Almost as soon as they were ashore, the lifeboatmen were informed that a search was underway for the woman who had originally raised the alarm. She had last been seen running towards the sea, having returned the phone she had borrowed.

Stuart said afterwards that: 'The worst thing was looking back to what we'd just come through and knowing that we would now have to go back into it.1 The station's Mersey class Keep Fit Association joined the relaunched ILB and an RAF Sea King helicopter to search beyond the banks. On the way out, the D class was repeatedly stood on end as it crossed the surf line but all returned safely after 2.42pm when it was confirmed that the missing woman had been found on land.

Back at the station Rotary District 1120 was checked for damage but all was in good working order, hull, electrical systems and engine, and the crew had sustained only bruises.

On recommending a Bronze Medal for Pip and Medal Service Certificates for Stuart and Francis, Training Divisional Inspector Robin Warrington said: 'Helmsman Farline's philosophy is selfless. He believes entirely that he should put his own life in danger if the need arises, based on the fact that it could be him in need of help one day. Both crew members commented on his leadership and their confidence in him. All three showed great determination in extreme circumstances - a service for all concerned to be proud of.'Power against the surfsurfer and Redcar lifeboats were tasked to find and rescue the lifeguard who had disappeared in the wavesTHE LIFEBOATS Atlantic 75 B-580 Leicester Challenge II Funding: Leicester branch of the RNLI D class D-523 Peterborough Beer Festival I Funding: Visitors to the Peterborough Camra Beer Festivals in 1995 and 1996 ATLANTIC 75 CREW Helmsman: Mark Reeves Crew Members: Thomas McNamara Jonathan Danks D CLASS CREW Helmsman: Mark Greaves Crew Member: David Bourne REDCAR LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1802 RNLI Medals: One Cold, one Silver and one Bronze THE CASUALTY A surfer and a lifeguard THE CONDITIONS Weather: Cloudy Visibility: Good Wind: Westerly force 4 Sea state: Rough, 3m swellOn 15 August 2003 a Royal Life Saving Society lifeguard spotted a surfer in difficulty at Saltbum Beach and paddled out to her on his board through the breaking waves. He reached the surfer and managed to get her onto the rescue board but, as they headed back to shore, a huge wave hit them and the board was lost. A second lifeguard couldn't reach the pair, so she ran to call the Coastguard for help. On her way she passed local surf shop manager Nick Noble and told him what was happening.

The Atlantic 75 lifeboat Leicester Challenge II launched from the beach at 2.50pm with Helmsman Mark Reeves in command. The D class Peterborough Beer Festival I launched shortly after.

Heavy seas hampered the progress of the lifeboats to Saltbum, 3.5 miles to the south east of Redcar, with a heavy 3-4m swell running from the north.

Back at the beach, Nick, a qualified lifeguard and experienced surfer, saw that the surfer and lifeguard were both in trouble. Without a thought for his own safety he paddled out to them. He reached the woman quickly on his surfboard, but could not rescue the lifeguard - he had disappeared in the surf.

The Atlantic 75 lifeboat arrived on scene as Nick took the woman to the shore on his board.

This enabled the lifeboat to search for the missing lifeguard immediately, saving valuable time.

Waves in excess of 3m breaking from 200m offshore obscured the crew's view of the area. Mark remembers:'! knew, due to the heavy ground swell, that locating anybody in the water was going to be very difficult, especially if they were in the surf.' The short distance between the sets of breaking waves meant that he couldn't steer a route through clear water, so Mark briefed his crew before entering the surf to search for the missing lifeguard. He told them: 'to keep a sharp look out and be prepared to hang on.' He chose his wave and ran into the heavy surf. Mark knew the lifeboat was near her limits, but trusted that she could cope: 'The lifeboat was outstanding despite the very heavy ground swell and broken water she was in. There is no better boat for the job in those conditions.' Crew Member Jonathan Danks spotted the yellow T-shirt of the lifeguard about 30m away. The lifeguard was being thrown around violently in the surf. He was under water most of the time, exhausted after 20 minutes in the water it was vital that the crew recover him at the first attempt.

Had a second attempt been necessary, the crew believe that the lifeguard would have been lost.

Mark turned the lifeboat towards the casualty and, balancing the need for power against the surf, effectively glided the lifeboat towards the casualty.

The lifeboat took on around six broken waves before getting close enough to the casualty to reach out to him. Crew Member Thomas McNamara grabbed one hand, Jonathan caught the other and they pulled the man aboard. They placed him on the bench seat and kept him secure despite constant broken water washing through the lifeboat. Mark took the lifeboat seaward, vertical at times. After taking on another five waves they cleared the surf and reached the relative calm of the clean swell.

On board the lifeboat, the casualty was responsive but shivering. Mark remembers:'! will never forget the look on the casualty's face when he realised he was in safe hands: he looked me in the eyes and said "I thought I was going to die".' He was suffering from the onset of hypothermia so the crew put him in a survival bag and fitted him with a lifejacket. Mark judged that they needed to get him back to shore straight away for professional medical care.

With the D class now on scene the casualty was transferred to her from the Atlantic.

Mark explains: 'This was the safest way of getting the casualty ashore quickly to the waitingambulance. It's much easier to manhandle the D class than the Atlantic on the shore edge and get her back to sea again.' Jonathan too was transferred with the casualty to the D class.

Four people on board made for an uncomfortable passage, but the D class reached the beach safely.

After taking the casualty to shore, the D class picked its way back through the surf. Through the last six large waves Helmsman Mark Greaves had to balance power against speed. An ambulance crew treated the lifeguard and the female surfer on the beach and they were then taken to hospital for observation.

'It is not often you can put your hand on your heart and know a person's life was saved; without question we saved this one.' Mark Reeves is to be presented with the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum for his role in the rescue. He's proud of the award: 'It's nice to receive a pat on the back for any job you have done, but this one will be for all the family to see.' Mark Greaves, Thomas McNamara, Jonathan Danks and David Bourne will each receive a letter of appreciation from the Chief Executive of the RNLI. Mark Reeves praised his Atlantic 75 crew and the good teamwork of both inshore lifeboat crews, the shore helpers and tractor drivers: 'Being part of a lifeboat crew is like having an extended family. The nice part is knowing that all the training, hard work and dedication is worth every minute and everyone at the station can be proud of that.Kitesurfers hit by sudden squallMembers of the Littlehampton inshore lifeboat crew were called into action in September 2003 when a group of kitesurfers were suddenly swept across the beach and out to sea by strong offshore winds The alarm was raised by Bev Miller, a local teacher and seasoned windsurfer, at West Worthing. She had finished windsurfing for the day herself and had come ashore just before the wind shifted direction and increased dramatically. Mindful of the kitesurfers whom she had seen earlier on the water she returned to the water's edge for a closer look to make sure everyone had made it back to the shore in time.

Visibility by then was poor but through the gloom she spotted two kites down on the water about 300m off shore. There was also a lone windsurfer unable to deal with the impossible conditions. Bev had no hesitation in dialing 999 and asking for the Coastguard. By then the air temperature had also dropped from 21 to 12.5°C and conditions showed no sign of improving.

Huddled against the wind in the shelter of a beach hut she rang a second time. 'I wanted to be sure the Coastguard was under no doubt that I thought life was in danger and I felt relieved that they confirmed the lifeboat would be launched following information from my first call,1 she said.

In choppy seas and unsettled weather conditions, two RNLI inshore lifeboats were launched just after 6pm to search for the missing kitesurfers: the Atlantic 75 Blue Peter I and the relief D class Marjorie. Several of the casualties spent more than an hour in the water trying to struggle back to the shore. After an extended search, the Atlantic 75 crew picked up the first casualty, Kenny Gray, approximately 300m from the shore. The lifeboat found a second kitesurfer, Wayne Mortiboys, over 700m away. The two casualties were transferred to the D class and taken ashore.

Representatives of the Coastguard and 'I must have been carried 30m up in the air and thought I was going to die. I just fell out of the sky and hit the water.' Jez Jones, kitesurfer ambulance crews stood by on the beach to help coordinate the rescue operations and attend to the casualties being recovered from the sea.

The sudden squall triggered similar kitesurfing incidents along the coast from Hampshire to Sussex involving further rescues by RNLI crews from Shoreham and Brighton. According to one of the kitesurfers, the winds dramatically switched directionwithout warning from a southwesterly onshore breeze to an offshore gale.

Another local commented:'You simply 'We saw a black cloud coming in and all of a sudden it started to howl.' Wayne Mortiboys. kitesurfer cannot predict offshore gales of this kind. It was not forecast and caught us all by surprise.'Thanks to a quick-thinking member of the public and the Littlehampton crew, no lives were lost in this unpredictable incident.

In 2003 the RNLI launched 282 times to rescues involving windsurfers, kitesurfers and surf kayakers, saving 34 lives. As part of the RNLI's purpose to save lives at sea, the Sea Safety team offers free safety advice to all windsurfers, kitesurfers and surf kayakers, raising awareness of how they can greatly reduce the risk of life-threatening accidents. A new interactive Sea Safety DVD aimed at those sports is now available.

For more details call 0800 3280600 (1800 789589 in Ireland) or email [email protected] horses towed to safety Four horses were spotted without riders on the East Winner Bank just off the west end of Hayling Island, Hampshire in July 2003. With dusk approaching and a rising tide, there was concern for the safety of both the riders and horses, so the Hayling Island lifeboats were called to assist The horse riders had stayed out on the sand bank for too long following low water on 16 July. As the Atlantic 75 Betty Battle neared the East Winner Bank the crew were pleased to hear from the Coastguard that all the riders were safely ashore. However, the four thoroughbred horses were still in danger, stranded on the sand bank. The Hayling Island relief D class lifeboatyofin Edmunds launched to assist.

One of the horses was spotted quickly, standing calmly on the bank. In the fading light Helmsman Paul Lewis entered the water, took the bridle, and walked and swam the horse ashore in the slight sea state to the awaiting Coastguard, fire service and vet.

The lifeboat crew used flares and torches to find two more horses. The Atlantic 75 concentrated on getting one at a time to safety. When it became too shallow for the lifeboat, Crew Member Colin Parke entered knee-deep water to try to guide the horse to shore.

The D class arrived to take over from the Betty Battte in the shallows while she searched for the third horse. Every time the D class got close to the second horse to herd it to shore, the animal turned sharply away. So in a daring manoeuvre - one that definitely hadn't been practised in training sessions - the helmsman drove the D class up onto the horse's rump, which was awash. Paul Lewis leapt onto the horse's back and Crew Member Anthony Green grabbed the horse's reins and led it to shore from on board the D class.

The D class then went back to search for the third horse, which was spotted about a mile offshore on the bank. Three crew members made valiant attempts to catch the horse on foot on the mile-long bank. After some time, the skittish horse was herded into deeper water where it stood still long enough for the helmsman to manoeuvre the D class onto the horse's rump. Paul climbed onto the horse, attached a rope and bridle and the lifeboat towed the horse towards the shore, stem-first, to keep the propeller as far away as possible from the horse.

In the deeper water between the sand bank and shore, the horse was in danger of drowning, so Paul dismounted, inflated his lifejacket and supported the horse's head. The slight sea state and the sheer weight of the horse's neck and head meant that Paul swallowed a lot of water. He also suffered considerable bruising to his legs from the scared horse but he held on tight to save the animal.

The Atlantic 75 borrowed the fire service's thermal imaging equipment to search for the last horse. Sadly, the horse was found dead and the body was towed ashore.

The lifeboats and the shore helpers returned to station after a three-hour service, pleased that they had saved three horses from this fate.

Their courage has since been recognised by the RSPCA.They were all presented with the RSPCA's Certificate of Merit at a ceremony at the station on 8 February 2004.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Nigel Roper praised the effective teamwork of the two lifeboats and the 'selfless actions' of Paul Lewis in particular. Sue Simms, one of the owners, said: 'The crew are complete heroes.

They saved three of our horses. We are absolutely delighted that their heroism has been recognised in this way and we will be eternally grateful for what they did on that night.'.