Silver service at Cleethorpes and Numberhe knew he was in grave danger. It would take the combined skills and courage of Cleethorpes and Number lifeboat crews to rescue Dollard in an exceptional service, winning four medals It is a rare occasion that Cleethorpes and Number crews work together on shouts. Only 5 miles apart as the crow flies, the two stations couldn't be more different.

Cleethorpes lifeboat station has a volunteer crew and the smallest of inshore lifeboats while Humber lifeboat station is unique in the RNLI as it has a full-time lifeboat crew and the largest of ad weather lifeboats. On 26 February 2004 these crews joined forces to save the lives of the two fishermen aboard the drifting fishing vessel, Dollard.

Late that afternoon, Morning Star, a fishing vessel near the casualty, had informed the Humber Coastguard that Dottard was in trouble. Morning Star had already made three attempts to attach a tow, but had failed each time.

Launching At Cleethorpes, Helmsman Gary Barlow decided to take three crew with him on the D class rather than the usual two. It would slow down the lifeboat a little, but the heavier weight would make taking head seas easier, there would be an extra lookout in very poor visibility and they could put one or two crew members on board the casualty if necessary.

The weather was poor even at the Cleethorpes launch site, with snow showers, some surf and high winds. In their protective kit they didn't feel the cold but were co'ncerned about what they were heading out to. Gary remembers: 'It was quite horrendous at the launch site and the reported position was more exposed.' The lifeboat launched at 4.08pm.

Meanwhile the Humber crew were ready to board the Severn class Pride of the Humber. Acting Superintendent Coxswain Dave Steenvoorden had paged the crew and let off the Humber sirens twice to let the crew know lives were at risk. Although in a relatively sheltered mooring, even boarding the lifeboat was challenging in the conditions. At 4.12pm the Pride of the Humber launched without incident, with Dave in command. Both lifeboats now faced force 8 winds and heavy snow.

So near yet so far Pride of the Humber was first on scene at 4.21pm, although they soon realised they had found the Morning Star not Dotlard. The Coastguard nominated aVHF channel for direct communications between all the vessels, so the crews were quickly briefed on the situation. Dotlard was well inside the surf line, over half a mile from the Severn's position. It was difficult to see the casualty because of the snow, wind and spray, and the swells were steeper in the shallows - up to 3m and breaking. Dollard had touched the bottom once or twice and was continually being struck by white water or breaking waves. Dollard had an anchor down, but it was on a very short cable and was dragging.

With a dangerous motion she was heading towards the shore, just 200-300m behind her. At this point this weak anchor line was the only thing stopping the vessel from going broadside and smashing up in the surf.

Soon after 4.30pm the D class crew spotted the orange superstructure of the Humber lifeboat and arrived on scene. Gary had to manoeuvre the lifeboat constantly to cope with the unpredictable wave patterns.

The whole crew had to maintain their vigilance at all times to avoid being caught out and capsized. Gary had great faith in the lifeboat: 'In the D class you feel as safe as houses. She's excellent, proven and great in the surf.' As always, the priority was to save the people on board the casualty. Gary planned to manoeuvre in next to the boat and transfer the fishermen to the D class. But the pair would not leave their boat.The lifeboatmen realised that the next best option was to establish a tow and bring the casualty clear of the surf and shore. Yet the D class couldn't possibly tow the 11.5m vessel in the conditions and the Pride of the Humber, which would be able to, was half a mile away. It seemed impossible to get theSevern any nearer the echo sounder was at times reading just 1.5m of water under the keel D class transfer Gary swiftly changed his plan and decided to place two crew on board the Doltard to further assess the situation and help with a tow. This was no easy task as Dollard was being severely buffeted in the surf: her bows were lifting and crashing through 4m and large waves were breaking directly onto her bows. In a superb show of seamanship, Gary manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside. He recalls the moment: 'Before we knew it, Tony [Salters] was on board, like a rat up a drainpipe!' After a couple more attempts, Crew Member Ian Sanderson also clambered aboard. Both transfers took tremendous courage and agility.

On board the Dollard, the skipper was calm but his sole crewman appeared shaken and stayed in the wheelhouse for the rest of the service. Neither was wearing a lifejacket.

Just moving around the boat was hazardous: pounded by the waves, the decks were slippery from slushy snow and littered with bits of equipment. Tony and Ian spotted a large gas cylinder rolling loose and quickly secured it. Gary was concerned for their safety he was aware that there were no Coastguard shore teams on scene. All the men now on the Dollard would be vulnerable if they were swept off the deck or if the vessel foundered.

Dave asked Morning Star if she would help set up the tow, as her draught was considerably less than that of the Pride of the Humber. When the Morning Star agreed, the D class collected a long mooring rope from the Severn. This was difficult but with great skill the D class made a run down sea, close to the Severn's starboard side, as a coil of rope was thrown on board. But their plans were scuppered when the Morning Star decided it was too dangerous to help after all and moved away from the area.

Urgent action It was then that a series of waves hit Dollard in quick succession, moving her closer to shore. Gary and Dave agreed that the D class should attempt to pass a tow from Pride of the Humber to Dollard.While all this was going on, Dave and his crew had slowly edged the Severn towards the casualty. Despite the poor visibility, Dave and Crew Member Colin Fisk had spotted an area of flatter water between the breaking waves that indicated a deeper channel. So Dave manoeuvred the lifeboat astern, crabbing sideways, then astern again. From being apparently marooned half a mile away, they had managed to get to within 80m of the casualty. At times the echo sounder was reading zero, but the crew didn't feel the lifeboat touch the bottom once.

From 80m away the Severn was still reliant on the D class to take the tow to Dollard. Dave knew that the D class would have trouble taking the heavy Severn tow rope through the surf, so a mooring rope was prepared instead. He judged that this would be strong and long enough to act as a temporary tow rope to at least get the Dottard out of the surf.

Gary once again executed a first-class manoeuvre to get close enough to the Severn for the line to be thrown. He went past the Severn on the back of a wave and Crew Member Shaun Sonley caught the line and secured it. Half the job was done.The crew on the Severn held their breaths as Gary made a daring approach to the starboard bow of the casualty, dragging the rope behind. Shaun passed the line first time to Doltard where Tony gathered it in and secured it at 5.05pm. Dave remembers watching Gary in the D class: 'Gary did an excellent job. Being in a Severn class, you really understand who is up against it: it's the lads in the D class, not us. To get the tow over to the Dotlard was a brilliant bit of boat handling.' The Skegness and Mablethorpe lifeboats had been on standby, ready to assist in theperilous conditions, but now that the tow was established, they stood down. On board Dollard, the lifeboatmen cut the anchor cable and helped the skipper raise the port trawl beam. Together they battled to raise the starboard beam as much as possible; the nets were still entangled in the propeller and the beam was banging violently against the side of the casualty.

Towing out of the surf The D class stood by while the Humber lifeboat very slowly started to pull the casualty clear.

Dave recalls that the pressure was on: 'Nursing it out, that was the worst time. If the lads who were working the rope had slipped then they would have been been dead. You're dealing with a 20 tonne casualty and a 40 tonne lifeboat and the lads are working that rope with their bare hands. It's the hardest manual job that you'll ever do.' Dave cautiously took the Dollard at 2 knots back through the dogleg of deeper water. The light was fading and the waves were bigger now, up to 4m high. Dave remembers the tense time: 'It was Like flying a big kite with just a bit of cotton - too much pressure and she's gone.' The Severn successfully cleared the surfline at 5.30pm. The temporary tow had done its job and the Severn crew now replaced it with the heavier tow rope.

The return journey The D class lifeboatmen had finished their part in the rescue and Gary checked with Ian and Tony that they were happy to stay on the Dottard before he set off back to Cleethorpes. On the return journey Shaun took over from Gary, who needed a break after the exhausting work, kneeling at the helm. The mooring rope that had been intended for the Morning Star remained in the D class, its great bulk adding to the crew's discomfort. They were glad to reach Cleethorpes safely, at 6.27pm.

With no time to reflect on what they had just achieved, Gary and Shaun both went off to their work on the tugs.

Those on the towed Dollard also had an uncomfortable passage with the wind against the tide making the seas very steep. The lifeboatmen and skipper were kept busy: they re-secured the starboard trawl beam and other bits of equipment not property stowed. On top of all this, Tony suffered several electric shocks from drenched, poorly insulated sockets.

Pride of the Humber arrived safely at Grimsby dock at 7.50pm. All the Humber crew and the Cleethorpes pair were delighted to have saved the two fishermen.

Recognition for both crews Gary received a Silver Medal for his courage, leadership and skill and his three crew members all received Bronze Medals for Gallantry. Dave was accorded the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum for his leadership and skill. The crew of the Severn all received medal service certificates. RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto comments: 'Crews from both the inshore and all weather lifeboats worked together, putting all their training into practice, to ensure no-one was lost to the sea that night - they all deserve our praise and their individual awards.1 Dave comments: 'I am as proud as punch/ and thinks that all the crew deserve equal praise. On hearing that he had been awarded a Silver Medal, Gary was genuinely surprised: 'I couldn't believe it.

I was really amazed. I really didn't have any expectations.' Gary too stresses that it's never just about one individual: 'As I told the crew, this Medal's for the whole station. The team spirit's out of this world.'CLEETHORPES LIFEBOAT D class lifeboat D-454 BiuePeterVI Funding: Proceeds from Blue Peter TV appeal! 993/94 THE CLEETHORPES CREW Helmsman: Gary Barlow Crew Members: Tony Sailers Ian Sanderson Shaun Sonley CLEETHORPES LIFEBOAT STATION Established: at Cleethorpes, Humberside: 1987 {first opened as Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, 1868) Previous RNLI Medals: 1 Silver and Bronze (including one Bronze Medal for Dave Steenvoorden as crew member 1987-1990) HUMBER LIFEBOAT Severn class ON-1216 Pride of the Humber Funding: Humber lifeboat appeal 1994-95, fundraising activities of NE region volunteers and several bequests THE HUMBER CREW Acting Superintendent Coxswain: Dave Steenvoorden Crew Members: Dan Atkinson Colin Fisk Martin Hagan David Lane George McClellan HUMBER LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1810 Previous RNLI Medals: 3 Gold, 13 Silver and 17 Bronze THE CASUALTY Two fishermen on 11.5m single screw beam trawler, Doilard 4.5 miles SSE of Humber lifeboat station, Spurn Point THE CONDITIONS Weather Very heavy snow showers Visibility: Very poor, 0.5-1 mile, reduced in snow showers Wind: NW force 8 Sea state: Rough with 3m swellALL WEATHER LIFEBOAT Arun class ON-1159 (52-45) Mattel Williams Funding: RNLI general funds THE CREW Coxswain: Brendan Pitt Crew Members: Sean Boyce Brian Kehoe Keith Miller Eamonn O'Rourke Dec Ian Roche Matt Wickham ROSSLARE HARBOUR LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1838 Previous RNLI Medals: 2 Gold, 25 Silver and 4 Bronze THE CASUALTY French 24m fishing vessel, Alf, with 5 people 12 miles south ofTuskar Rock Lighthouse, near Rosslare, Ireland THE CONDITIONS Weather: Overcast, cold Visibility: 2 miles, fading light after 4pm Wind: SSE force 9 Sea state: Turbulent, rough seaEpic rescue at RosslareA French trawler with five crew was drifting without power 14 mites south of Tuskar Rock Lighthouse on the south coast of Ireland so the Arun class Mabel Williams slipped her moorings at 2.37pm on 5 November 2003.

The crew were soon seated and strapped in, ready for a rough passage in gale force winds.

In order to reach the casualty quickly, Brendan took the lifeboat on the most direct route possible into the weather. They passed through a notorious area of overfalls known as the Bailies, where a shelving bottom causes steep waves and turbulent seas.

Brendan recalls that he had to slow the lifeboat down to 12 knots 'to prevent excessively severe slamming.'The conditions worsened, with huge waves and a cross swell.

The sea state made visibility less than two miles so Brian Kehoe, operating the radar, had a key role to play in detecting the casualty, especially as the fishermen had little or no English with which to explain their position. Brian first made intermittent radar contact with the French trawler, , from 3 miles away. As they neared, the crew saw that the 24m trawler was lying beam to very heavy breaking seas. On scene, the wind was force 9 with towering waves.

Brendan decided that a tow was the best way to rescue the crew, so he skilfully manoeuvred parallel to Alf. Both vessels rolled violently, beam to the weather.

Despite this, Brendan had faith in the capabilities of the lifeboat and the crew: 'You always feel safe on the Arun and I have great confidence in the crew.' As the lifeboat drew alongside Alf, Crew Member Eamonn O'Rourke threw a heaving line successfully to the crew on the port shoulder of Alf. The Frenchmen hauled in the tow rope and secured it.

With darkness fast approaching the lifeboat took up the strain and began the long process of bringing the casualty safely about. This took half an hour and much patience. It was hazardous for the crew on deck, working in poor light and getting increasingly tired, but they persevered, Brendan stressed that the crew didn't think about how tough it was at the time: 'You're constantly aware of what's on the end of the towline; you're aware of their plight. It doesn't hit you until you get home what you've been through. Of course you sometimes feel the physical effort the following day!' The Mabel Williams towed the large trawler at 3 knots on the return journey.

They had to take particular care in the conditions as Atf had no steerage and was heavily laden with fish. Brendan took a slightly longer passage back to the station to avoid the Bailies and to gain more sea room. Four and a half hours after the tow was connected, the lifeboat neared the harbour. To reach safety, Brendan had tobring the lifeboat and tow round to port onto a westerly heading through a channel This was a dangerous manoeuvre in the dark, with the tidal stream flowing north and a sand bank, Holdens Bed shallows, lying to the north.

Suddenly the crew felt the lifeboat surge ahead and quickly realised the tow had parted. The casualty was drifting towards the bank.The crew reacted swiftly and worked hard to haul in the full length of the tow rope and prepare it again. In a great display of teamwork, when one man tired, another took over. Brendan manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside Alf, by which time the crew were ready with the heaving line and the tow was re-established. Finally the trawler was towed safely through the channel into the harbour.

had been an eight-hour service.

There was no shortage of help for the crew while berthing the casualty in Rosslare.

Many crew members, past and present, as well as other people associated with the station, gave welcome assistance. Brendan remembers: 'It was a dirty shout so it was nice to be welcomed back by so many people.' On land, the fishermen thanked the crew, through a translator. As experienced seamen they fully realised the danger they had been in and appreciated the professionalism of the lifeboat crew.

The fishermen stayed at Rosslare for a few days while their boat was repaired and then returned home back to their families at the fishing port of Les Sables d'Olonne, on the French west coast. They showed their gratitude by making the lovely gesture of sending funds to the lifeboat station for a Christmas drink or two.

Awarding the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum, Operations Director Michael Vlasto praised the crew and complimented Brendan, who displayed 'sound leadership and excellent seamanship skills and managed a difficult and arduous service in the very best traditions of the RNLI.' Brendan modestly plays down his individual role and praises the crew: 'I can't speak highly enough of the way the crew performed. They were exceptional. They gave everything, and more.' Brendan sees his award as a credit to everyone involved at the station and their families, but stresses: 'It's not about awards. We're there when things go wrong for people, there to help them out.'Log of events 2.26pm Pagers activated 2.37pm Lifeboat launched 3.55pm Arrived on scene 4.04pm Tow established 8.30pm Tow parted 8.45pm Tow retrieved and reconnected 9.30pm Casualty safely berthed 10.15pm Lifeboat refuelled and ready for serviceShore, lifeboat and helicopter crews save anglerA huge wave threw an angler off rocks into the sea near Padstow, Cornwall. Luckily, two boys saw the incident and ran to get help and the Padstow lifeboat crew were soon paged. They jumped in the RNLI Landrover, turned on the blue flashing light and siren, and raced to the station, 5 miles away The Padstow crew sped down narrow country lanes to the station at Trevose Head.

They all knew time was critical with the angler fighting to stay alive in rough seas. The launch crew, led by Head Launcher Robert Norfolk, prepared the Tyne class lifeboat for a fast slipway launch. With a particularly heavy ground swell of 4-5m to contend with, they worked quickly and skilfully to launch James Burrough within eight minutes of being paged, at 8.52am on 31 October 2003.

On their way the lifeboat crew spotted a crowd of people on a nearby cliff, so Coxswain Alan Tarby headed to that area.

They were on scene seven minutes after launching. Visibility was good and the wind was force 3, but the rough sea state and a heavy swell made the missing angler hard to find.The lifeboat got to within 200m of the cliff and the crowd pointed out the position of the man. As the lifeboat rose to the top of a wave, the crew spotted the casualty about 25m away.

When the angler fell in the water, he had had the presence of mind and the strength to swim away from the cliffs rather than trying to swim back in. Alan reflects on what could have easily happened:'He would almost certainly have been badly hurt or even killed by the force of the sea breaking onto the rocks.'The angler was exhausted when the lifeboat found him.The crew threw him a heaving line, but he was too weak to use it.

Alan manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside and Crew Members Chris Murphy and Kevin Briggs climbed down the scrambling net. Up to their waist in water, they grabbed the angler and, with the help of other crew members, managed to lift him on board and get back on deck themselves.

The casualty was showing signs of hypothermia. The crew placed him in the recovery position and wrapped him in blankets.Two crew members lay alongside him to warm him up gently and he was given oxygen. Yet his condition deteriorated quickly; he was vomiting regularly and drifting in and out of consciousness.

The RNAS Culdrose helicopter arrived on scene and agreed to try to airlift the casualty to hospital atTruro.With some difficulty, due to the heavy swell, the helicopter landed a crew member on the deck with a stretcher.

The crew gave the casualty first aid until he was successfully airlifted to the helicopter.

Alan recalls the atmosphere on the lifeboat after the man was taken by the helicopter to hospital: 'There was a great feeling that we had achieved something worthwhile.' Back at the station there was a difficultrecovery back onto the slipway. The shore crew and the lifeboat crew displayed a high level of teamwork to get the lifeboat and crew safely back at 10.08am.

In letters to the lifeboat and shore crews, Operations Director Michael Vlasto commented: 'This was a first-class team effort, demonstrating fast response, excellent first aid and polished team work.' All involved were delighted to hear later that the angler's life had indeed been saved, and that he had made a full recovery.Thames race disaster avertedThe annual Veterans' Head of the River Race ended in chaos on Sunday, 21 March after being hit by gale-force winds and strong tides.

More than 140 boats were participating, with nine crew in each boat. Many craft were overwhelmed by waves of exceptional height for this part of the ThamesTwo RNLI lifeboats from Chiswick lifeboat station were ready to back up the race organisers' safety boats. At the start of the race, the E class lifeboat The Joan and Kenneth Bellamy was positioned at Chiswick and the Atlantic 75 lifeboat Amy Constance was positioned at Putney. As the weather deteriorated, these boats proved essential.

They were in action for over an hour and a half as more and more of the rowing boats were swamped.

Action for the RNLI lifeboats started when Helmsman Martin Blaker took the Atlantic 75, with crew members David Ferguson and Matt Gray, to assist a rowing eight taking on water close to Fulham football ground. A number of trainers' launches arrived shortly afterwards and they were able to take the rowers ashore while the Atlantic 75 took the boat in tow.

Shortly after this, Helmsman Neil Roberts in the E class, with crew members MarkTurrell and John Pooley, was called to Hammersmith Bridge to assist a safety boat helping an eight in difficulties. Meanwhile, the Atlantic 75 set off to Putney Bridge where another eight was sinking.

As they came round the bend in the river, Helmsman Martin Blaker and his crew were faced with the sight of three sinking eights and one capsized with people clinging to the upturned hull. The E class, now no longer needed at Hammersmith Bridge, set off to Putney Hard to help deal with the situation.

'The picture of the sinking boats, with about 35 people in the water, is one I will never forget.' Martin Blaker, Helmsman of the Atlantic 75 Amy Constance At this point, Martin took on the role of coordinating and controlling all the rescue efforts of the lifeboats, the race safety boats and launches. His first priority was to get all the people in the water or in sinking boats to the shore. When everyone was safely ashore and accounted for, the rescue team began to clear damaged boats and debris out of the water. He was then notified of yet another boat sinking at Barnes Bridge.

The E class went to deal with the situation and found nine women clinging to their submerged boat. They were taken back to their rowing club aboard the E class.

Martin then arranged for all the rowing crews left on the water to be told to go to the nearest rowing club. The Atlantic 75 then checked the race section of the river to make sure there were no people or rowing eights left in the water and that all the debris had been cleared. Staff at rowing clubs along the river were kept busy giving emergency aid, showers and hot drinks to rowers who swam or scrambled to the shore. Two people were taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia.

In this remarkable and complex service more than 40 rowers were pulled from the water as their boats capsized, took on water, sunk or were badly damaged. If it were not for the RNLI lifeboats, serious injuries or worse could have occurred. The Institution gained a great deal of positive publicity and the reputation of the RNLI lifeboats on the Thames was enhanced.Mass rescue by RNLI Beach Lifeguards Brilliant sunshine and perfect surf conditions drew large numbers of people to North Cornwall at the end of May this year. Adults and children were enjoying swimming and playing in the water between the flags at Polzeath beach when a tidal surge swept 20 of them out of their depth into a potentially lethal rip currentAround 20 swimmers and body boarders were taken by surprise by a tidal surge early in the afternoon of 30 May 2004. The current dragged them into powerful breaking waves towards the rocks. Lifeguard Tom Burgess was already in the water on a rescue board, making sure bathers stayed in between the flags, away from the rocks. He was quick to react to the surge and signalled for help. Four other RNLI Beach Lifeguards leapt into action.

Lifeguard Matt Boon went in to assist on a rescue board and Supervisor John Bull and Lifeguard Dave Hooper launched the inshore rescue boat (IRB).John coordinated the rescue from this vantage point. He knew the lifeguards needed to act quickly and work out who needed help most urgently: 'From the IRB it was easier to spot those swimmers who were struggling and to direct the lifeguards on boards.' John soon found a swimmer in distress near the rocks and Dave dived in from the IRB to assist.

Some of the bathers managed to scramble up onto the rocks to safety themselves, but others were struggling and in danger of being thrown onto the rocks and injured. John remembers that some ofthe children were scared and exhausted: 'The weaker ones were really bad. A couple may not have made it out of the water.' The lifeguards all demonstrated great skill and endurance bringing in one casualty after another. The IRB returned to shore to fetch another lifeguard, Cameron • Patton, and then sped back to help Dave, who was shielding the casualty from the rocks. The IRB picked up the swimmer and took them to shore. By this time the lifeguards on the rescue boards had brought in seven casualties between them.

One lifeguard checked the casualties at the water's edge for any medical problems.

Another lifeguard kept a lookout over the rest of the beach from a clifftop nearby.

The 20 bathers had all reached safety, but there was still one more person to rescue: a surfer. Dave swam to him and made sure he was picked up by the IRB and taken safely to shore.

Nine or ten people were rescued by the lifeguards, saved from injury from the rocks and the danger of drowning. It was only after the incident that the lifeguards involved realised what they had achieved.

They were delighted that no-one was seriously hurt. Matt had some cuts from the rocks that were treated on the beach with plasters and bandages, but nobody needed further treatment.

On reflection, John is pleased that RNLI Beach Lifeguards did such a good job in their first year at North Cornwall and thinks the successful outcome of this physically and mentally demanding rescue was partly due to their RNLI training. He also emphasises how important it was that the bathers were all swimming in between the flags in the first place: 'This gave the lifeguards time to reach them before they risked being battered against the rocks.'.