The Listings section of this magazine shows just how often RNLI lifeboats launch. Here is a selection of the wide-ranging stories behind the statistics and, overleaf, full details of those rescues that merited formal awards Ex-lifeboat saved Holyhead Severn class lifeboat ChristopherPearce launched to former lifeboat (Barnet class) William and Kate Johnson in late June 2004 when she sent a Mayday call due to taking on water.

Thanks to good cooperation between the RNLI, RAF and Coastguard, the lifeboat crew were able to place pumps on board, stopping the vessel from sinking and rescuing her three crew.

William and Kate Johnson, rescued by a joint operation involving the Holyhead lifeboat, the Trearddur Bay Atlantic 75 Dorothy Selina, the Sea King helicopter from RAF Valley and Holyhead Coastguard Exhausted crew saved at Aldeburgh After 25 hours at sea, the crew of two on the yacht Svea were in real trouble in rough seas near Aldeburgh. The yacht's sails had blown out and the radio was not working. When the Aldeburgh Mersey class lifeboat Freddie Cooper arrived in the late evening on 17 April 2004, the yacht's crew were too exhausted to secure a tow. Coxswain Lee Firman manoeuvred the lifeboat close enough to transfer one of his crew, but a 6m wave partially knocked the lifeboat over. Lee still managed to negotiate the wave.

In winds gusting up to force 8, the lifeboat attempted the transfer again.

Crew Member David Cook leapt from the lifeboat to the yacht and successfully established the tow. The yacht was taken to Lowestoft where the Lowestoft lifeboat joined them in escorting the yacht safely into harbour.action Dark Blackpool When a man in a 5m angling boat off Blackpool had difficulty landing in force 5 winds and darkness, he aborted the attempt and took the boat back out to sea. It was 21 December 2004 and the Atlantic 75 lifeboat Bickerstaffe found him just before 8pm, drifting 200m from the sea wall and dangerously close to being swamped in the heavy surf. Crew Member Colin Lowe jumped into the sea and hauled himself aboard, rather than risking jumping from craft to craft. He managed to start the engine and steer out to sea through the surf, before returning to land at Central Beach, escorted by the lifeboat.

Above and beyond Once in a while, lifeboat crews have the unenviable task of recovering dead bodies from the sea. Although this is not formally within the remit of the RNLI, in many places the lifeboat is the only available method of recovery. In April 2005, RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto wrote to Eastbourne lifeboat station in recognition of the above-average number of body recoveries at Beachy Head. Michael writes: 'It says so much about the spirit and humanity of the Eastbourne crews that they willingly respond to what is often the most repulsive experience a crew member can face.' Windsurfer untangled In winds of up to force 8, Bridlington's D class lifeboat Lord Feoffees III launched to assist a windsurfer in trouble early in the afternoon of 20 March 2004. After a rough passage, Helmsman Duncan Stewart and Crew Member Jason Stephenson found the man entangled with a lobster pot marker and in danger of drowning. Jason dragged the man into the lifeboat. He was suffering from hypothermia, so the lifeboat took him quickly to shore, where a helicopter airlifted him to hospital.A • Aflame from stem to stern' .

In the early hours of the morning Coxswain Malcolm Gray's pager beeped loudly. As he sat up in bed he heard the clock strike four. Momentarily he wondered what on earth was going on, then he leapt to his feet and rushed to the station A Mayday call from a fishing vessel on fire prompted the Milford Haven Coastguard to request the assistance of the St Davids all weather lifeboat and the rescue helicopter via ARCC Kinloss. The fire had started early in the morning of 21 December 2004 and the flames spread quickly before the crew of three could control it. The casualty, a 19m wooden fishing vessel, was disabled with a defective engine, 4 miles west south west of Ramsey Island, near St Davids. Malcolm and his crew raced in their cars through the narrow lanes to the lifeboat station and then sprinted down the steps.

Meanwhile, the Coastguard broadcast a Mayday on channel 16.

The Rosslare to Pembroke ferry Isle of/nishmore responded soon after 4am. The ferry was willing to divert from its usual route to help the casualty, 3 miles away. She estimated that she would reach the fishing vessel in around 15 minutes.

At 4.14am the Tyne class Sarah Emily Harrop launched, with Malcolm in command. He steered the boat down Ramsey Sound, avoiding the rocks by using his local knowledge and a faint loom in the water until the radar and GPS warmed up. The wheelhouse doors were shut, in preparation for the rough seas ahead.

As the lifeboat left the lee of Ramsey Island she felt the full effect of the northerly force 7 winds blowing against a northerly tide.

Crew Member David John had to adjust course and ease back on the throttles several times to prevent the lifeboat becoming airborne.

'The conditions made it very uncomfortable, with short sharp seas. We got a bit of a thumping.' Coxswain Malcolm Gray The Coastguard and the lifeboat's Mechanic Michael Phillips tried to contact the fishing vessel by radio, but there was no response. Nobody could tell whether the fishermen were still on the burning vessel or even still alive. The lifeboat crew had no time to speculate; they were focused on doing their individual jobs and were too busy simply holding on. Their main aim was to reach the vessel, quickly.

While the lifeboat was on her way, the ferry, under the command of the overnight master Captain Michael Poole, arrived at the last known position of the fishing vessel Yves Marie Amil. There was no sign of the burning boat, so Captain Poole quickly organised a search in a widening circular sweep. Off-duty catering staff were summoned to the bridge to act as extra lookouts and searchlights were shone ahead and starboard.

The ferry searchlight picked out the casualty about one mile off her starboard beam. From the bridge, 27m above water, the ferry crew could see black smoke pouring out of the vessel. Disabled, with little power, she was being thrown around in very rough conditions. As the 183m ferry manoeuvred closer, flames broke out of the fishing vessel's hatches. The ferry crew could see the three fishermen on board andthey also spotted propane gas bottles stored on deck, close to the flames. The ferry crew and some of the passengers watched as the flames grew higher, closer to the propane gas bottles. Captain Poole's crew briefed St Davids lifeboat before they arrived on scene at 4.49am.

Malcolm Gray took the helm at the exposed upper steering position. He asked the ferry to provide a lee and to illuminate the casualty as well as possible. Captain Poole managed to hold the ferry about 50m upwind from the casualty, providing a partial lee for the lifeboat. This was the best he could do without risking a collision.The ferry crew rigged both searchlights and escorted any passengers inside, because of the real danger of the fishing boat's gas bottles exploding.

The lifeboat closed in on Yves Marie Amil. Four crew members on the bow, secured by their lifelines, were ready to help the fishermen transfer to the lifeboat. The defective engine was still running at low revolutions, so the casualty was still moving forward as well as rolling around. Mechanic Michael Phillips remembers: 'The fire was roaring with thick black smoke. Flames were 2m high.' The fishermen were shouting that they wanted to abandon the vessel. The lifeboat crew knew the risks but were intent on saving the fishermen's lives.

There was no sign of the helicopter, so Malcolm made his mind up to act quickly and briefed the crew. There was no time to set up the fenders that might protect the lifeboat should the boats collide. The lifeboat approached the lee (port) side of the casualty but were warned off by the skipper - a heavy canvas shelter was permanently rigged on this side, which would get in the way of a transfer. So Malcolm did a practice run on the windward side, between the ferry and the casualty.

'Putting a lifeboat alongside a burning casualty requires plenty of courage in flat calm sea conditions. To successfully do this in gale force winds, 3-4m breaking seas and total darkness also requires exceptional skill and experience.' Robert Atkinson, Deputy Divisional Inspector, West Once Malcolm had a feel for the wave patterns and the amount of movement between the two vessels, he manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside. The lifeboat crew on the bow helped one of the fishermen scramble aboard the lifeboat. Malcolm managed to hold the lifeboat alongside for about 15 seconds. The skipper was now reluctant to abandon his vessel and the other man, his son, would not leave his father. When the motion became too severe to maintain the position, Malcolm reluctantly left the pair and took the lifeboat clear.

After studying the wave patterns, Malcolm waited for a relatively quiet period and then manoeuvred alongside the casualty for thesecond time. This time the owner's son jumped down onto the lifeboat. He fell heavily, injuring his knee.

Just as the lifeboat came alongside for the third and final time, the whole bow of the fishing vessel was engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. The height of the flames topped 3m and crew members on the bow could feel the fierce heat. They pleaded with the skipper to abandon the vessel.

Suddenly, a large breaking wave hit both boats, causing them to roll heavily. The two boats collided with a huge crunch. Everyone managed to hold on tight, but Malcolm could not risk another collision. He shouted to skipper that this was his last chance. Finally the man jumped across to the lifeboat's foredeck and Malcolm manoeuvred the lifeboat clear. The crew checked that there wasn't any serious damage to the lifeboat from the collision. There was only minor damage to the guard rail.

Near Sam, just one hour after the callout, the lifeboat had all three survivors on board. The crew offered first aid to the fishing vessel's crew. The skipper's son refused any treatment on his knee and the skipper, who was coughing heavily due to the effects of smoke inhalation, declined the offer of oxygen therapy.

The helicopter was willing to airlift the survivors to hospital, but after talking to the fishermen and assessing their condition, the lifeboat decided to return to St Davids with them on board. As they left the scene, at 5.05am, the crew thanked the ferry crew by radio.

The lifeboat landed the survivors at 6.07am and they were met by the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society at St Davids. As agent for the charity, Malcolm's wife, Anona Gray, offered the three survivors some comfort after their ordeal. Anona arranged for them to rest at a local bed and breakfast and then welcomed them into her own house to await news of their boat.

Malcolm and his crew couldn't rest yet. The Coastguard asked the lifeboat crew to return to the scene, to monitor the burning vessel. The lifeboat was rehoused, refuelled and checked for damage before launching again at 6.40am. Due to work commitments, David John and Roland Bateman were replaced by William Chant and Padrig Rees.

Malcolm remembers seeing the vessel again: 'She was aflame from stem to stern'. The lifeboat stood guard until 10.30am, when the Coastguard decided that the burning vessel was easily visible to othertraffic. She finally sank later that day at 4.45pm. Some of the lifeboat crew went straight to work and others finally got some well-deserved rest.

In recognition of his courage, determination and display of seamanship under adverse weather conditions, Malcolm Gray MBE is accorded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum. Malcolm believes that the awards are good for the station but states that: The job itself is 10 times more important to me than awards.'The RNLI thanked Captain Michael Poole in a letter from the Chief Executive, Andrew Freemantle, highlighting the Captain's seamanship demonstrated in locating and illuminating the casualty and manoeuvring his vessel to provide a lee.THE LIFEBOAT Relief Tyne class ON-1155 (47-037) Sarah Emily Harrop Funding: Legacy of Sarah Emily Harrop THE CREW Coxswain Malcolm Cray MBE Crew members Michael Phillips David John Robin Copley Roland Bateman Jestyn Martin Nicholas Phillips LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1869 Previous RNLI Medals: Five Silver and nine Bronze THE CASUALTY Crew of three on a 19m wooden fishing vessel Yves Marie Amil Position: 4 miles WSW of Ramsey Island, St Davids THE CONDITIONS Weather: Dry Visibility: Good, but dark Wind: Northerly, near gale force 7 Sea state: Very roughTHE LIFEBOAT Atlantic 75 lifeboat B-752 Tanni Grey Named after Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson QBE, Britain's best known paralympic athlete and a great supporter of the RNLI Funding: Wales and West Mercia Appeal THE CREW Helmsman Dyfrig Brown Crew members Lynne Fischer Dan Rogers Len Walters THE LIFEBOAT STATION Established: 1849, closed 1932, re-opened 1971 Previous RNLI Medals: Three Silver and two Bronze THE CASUALTIES Three sea anglers THE CONDITIONS Weather: Overcast, rain Visibility: Good Wind: NNW, force 6 Sea state: Rough sea, breaking waves of 3mThe turning of the tide Three men were enjoying a day's angling at Aberporth when they were caught out by the biggest tide of the year. Within moments the trio were stranded on rocks, 100m from the shore Despite the bad weather, many people were out and about at Aberporth beach on the evening of 30 August 2004, a Bank Holiday. Milford Haven Coastguard received numerous 999 calls, telling them that the anglers were stranded by a rising tide. The men, unfamiliar with the area, had been cut off from the beach before they realised they were in danger. Waves were breaking over the rock they were stuck on.

Cardigan Atlantic 75 lifeboat Tanni Crey launched at 7.08pm into a rough sea. Dyfrig Brown was at the helm, with three crew members: Len Walters (Senior Helmsman, acting as crew member), Lynne Fischer and Dan Rogers.

They made good speed, but once through the channel inside Cardigan Island, the sea conditions deteriorated and breaking waves reached 3m. Len remembers: 'It had been blowing a gale for 24 hours before, so there was a big sea running - a rough day.' On the way, the Coastguard told the crew by radio that a fourth person had entered the water and was making his way to the rock.

The fourth man was Owen Evans, a member of the Aberporth Surf Life Saving club. He was surfing when he noticed that the anglers were in trouble. Owen scrambled across rocks towards them until he came to the channel of water dividing the anglers from the beach. He tried shouting to the men, but the crashing of the waves against the rocks was deafening. When he saw one of the anglers knocked over by a wave, instinct took over and he dived in and swam across strongly to the men. He calmly guided the anglers along a ledge to higher ground. Owen's wetsuit gave him some protection from the cold and rocks, but he suffered cuts to his bare feet.

The lifeboat crew praised Owen as 'calm and confident' and Len added: 'If it wasn't for him, they wouldn't have been there when we arrived.' After a 12-minute passage, the lifeboat approached Aberporth at 7.20pm. Dozens of people had gathered and were lining the cliffs, which made it easy to find the four men. They were approximately 100m from the shoreline, balanced precariously on the small pinnacle of rock that was left exposed. And the flood tide was still rising.

'The casualties wouid have been in the water long before high tide. They were in grave and imminent danger of being swept into the turbulent waters surrounding the rock.' Andy Hurley,Training Divisional Inspector, West A search and rescue helicopter, based at RAF Chivenor, would not reach them for another 10 minutes. Realising the urgency of the situation, Len advised Dyfrig to try to approach the rock through a narrow passage, inshore of the stranded men, but it was too rough. They got out quickly.

With the helicopter still not on scene, the crew decided to risk an approach from the seaward side. They followed in a large wave over the rocks and got to within metres of the casualties, but none of them moved close enough to the lifeboat for the crew to reach them. Len shouted instructions to them to be ready for the next run in. Several large waves crashed through the lifeboat from behind and Dyfrig manoeuvred the vessel away from immediate danger.

There was approximately 15cm of water throughout the lifeboat, so the crew drained thedeck and then made another run in. Through superb boat handling from Dyfrig, the lifeboat got to within 1m of the rock pinnacle. It took great skill to hold the lifeboat stern to sea with large seas washing through from stern to bow. Lynne kept a look out for any large waves and was ready to warn Dyfrig: 'I had to be the eyes in the back of his head,' she recalls.

Owen, the surfer, held on to one of the anglers, tipping him towards the lifeboat. From the bow, Dan got a good grip and heaved the man over the bow with Len's help.

Dyfrig took the lifeboat out to drain the water again while Lynne checked the casualty, who was cold and was in shock. She reassured the man, dressed him in a survivor bag and a lifejacket and seated him at the stern of the lifeboat.

Dyfrig brought the lifeboat in another time, to collect the second casualty. Just as the lifeboatmen grabbed the angler from Owen, a particularly large wave swept through the lifeboat. Both Dan and Len fought to keep hold of the man as the seas washed over them. 'We lost sight of him,' Len recalls, 'I only had hold of his thumb! We were praying he'd still be there when the wave went through.'Thankfully, the pair did manage to hold on and the casualty was recovered. The manoeuvre was repeated successfully for the third angler.

Dan recalls the operation: 'We dragged them over, headfirst into the lifeboat. It wasn't pretty, but there was no time to play about.' With the extra weight of three casualties and the water onboard, the crew realised that it would be foolish to attempt to rescue the fourth man, Owen. It would put the three casualties and themselves in unnecessary danger. Just in the nick of time, at 7.30pm, the rescue helicopter 169 arrived on scene and the lifeboat stood by while Owen was airlifted to safety.

Dyfrig landed the survivors at the west end of Aberporth, an area of beach sheltered from the worst seas. He took the lifeboat in as close to the beach as possible and turned her head to sea. The crew helped the casualties wade ashore to the awaiting emergency services. The large audience who had seen the lifeboat in action cheered the crew and many on the beach came to shake their hands. All three anglers were safely ashore by 7.44pm and the Cardigan crew left the appreciative public and made the rough passage back to station, with large breaking seas. The m lifeboat was recovered safely onto her carriage in the shelter of the river at Cardigan at 8.08pm.

Dyfrig is accorded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum for his great boat handling, courage and seamanship in a very dangerous situation. The crew received Vellum service certificates and a letter of appreciation from the Chief Executive.

Len also received a letter from the Operations Director Michael Vlasto. Len summarises the service:'It worked like clockwork. Everybody did a good job that day, not just us: the Coastguard, the helicopter and the young surfer.'If you were rescued by the RNLI, would you thank those involved? Surprisingly, many people don't. Dave Gambell, rescued by Yarmouth lifeboat, is an exception.

What follows is his letter of gratitude to the crew, together with his vivid account of the experienceDear Yarmouth lifeboat crew On behalf of my crew I would like to thank you alt for the fantastic job you did in rescuing our disabled and sinking vessel on Sunday afternoon. I guess like most people you never think it's going to happen to you and it is so reassuring to know that there's such a dependable and professional lifeboat and Coastguard service on standby when you need it.

Some of my crew were new to big boat sailing and this was their first experience. You'll see from the account attached that we experienced quite a lot. All the crew have been in touch with me since the event and expressed their desire to sign up for the next cruise despite the events on Sunday afternoon. I just wanted you to know that because of your professionalism and haste on Sunday, you not only saved lives and a vessel but also preserved the enthusiasm of the crew for sailing.

I'm sorry for ruining your Sunday afternoon, but eternally grateful for your support. I hope if we meet again it won't be under similar circumstances.

Kind regards, Dave CambellWe departed from Yarmouth Harbour at around 10.30am on 4 April 2004, with the intention of having a leisurely sail back to Southampton. The wind was south west force 5-7 and we were mid Solent, in around 16m of water, when the incident occurred.

After a gust hit, the helmsman complained of lack of steerage and we noticed the top of the rudder shaft was moving irregularly. A few seconds later we saw the rudder floating off down tide.

After gaining some control I attempted to sail back for the rudder, but the gusting wind, and wind against tide, made this very difficult and after about five minutes I gave up. It was then that I noticed the water level in the saloon was rising.

The crew began bailing out using a hand bilge pump in the cockpit and buckets. The water level was still rising, despite desperate efforts to contain the situation. As soon as I realised the increasing scale of the problem I decided to make a Mayday call. Solent Coastguard immediately arranged for the Yarmouth [Isle of Wight] lifeboat to be launched to our aid.

The lifeboat was alongside within 12 minutes or so of my Mayday and they dropped off two crew members and a salvage pump to try and reduce the floodwater in the cabin. The situation could have beena lot graver if the lifeboat hadn't been able to react so quickly.

By now it was too rough to transfer the yacht's crew to the lifeboat directly, so the lifeboat crew launched their dinghy and ferried people off in twos. I remained on the yacht with two lifeboat crew.

The lifeboat then proceeded to tow the yacht safely to Lymington Yacht Haven.

Throughout the operation, the Yarmouth RNLI, Solent Coastguard and Lymington harbour staff did everything possible to minimise both the risk to the survivors and any further damage to the vessel.

For a couple of days after the rescue I couldn't help thinking how lucky we were to be rescued so quickly. It was probably the worst and most dramatic experience in all my years of sailing.Twelve months ago Brett Shepherd swapped the south coast of England for the east coast of Australia, working for Surf Life Saving Queensland. The Lifeboat asks the former RNLI Divisional Lifeguard Manager about his overseas experienceWhat were the highlights of your year as Life Saving Development Officer in Queensland? Professionally, I've learnt so much. Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) does an amazing job to run the resources it has on such a modest budget. Surf Life Saving in Australia has the same respect from the public as the RNLI does in the UK.

Australia is an amazing place - I love the beach culture and the climate. On a personal level, my girlfriend Amy and I got 'formally' engaged.

What were the major benefits of your year away for both the RNLI and the SLSQ? Overall, I've gained a general perspective on how the two organisations do things differently. SLSQ is developing the integration of its service from the beach to the open sea - the RNLI is developing the integration of its service from the open sea to the beach. SLSQ has drawn on my knowledge of how the RNLI works and my (limited) knowledge of lifeboat operations.

I've experienced how a volunteer lifesaving (lifeguard) service operates and had close contact with passionate and motivated volunteers. This will help in my new job back at the RNLI as Beach Lifeguards Manager (Training and Development).

As a manager in Australia you were mainly office based. Did you get any hands-on lifeguarding experience? I like nothing better than getting sand between my toes. It's quite easy to spend too much time in the office and I have really enjoyed the balance between work and my volunteer patrols in Australia.

I volunteered as a Life Saver with Broadbeach Surf Life Saving Club on the Cold Coast over the weekends.

You return to the RNLI this summer. How will your new role help in the RNLI's mission of saving lives at sea? The more people we can put on the beach as skilled lifeguards (paid and volunteer), the more we can help to prevent deaths and injuries on the beach and at sea.

What will be your main challenges in your new job ? The main challenge will be a cultural change for the existing club structure. They are (quite rightly) very protective of their individual clubs and to some extent stay focussed only on what their club does.

The more that they realise the benefits of an integrated rescue service, the safer beaches will be and the more successful lifesaving will be in the UK.A £70,000 legacy from John Weston has allowed 10 RNLI lifeguards to benefit from exchanges with lifesaving organisations overseas. Do you think these exchanges are worthwhile? It is amazing that someone has left a legacy for this purpose - it really means that the exchange now has credibility and recognition. I realised the success of our service in the UK when SLSQ Lifeguard Supervisors were calling me and asking if they could have more RNLI lifeguards.

The exchange scheme is good for a number of reasons. It enables a consistent flow of communication on operating procedures, rescue methods and techniques, and teaching resources. It offers year-round work for our lifeguards and also career progression. I have seen individuals within our service (RNLI) progress from lifeguards to supervisors and then area managers, having gained experience from the lifeguard exchange..