High and dry Tobermory's Elizabeth Fairtie Ramsey launched three times between 620am and 5pm on 10 March 2006 to a 16m fishing vessel run aground and listing heavily off Calve Island in Strathclyde (see above).

When the Severn class and her crew returned to station for the last time, they had rescued three fishermen, assisted in a pollution hazard assessment by the Coastguard and righted and refloated the vessel for tow.

Dinghy in distress The volunteers at Burnham-on-Sea lifeboat station in Somerset were out on exercise on 19 February 2006 when a call came to assist dinghy sailor Tanya Tucker. The boom clip to her mast had broken, causing repeated capsizing. Finally, after being under water for some seconds,Tanya was unable to right the 5m dinghy and became vulnerable to the pull of the receding tide. Her partner dialled 999 from onshore and was relieved to see Burnham's B class Atlantic 75 Staines Whitfield and D class Global Marine divert to Tanya'said.

Man overboard The dangers of the sea were tragically demonstrated on 18 March 2006 when David Clear was washed off his yacht, Past Times, off St Aldhelm's Head near Swanage, Dorset. His inexperienced crew member made a Mayday call but was unable to confirm their position. The resulting search involved three all weather lifeboats (Swanage's Robert Charles Brown, Weymouth's Ernest and Mabel and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight's Eric and Susan Hiscock), five merchant vessels and a Coastguard helicopter. Weymouth's crew recovered the remaining casualty but when Yarmouth's crew found David Clear he had already died from hypothermia. (See previous issues ofthe Lifeboat for news of the RNLI-developed MOB Guardian, an automatic alarm and position reporting system designed to help prevent just such loss of life.) Easter falls on a beach As the 2006 lifeguarding season got off to a brisk start, Perranporth beach unusually saw two incidents involving horse riders within a week. On Maundy Thursday, a woman was thrown from her galloping horse when it was frightened by kites being flown nearby and on Easter Tuesday a teenage girl fell off her horse. In both cases, RNLI lifeguards suspected spinal injuries. As qualified first responders, they administered first aid, called the air ambulance and prepared the casualties using spinal boards for a safe journey to hospital.

Outbreak of fires At 4.30am on 4 January 2006, the B class Atlantic 21 Falmouth Round Table launched to a 6.7m yacht on fire on the Penryn River, Cornwall. The skipper had been asleep when the fire started but managed to escape through the front hatch to safety onshore.

The yacht later sank. On 5 February, Anstruther's Mersey class Kingdom of Fife and Kinghorn's B class Atlantic 75 Frederick Robertson assisted a 10m fishing vessel in flames in Largo Bay, Fife, number's Severn class Pride of the Humber, Bridlington's Mersey class Marine Engineer and three RAF helicopters were launched on 16 February to evacuate workers when a fire broke out on a gas rig off Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire.

Channel Island collision Alderney's Trent class Roy Barker I and St Peter Port's Severn class Spirit of Guernsey attended in the early hours of 31 January 2006 after chemical tanker fCf collided with the bulk carrier Crot-Rowecki. The ECE was listing heavily with a 10,000 tonne cargo of phosphoric acid, prompting fears of toxic and explosive fumes. Spirit of Guernsey rescued 10 of her crew and the remainder were airlifted by helicopter while a Coastguard tug attempted a tow. The £Cf later sank.An icy plunge When Portsmouth's volunteers heard that a man was trapped in icy waters below a pier, they knew they were in a race against timePolice officers had been called to Portsmouth's South Marine Parade Pier on the evening of 10 January 2005 when a man was seen in the freezing cold sea below. Shining their torches down onto the water, they saw waves battering the man against the barnacle-encrusted legs of the pier. He seemed unable to swim to safety.

The Police alerted Solent Coastguard, who in turn requested the launch of a lifeboat from Portsmouth. Within 10 minutes the Atlantic 75 CSMA Frizzell launched with Helmsman John Brooks and Crew Members Paul Clark and Tobi O'Neill aboard. In order to reach the pier, John headed out of Langstone Harbour (where the lifeboat station is based) and followed the coastline to the west. Once out of theharbour's shelter, the team faced moderate to rough seas and a fresh breeze from the west, gusting up to force 6: 'It wasn't the worst weather I've been out in but it was pretty evil,' recalls Tobi.

Despite the challenging conditions, the lifeboat arrived at the pier just three minutes after launching. The light from the police officers' torches helped the crew quickly spot the man on the east side of the pier. John made a swift approach alongside the pier, heading to sea as he drew close to the struggling man. He was apparently trapped by something and large waves were going over his head. He was certainly in danger of drowning The structure right under the pier is complex - it wasn't a very safe place for someone to be swimming and we couldn't have got the lifeboat under there,'John explains. 'I realised that the only way to reach the man was for one of us to enter the water. Full credit goes to Tobi and Paul because they showed no hesitation when I asked them.' The two crew members swam to the casualty with some difficulty: they were close to the surf line and took freezing cold waves in the face time and again.

Meanwhile, their helmsman showed exceptional seamanship by keeping the lifeboat close, despite the powerful waves and dangerous structure nearby, and operating the radio at the same time. 'The lifeboat handled superbly,' says John. 'I have 100% faith in these boats, and ours is maintained by an excellent station mechanic and the centre at Cowes.' Upon reaching the casualty,Tobi and Paul discovered that the man was snared in a submerged electric cable. Tobi remembers: 'I was trying to speak to him but he was extremely distressed and there were large waves breaking around us. He was only wearing jeans and a T-shirt.' Paul adds: 'If we had arrived a minute later he would have been a goner. That's why we had to jump in. His teeth were chattering and he could barely speak.' While Paul kept the casualty's head above water, Tobi attempted to loosen the cable. 'The RNLI has excellent training but it is hard to prepare for a situation like that,' he says. 'We have knives but they're not for electric cable! It was a strange sensation: one minute we were treading water and being bashed against a post bya wave, the next we were touching the seabed.' Eventually, Tobi managed to free the man and John quickly moved in with the lifeboat. He left the helm briefly to help Paul aboard, who in turn pulled the casualty and Tobi into the lifeboat. By now, an ambulance (which had been called by the Police) had arrived on the beach.

John took the lifeboat into the beach as close as he could without hitting the bottom, then faced head to sea and instructed the crew to jump out of the stern with the survivor. 'He was obviously reluctant to get back into the water but, in a rigid inflatable, it was the quickest way to get him to safety,' explains John.

Tobi and Paul carefully brought the casualty to shore and handed him over to the waiting paramedics, informing them of his condition and injuries. 'The whole thing ran like clockwork,' says Tobi,'and it felt really good to know we'd saved him.' Paul adds: 'It was a good bit of work with all the other emergency services.

'If we hadn't got there when we did, he would have been dragged under and died.' In recognition of their actions, Crew Members Paul Clark and Tobi O'Neill are awarded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum, while Helmsman John Brooks receives a Framed Letter of Thanks from the RNLI's Chairman, Sir Jock Slater. 'It's nice to get recognition for the crew - it boosts morale,' says John. 'After the shout I remember thinking: "Well, that's bloody good - we've just saved a life!"1 Richard Wynn, Training Divisional Inspector for the East, says: 'While this was not a lengthy service, it was carried out in atrocious weather conditions with the sea temperature close to freezing and the tide still flooding. Thanks to the actions of the Helmsman and crew of the Atlantic 75, a man's life has been saved.' The casualty remains unidentified.THE DETAIL THE DATE AND TIME Monday 10 January 2005,9.07pm-9.30pm THE CASUALTY One man THE CONDITIONS Dark Weather: Cold, overcast.

Wind: Fresh breeze from west gusting to force 6 Sea state: Moderate to rough 1.5m swell THE CREW Helmsman: John Brooks (44, marine engineer). Crew Members: Paul Clark (36, Royal Navy Petty Officer) Tobi O'Neill (25, trials skipper/technician) THE LIFEBOAT B-730 Atlantic 75 inshore CSMA Frizzell On station: 1996 Funding: £64,000 raised by members of the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA) Ltd (their fourth lifeboat) and Frizzell financial services.

THE LIFEBOAT STATION Portsmouth (previously called Eastney lifeboat station and Portsmouth (Langstone Harbour) lifeboat station) Established: 1965 Other lifeboats: a D class (1965), a McLachlan class added (1967), McLachlan replaced with a B class Atlantic 21 (1975),Atlantic 21 replaced with current Atlantic 75 (1996), D class replaced with current D class Heylandll (2000) Previous RNLI awards: Bronze Medal to: Helmsman Dennis Faro (1973); Helmsman Sydney Thayers and Crew Members William Hawkins and Dennis Faro (1974). Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum to: IT McLachlan, D Cook-Radmore and S Thayers (1965); Robert John Faro and Roy Richards (1967); IT McLachlan, P Bannister and RB Needle (1970); B Needle (1970); Helmsman John Fletcher (1972); Helmsman Martin Icke and Crew Members Paul Venton and Adrian West (1989); Helmsman Martin Icke (1996). Framed Letters of Thanks to Helmsman Stephen Alexander and Crew Members Adrian West, Paul Venton and James Beach (1988).Twelve minutes of terror It took Port Talbot's inshore lifeboat crew just a few minutes to save a life at sea but the three found their training and courage tested to the limit On the morning of 10 January 2006 a call came through to Port Talbot's Lifeboat Operations Manager Robbie Harris requesting the immediate launch of the station's D class Gwenll/an. There was a man overboard from a motorboat somewhere near the deep-water harbour.

Seven minutes later, Helmsman David Jones and Crew Members Chris Thomas and Rachel Thomas left the boathouse for their launching site on the beach. They were faced with torrential rain and an exceptionally high wind that was driving a heavy, dumping surf for 400m out to sea. It was vital to time their launch precisely if they were to avoid capsize.

Once in position, David boarded the lifeboat to start the engine while Chris and Rachel held it head to surf. With waves breaking over the lifeboat and a powerful undertow, this was quite a challenge.

Picking his moment, David called for Chris and Rachel to board and they set out on a skilfully negotiated path through the heavy surf - on occasion, the lifeboat even became airborne. Once clear of the surf, David turned the lifeboat to run south easterly, parallel to the shore and along the crests of the incoming waves, from where they spotted the motorboat, Holly.

Minutes later, Gwenllian safely reached Holly and they spotted the man overboard, Lyndon Ward. He had one arm through a buoy and the other holding onto the motorboat. He was not wearing a lifejacket.

With Holly pitching and rolling heavily in 3m waves, it would not be possible to manoeuvre the lifeboat alongside without posing a danger to Lyndon, so David asked Chris to enter the water and swim to him with the rescue float.

No sooner was Chris in the water than Lyndon went under. Chris forced himself underneath the hull of the motorboat in a desperate bid to find him. He was able to grab Lyndon's arm and bring his head clear of the surface - undoubtedly saving his life.

Whilst Chris put his energies into keeping Lyndon afloat, David skilfully held the lifeboat as steady as possible so that Rachel could drag the pair back to the lifeboat using the rescue float. Once they were alongside, Rachel held onto Lyndon while Chris got himself back into the lifeboat and then she swapped with David at the helm. Due to Lyndon's several layers of saturated clothing, it took the combined strength of the two men to get him onboard. On the third attempt, they used the lifeboat's rolling motion to good effect and successfully hauled Lyndon in. David resumed his position at the helm for the return passage.From her experience as a student nurse, Rachel could tell that Lyndon was in urgent need of medical attention but her attempts to administer first aid were hindered by the lifeboat's violent motion.

Chris informed the Coastguard that they would need back up to get the casualty to hospital. To save time, David took full advantage of the D class's flat bottom and, skirting an area of difficult seas, made an emergency landing on the beach. They were met by other crew and the Coastguard.

Lyndon was now only semiconscious and fitting. Rachel wrapped him in a survival bag and gave him oxygen.

Meanwhile, David and Chris saw that Holly was close to capsize. Thinking of the man still onboard, who had declined their offer of evacuation, they were glad to see a rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor approaching. A winchman was put onboard and the man recovered. Lyndon was picked up from the beach and both casualties were flown to hospital. Within a minute, Holly was hit by a large breaking wave and did indeed capsize. She was later washed up on the beach.

Helmsman David Jones and Crew Member Chris Thomas receive the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum in recognition of their courageous rescue in difficult circumstances. Rob Atkinson, RNLI Deputy Divisional Inspector (West) praises their actions: 'David demonstrated both courage and great skill in safely manoeuvring the lifeboat through the large breaking seas.

He remained calm, made a number of excellent decisions and led his crew in an exemplary fashion. Chris showed great courage and physical strength by entering the water, swimming to and getting underneath the vessel to recover Mr Ward.' The important role played by Rachel Thomas is also recognised in a Framed Letter of Thanks from RNLI Chairman Sir Jock Slater. 'Rachel's medical knowledge played an important part in this service,' explains Rob. 'Equally, despite her inexperience on the helm, she managed to hold the lifeboat head to sea while David assisted in recovering the casualty.' Left: Gwenllian and crew in training on a calm, sunny day Top right: RAF helicopter attending an Atlantic lifeboat Photo: AE Turner Bottom right: (L-R) Crew Members Rachel and Chris and Helmsman David reunited with Lyndon THE DETAIL THE DATE AND TIME Tuesday 10 January 2006,9.54am-11.00am THE CASUALTIES Two men on 6m motorboat Holly THE CONDITIONS Weather: Torrential rain Visibility: Poor Wind: South west force 6-7 (outside usual operating range of a D class) Sea state: Rough, 2-3m swell THE CREW Helmsman: David Jones (27, Coastguard watch assistant, 9 years on crew) Crew Members: Chris Thomas (24, motor mechanic, 9 years on crew) Rachel Thomas (22, student nurse, 4 years on crew) THE LIFEBOAT D-550 D class inshore Gwenllian Rotary Club of Port Talbot On station: 1999 Funding: £14,000 Port Talbot Rotary Club THE LIFEBOAT STATION Port Talbot Established: 1966 Previous lifeboats: a D class (1966), replaced by current D class (1995) Previous gallantry awards: The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum to Crew Member Robert Vernon Harris and Framed Letters of Thanks to Crew Members Leigh Worth and Stanley May (1995), Framed Letters of Thanks to Helmsman Matthew Rossi and Crew Member Leon Murphy and a Director's letter to Crew Member David Jones (1999).As the yacht Classic Wave passed between the Isles of Kerrera and Bach off Oban, Argyll, her engine cut out. Skipper Bob Hartley recalls: 'We got the foresail up but it wasn't enough to keep us clear, and we went aground.' He made a precautionary call to the Coastguard saying he was confident of refloating the Classic Wave on the turning tide, but they requested the launch of Oban's Mora Edith Macdonald.

Coxswain Ronnie MacKillop and his crew arrived on scene to find Classic Wave taking on water in a 3m swell and backwash off the rocks. Ronnie brought the lifeboat through the narrow stretch of deep water to one side of the yacht and Crew Member Peter MacKinnon climbed across with a salvage pump. The flooding tide and damaged hull became too much for the pump, though, so the decision was taken to abandon ship.

Now in driving rain and strong wind, with waves breaking across both craft and a rise and fall between their decks of 2-3m, Ronnie manoeuvred the lifeboat back alongside Classic Wave and the first of her crew leapt to safety. Seeing that the older yachtsmen couldn't safely perform such a feat, Ronnie decided to use the lifeboat's liferaft to recover them and so turned and approached stern to stern.

But just as the raft was being prepared, the yacht suddenly dislodged from the rocks. She slipped and sank in a matter of seconds, throwing the three men into the sea. The yachtsmen grabbed onto the raft and were swept clear but Peter was not so lucky - the sinking yacht was drawing him down with her. He had to work with all his might to regain the surface.

Ronnie recalls. 'I was absolutely terrified for his safety but you just have to steel Sunk in seconds It was a calm September afternoon for a yacht and her crew - until sudden engine trouble combined with a turning tide and a change in the weatheryourself and get on with it.'Thankfully, Classic Wave had also been equipped with a liferaft and this now inflated next to Peter and soon he too was recovered.

After the rescue, a grateful Bob said: 'I always believed in the RNLI but I never thought I would have to use them. They saved our lives. At no time did we feel desperate - we felt the lifeboat was in control. It was all so quick. We went aground at 12.15pm and were back in Oban two hours later.' Ronnie was happy to be able to conclude: 'At the end of the day we lost a salvage pump [since replaced by the yacht's insurers] but that's a small price to pay. You have to trust your training and your instincts and the boys who are with you.' Ronnie and Peter receive Framed Letters of Thanks from the RNLI Chairman Sir Jock Slater for their 'first class leadership' and 'resolute actions and bravery' respectively, while fellow crew Keith, Ian and Barry receive letters of appreciation from Chief Executive Andrew Freemantle.

Oban's Deputy Launching Authority Michael Robertson comments: 'Peter acted in the best traditions of the lifeboat service by continuing to help the yacht's crew without regard to his own safety - he could have jumped back onboard the lifeboat on several occasions but chose not to.

As a young and relatively inexperienced coxswain Ronnie kept calm throughout and handled the boat with exceptional skill to carry out the manoeuvres described, recover all the casualties and avoid damage to the lifeboat.' RNLI Sea Safety Manager Peter Chennell comments: 'This incident is a classic example of how the sea can turn a simple machinery failure into a life-threatening situation.

The crew were well prepared with lifejackets and a liferaft and the failure took place very close to land-yet without the RNLI, lives would most likely have been lost. All sea users should remember that the sea is a dangerous environment in which to enjoy oneself, and ensure that every reasonable precaution is taken when going to sea.' (See page 8 for news of the RNLI's latest in the sea safety armoury, pictured above.) THE DETAIL THE DATE AND TIME Saturday 17 September 2005, 12.28pm-2.03pm THE CASUALTIES Three men on 12m yacht Classic Wave THE CONDITIONS Weather: Ram Visibility: Good, 5-10 miles Wind: South west force 6 Sea state: Rough, 2-3m swell THE CREW Coxswain: Ronnie MacKillop (31, full-time Coxswain since 2004,9 years on crew.) Crew Members: Second Mechanic Keith Burnett (43, Scottish and Southern Energy pic manager, 7 years on crew), Third Mechanic Peter MacKinnon (48, self-employed maintenance contractor, 4 years on crew), Ian Henry (46, ship agency manager, 16 years on crew), Barry MacTaggart (36, electrical linesman, 6 years on crew) THE LIFEBOAT ON-1227(14-23) Trent class all weather Mora Edith MacDonald On station: 1997 Funding: £1.2M Bequest of Miss ME MacDonald, and of Mrs Janet Boyd Finlay-Maclean, Mrs Harriet Willis Gaunt, the Most Noble George lain Murray 10th Duke of Atholl and RNLI Chairman (specifically funded communications equipment), and Mrs Annie Thomson Hart, and a gift in memory of Mr Doug Hallday (specifically funded rudder) THE LIFEBOAT STATION Oban Established: 1972 Previous lifeboats: a McLachlan class (1972), an all weather added (1978), both replaced by a Brede class (1982), replaced by the current Trent class in 1997 Previous gallantry awards: Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum to Coxswain/Mechanic John Patrick Maclean (1985), Framed Letter of Thanks to then Crew Member Ronnie MacKillop (2001) Surfer Neil Futton was waiting in the water for the next wave to ride and, looking around, noticed a bodyboard floating in the water.

He paddled over and found a man who had stopped breathing. He started to attempt resuscitation there and then, while waving to attract the attention of the lifeguards on shore.

Robin Howell, both a Perranporth Surf LifesavingClub and RNLI lifeguard, happened to be passing after his rescue boat exam and spotted Neil. He launched the inshore rescue boat with fellow club member Gary Perry.

They pulled the man onboard and continued the resuscitation effort until he showed signs of life. Once back on shore, the duty RNLI lifeguard team and two local doctors continued treatment. The air ambulance arrived within five minutes of being scrambled and took the bodyboarder, Paul Marchant, to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske. He was treated in the intensive care unit and made a full recovery.

Greg Spray, RNLI Area Lifeguard Manager forCarrick, was on the beach at the time and praised the actions of all those involved in the rescue and underlined the casualty's good fortune: This was a great example of teamwork between Perranporth Surf LifesavingClub and the RNLI lifeguard team who reacted very quickly and professionally.

They used their first aid training to best effect and ensured the casualty had excellent care and attention. This was an incredibly close call for Paul and my hearty congratulations go to all those involved from the local community, including Robin and Gary, Cornwall Air Ambulance who were on the scene so quickly, members of the Surf LifesavingClub who were being examined at the time and cleared an area for the helicopter to land, the doctors and of course, Neil, who spotted the casualty in the first place and did the right thing.

'Despite their constant vigilance, lifeguards can't see everything, especially when there are many people in the sea, and so they also rely on other water users to alert them to problems.

This incident highlights the need for beach and sea users to be aware of others in and around the water and to pay attention to safety signs and flags, keeping within the lifeguarded area, where they have the best chance of being spotted if they do get into trouble.'THE DETAIL THE DATE AND TIME Saturday 24 September 2005,11.30am THE CASUALTY One man THE CONDITIONS Weather: Dry, overcast Visibility: Good Wind: Offshore Sea state: 1m clean waves THE LIFEGUARDS Robin Howell, Gary Perry THE RNLI LIFEGUARD UNIT Perranporth Established: 2002 THE INSHORE RESCUE BOAT Owned by Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club Funding: £10,000 West Country TV community challenge project.