Shetland Coastguard contacted Lerwick Lifeboat Operations Manager Malcolm Craigie at around 1.45pm on the afternoon of Saturday 25 October 2008. Two large fishing boats were in trouble in Baltasound, 40 miles north of the station – could the RNLI assist?

Malcolm paged the crew and the Michael and Jane Vernon launched from her berth within 12 minutes. The wind was blowing a force 8 gale with rain showers but was expected to increase sharply and reach its peak at around 4pm.

Sleigh ride

As the wind built and the sea rose rapidly, the narrow passage between the islands became what Coxswain Bruce Leask described as ‘a sleigh ride’. He remembers: ‘At times our speed reached in excess of 30 knots as we surfed down the back of the swells of the breaking seas, reducing to just 10 knots as we climbed the face of the next.’ By the time Bruce and his crew of five had passed north of Fetlar, the wind was a full storm force 10, creating a 5m breaking sea.

During what proved to be an extremely arduous and winding journey, radio transmissions from the Coastguard’s local rescue team explained that one of the fishing vessels, the 26m Shemarah had broken her mooring lines in the severe conditions and had been driven onto a sandbank to the east of Baltasound pier. In an attempt to assist, the second vessel, Valhalla, had fouled a rope in her own propeller, severely damaging her gearbox in the process: she too was driven aground.

Still while the lifeboat was en route, local fishing boat Alison Kay managed to get a line to the Valhalla, pull her off the sandbank and assist her to safety. But the attempt to similarly shift the Shemarah failed and the tow parted.

Securing a tow

After almost 2 hours at sea, the Severn class reached Baltasound. This enclosed harbour area with its small entrance and outlying island was nonetheless exposed to the heightening winds. The Alison Kay was making a second attempt, her crew having tied her securely to the pier. With the assistance of a small lobster boat, they passed one of their trawl wires to the Shemarah with the intention of winching her in, but this too failed.

Now it was the turn of the lifeboat to pass a tow to the 301-tonne Shemarah, just as the storm reached its worst. The local weather station was frequently recording hurricane force 12 wind speeds while gusts of over 80 knots were felt at the scene. Exposed to the wind’s full ferocity on the lifeboat’s heaving deck, the volunteers were forced onto their hands and knees to make the 65mm-thick rope ready, attaching a lighter heaving line for throwing.

Second Mechanic Ian Leask recalls: ‘I saw the sea flooding across the stern of the lifeboat and I was frantically holding on to the grab rail on the foredeck to stop myself getting knocked down by the force of the wind. I was soaked to the skin.’ Yet, with great skill, the crew were successful first time in passing the tow over the bow of the lifeboat.

‘It could not have been worse conditions or visibility,’ Bruce comments. ‘Due to the sheer force of the wind blowing across the harbour and the restricted area within the harbour it was difficult to manoeuvre and we could hardly see the casualty at the end of the rope due to the driving sea spray.'

Eventually, the combined efforts of the lifeboat and the Alison Kay were successful in pulling the Shemarah free. It took some time to hold the vessel in position while the Alison Kay winched her alongside where she was made secure. The 100m tow rope was released and the rope retrieved shortly before 4.30pm.

Hazardous return

The RNLI’s job done, still the danger was not over. The conditions were so severe that there was risk of damage to the lifeboat and crew, but returning to Lerwick face into the wind would be even more difficult. There was no vacant berth on the pier so Bruce chose the lesser of the evils: to remain in Baltasound until the wind either moderated or changed direction.

The low-pressure weather system was forecast to pass in 1–2 hours and, sure enough, by almost 6pm the wind had veered sufficiently for shelter to be provided by the land to the west. Now in darkness, the passage home remained hazardous and slow, the high seas reducing the lifeboat's speed to 8 knots at times. At 8.50pm, she finally moored, some 7 hours after responding to the call for help.

In his formal Letters of Appreciation, the RNLI’s Operations Director commended Lerwick’s crew on their great determination, stamina, skill and judgement.