When a catamaran began pouring out smoke and flames, the lives of two sailors and their parrot were at stake.

It was clear, with a light south-westerly breeze and low tide when Powerboat Instructor Jono Garton (28) looked out over Pwllheli marina on 29 August 2008. To his horror, a column of smoke was pouring from a vessel moored in the distance. An RNLI helmsman too, he knew there was no time to lose and hot footed it to the lifeboat station a few doors down.

Full-time Mechanic John Jones had already begun to contact the Coastguard, Fire and Ambulance services. Next on the scene was Boatbuilder and Crew Member Jason Warren (32). ‘It’s lucky that Jason and I work so close,’ says Jono. ‘We were already kitting up as the pagers went off.’

Deciding it could prove too risky to wait for a third crew member, Jono and Jason set off immediately in D class lifeboat Leslie and Peter Downes. Jono reveals: ‘It did go through my mind: what if people are stuck onboard? We’re on a rubber boat and in rubber suits facing a fire. There might be nothing we can do …’

Two minutes later, the pair reached the scene. The marina’s safety boat had also launched to help but was unable to reach the blazing craft in such shallow waters. ‘No other boat could have done the job – only the inshore lifeboat could get close enough to offer the help needed,’ explains Jono.

‘The 8m catamaran was pretty much up in flames,’ he continues. ‘It was good to see that owners David and Karen had managed to jump overboard but they’d then got stuck in the mud and were desperately trying to scramble away from the boat without much luck. They were both very distressed and David clearly had severe burns to his face and arms.’

Jason lost no time bringing David onboard. He then entered the water himself and held the lifeboat in position leaving Jono free to climb out, pick up Karen and lift her in. But there was another life to save too: a much-loved pet parrot named Charlie. Despite everything, the couple had managed to place his cage in the catamaran’s dinghy, now lying on the mud next to the burning craft. Jono grabbed the cage.

It was then that a gas cylinder exploded on the catamaran, showering debris over the lifeboat and the surrounding area. ‘We couldn’t hear ourselves think – our ears were just ringing – and the heat from the fire was intense,’ says Jono. Amazingly, all escaped unharmed.

Learning that there were flares and another gas bottle onboard, Jono made best speed to the lifeboat station where first aid could be given by one of the shore helpers, a first responder. The two volunteers now put their minds to ensuring those in and around the marina would be safe from the boat’s continuing explosions. They advised the marina manager to clear the area and evacuation began immediately.

The flames were subsiding as a fire tender and crew arrived so Jono agreed to take a fireman out with a hose. The combination of hose water and the rising tide soon extinguished the fire. ‘By the time we left her, there was nothing much left – just the metalwork – and the tide soon covered that,’ recalls Jono. As for the lifeboat, she was filthy with mud and soot.

David was airlifted to Bangor hospital while Karen, suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, was driven. The station Tractor Driver and his wife took Charlie home with them until he could be reunited with his owners. After some weeks in Liverpool’s burns unit and several months at home, David says:

‘Our beloved boat went up like a bomb after I'd gone up like a Christmas pudding. He [Jono] showed great bravery and risk to his own life coming so close. There was another gas bottle and 28 gallons of petrol onboard, which could have exploded at any time ... On shore they doused me with gallons of cold water, which was essential but not appreciated at the time …

‘Once home I had daily visits from the district nurses and my face healed completely but my arms and legs are scarred and still weak. I won’t be back to work for a while. Thankfully Karen is working again, and Charlie suffered no more than some scorched tail feathers.

‘We all give to the RNLI but there’s not a collecting tin big enough to show our gratitude.’