Engine failure combined with force 7–8 winds to put a sailor and his cat Sukie in danger 4 miles off the Mull of Kintyre on 3 September. Campbeltown’s Severn class lifeboat, Ernest and Mary Shaw, launched to help. The 7m yacht was rolling violently, and conditions were so poor that transferring the man and his pet to the lifeboat was the only option. The transfer was made on the second attempt. A crude tow was then set up using a grappling hook, with a stronger connection being made when calmer waters were reached and conditions allowed.