A couple made a desperate call for help in the early hours of 20 December 2009 when their motorboat got into difficulties in near-gale conditions and snow showers off the mouth of the Humber.

The batteries to their VHF radio had frozen and, with no heating or compass, the man was suffering from hypothermia and seasickness. In rough seas and with snow on deck, the crew of Humber’s all-weather Severn class lifeboat Pride of the Humber (seen here in better weather) had a challenging journey to the scene, using landmarks and a weak mobile phone signal to pinpoint the casualty’s position.

The man was wrapped in blankets before the lifeboat towed the vessel back to Grimsby where he was stretchered into a waiting ambulance.