When two teens were swept into a rough sea on 28 December 2009, one was washed straight back to safety. The other wasn’t so lucky, but help was on its way

A south easterly force 6 was blowing on the south Devon coast. Seas were rough and daylight was fading as the people of Teignmouth settled into the Christmas bank holiday evening. Among them, Richard Boss was watching a movie, Kevin Clifton was about to go shooting with his father, Dave Matthews was cooking tea for his son and Will Burton was opening presents with his nieces. But their comfort and joy was rudely interrupted when the lifeboat pagers sounded at 4.13pm and these four men, volunteer crew members, rushed to the lifeboat station.

Two teenage boys had been out walking along the sea wall when a large wave swept them into the water. One was fortunate enough to be washed straight back ashore, but the other, Marcus Paz (16), got caught up in a seriously turbulent sea some 30m from the sea wall at Sprey Point. The breaking waves in this spot were 2–3m high at intervals of 4–5m, rebounding off the sea wall and clashing with the next set. Marcus clutched his rucksack, which helped him keep his head above water, while a passer-by called the Coastguard.

Just 4 minutes after the pagers sounded, the relief Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Peterborough Beer Festival III was launched, with Will at the helm and Richard, Kevin and Dave as crew. Time was of the essence, and the Atlantic is capable of high speeds, but racing to the scene in rough seas would have been extremely dangerous, and Will put crew safety first. The lifeboat had to cross the shallows of the Teignmouth Bar, which throws up steep, unpredictable waves when the weather turns nasty. Kevin says: ‘We knew it was going to be a bumpy ride, especially over the bar, but the boat performed very well as she always does.’ With great care and skill, Will brought his lifeboat and crew to Sprey Point in about 5 minutes, but the job had only just begun.

Marcus was still visible on the surface, having been in the water for just over 10 minutes, and coastguards ashore were able to point him out. Recovering him to the lifeboat was not going to be easy. Approaching from the seaward side meant going in stern-first, as massive waves breaking over the stern would have swamped the lifeboat and made it even more difficult to control in the challenging conditions, or worse. Richard says: ‘If we lost our head-to-sea position during the various manoeuvres, then we would in all likelihood have capsized.’

While Will watched ahead for dangerous waves, Kevin took up a position in the lifeboat’s bucking bow, giving Will a running commentary on Marcus’s position in the water. On the second attempt, they very nearly managed to get the lifeboat’s port side alongside the boy but just then, another enormous dumping wave appeared ahead and Will had to square the lifeboat up to it, so the crew were again separated from their target.

It was a case of third time lucky as the next approach was a success and Richard and Dave were able to haul Marcus aboard. He seemed to lose consciousness as he was laid down on the foredeck, and Kevin began to assess his condition. But there was barely time to begin first aid before another huge wave hit the lifeboat and filled her with water, pushing him and Kevin towards the engines at the stern. Will steered away from the maelstrom of clashing waves and, in slightly calmer seas, the lifeboat drained of water. The crew helped Marcus, who was now much more alert but very cold, onto a crew seat for the bumpy ride back to station. Richard says: ‘Taking care of the casualty was difficult. During the return journey, due to the rough sea state, accessing lockers for first aid kit was close to impossible, so offering hypothermic relief simply involved forming a human blanket around the casualty to protect him from wind and spray, and heading for home asap.’

They headed back out over the treacherous Teignmouth Bar and reached the station at 4.29pm. The Coastguard had arrived by land with the other boy, and both teens were taken to hospital. They were released later that evening, a little shaken but remarkably well, considering their ordeal.

Will, who has been on the crew for almost 20 years and skippers a local trawler, says: ‘It was the worst-weather shout I’ve been on as a helm, and the most challenging, but I’ve been on worse as crew years ago, sat behind my father looking for a windsurfer off Dawlish in a force 7! I think that all the years I spent sat behind my father and other helms of that era taught me a lot – picking up bits from their vast experience.’

Richard adds: ‘Training undoubtedly helped, as we’ve undertaken man overboard exercises in extreme conditions and under stressful situations. It ran very smoothly really, we worked well as a team and no one doubted our ability or mission. Only upon return to station did we consider that the conditions were more testing than usual and that the casualty was indeed lucky to have survived. We were very pleased to have been able to help.’