The volunteers aboard an inshore lifeboat faced nearly overwhelming conditions one day last March …

The shipping and inshore waters forecast at 5.20am warned of the impending weather:

‘SOUTH/SOUTH EAST 5–7 … VEERING
WEST/SOUTH WEST 7–SEVERE GALE 9,
PERHAPS STORM 10 LATER …’

With low pressure forecast to move slowly across the UK, yacht Doxy's skipper and his daughter thought they could get from Brighton to Cowes before conditions worsened. Their 7.3m craft had been described in a yachting magazine as a ‘tough little battleship’, taking ‘most conditions in her stride’.

So they left at 6am, heading into the approaching weather. But nearly 11 hours later, just before 5pm, they were off Chichester and had only covered 25 miles. Doxy was struggling to make headway.

Overwhelmed by the conditions the skipper called Solent Coastguard on his mobile as their hand-held VHF wasn’t powerful enough. Contacting Hayling Island’s Lifeboat Operations Manager Nigel Roper, they requested the launch of their Atlantic 85 Derrick Battle. Nigel had been working on the harbourside all day: ‘I was aware of the conditions but knew the lifeboat could cope even with force 7 winds gusting to severe gale 9.’

The crew were paged at 4.56pm and 8 minutes later, with Peter Hanscombe at the helm, they launched into the teeth of the gale. Immediately they took on water ballast to add weight as they encountered heavy breaking seas crossing Chichester Bar.

Although they could see the casualty from the station, Peter couldn’t steer adirect course as the rolling waves were beam (side) on. They encountered an unusually large wave, estimated at 8–9m, lifting them vertically, despite the full ballast tanks, which Peter says was ‘quite emotional!’ As the vessel fell back again, the stern was buried in a foaming mass, immersing Crew Member Jasper Graham-Jones on the fourth crew seat.

Crew Member Kevin Hoskins remembers the piercing klaxon of the man-overboard alarm and for one brief second thought the worst. Thankfully Jasper was still on the boat but the violent movement had triggered the alarm and reduced the engines’ power to fail-safe mode for over a minute. Peter points out: ‘We had waves like blocks of flats coming at us. I had to work the throttles to restore full power quickly!’

At 5.12pm, the Atlantic came alongside Doxy. The two casualties were cold, tired and a little frightened, drained by the relentless pitching and rolling of the yacht.

With no sail up and the engine running, Doxy couldn’t point into the wind and pounding seas so the Helmsman transferred Jasper, skilfully bringing the lifeboat alongside at the first attempt (pictured below). Jasper then secured a tow rope around three cleats to spread the load.

Helmsman Hanscombe knew that going back across the Bar was too dangerous so opted to tow Doxy to the south west first, gaining some shelter from the Isle of Wight before heading towards Gosport Marina. With winds now at gale force, Peter requested that Bembridge all-weather lifeboat assist them.

The carriage-launched Mersey Peggy and Alex Caird trundled half a mile across the beach before launching at 5.35pm. Coxswain Steve Simmonds and his crew thought ‘it might be a bit sporty’ in the heavy seas and, rendezvousing at the Dean Tail wreck buoy 20 minutes later, the Coxswain and Helm decided the Mersey should take the tow.

The crews worked quickly and confidently. Jasper moved to the bow of the yacht to release Hayling’s tow and Steve manoeuvred the Mersey stern first to the yacht before passing their tow rope to Jasper to secure at 5.59pm.

Unfortunately, as Jasper had ‘eaten his own body weight in carvery less than an hour before’, he had become violently seasick. He was also getting very cold so was transferred from the yacht to the Atlantic (with Crew Member Jamie Stickler taking his place) and then to the Mersey. In their wheelhouse they monitored him but, although he warmed up a bit, it did not cure his seasickness, as crew on the upper steering position testified!

Progress, at 4 knots, to Portsmouth Harbour was slow but once inside, Bembridge released the tow and Hayling escorted Doxy under her own power to Gosport Marina.  

Safely alongside, with warm drinks all round, Peter reflects: ‘When navigating the Looe Channel off Selsey Bill the casualties had a “life-changing experience” as conditions deteriorated and they were driven towards East Pole Sands. They were very grateful to see Hayling lifeboat and eventually dry land.’

Jasper returned to station by car and was replaced by Craig Elsdon. By 8pm, conditions had eased – winds at 26 knots from 36, and sea state slight as the tide had turned. The Atlantic travelled back unescorted, arriving 30 minutes later, and once Bembridge knew they were safe they rehoused by 9.10pm.

Helmsman Peter Hanscombe, who was awarded a Framed Letter of Thanks from the RNLI’s Chairman, says modestly: ‘This was a challenging service but the Hayling and Bembridge lifeboat crews worked well together with a successful outcome.’