Brighton Helm Mark Smith has been accorded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum for his part in saving a man’s life in near-gale conditions on 26 May 2011.

The man had gone overboard from the yacht Lady Cilla while wearing a safety line, and found himself tethered to her starboard side, being repeatedly submerged as she rolled heavily.

Mark decided to put a lifeboat crew member aboard the yacht, to help get the man back on deck. It took all his seamanship and boathandling skills to get the 7.4m inshore lifeboat close enough to the pitching yacht to make the transfer. At one point, a huge wave lifted the yacht so that she crashed down onto the lifeboat’s sponson.

Crew Member Marcus Morris, who went aboard the yacht and orchestrated getting the man back over the side, received a Framed Letter of Thanks, while Crew Member Conrad Levy was sent a Letter of Appreciation.

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum have also been accorded to Lifeguard Marcus Lascelles for saving the life of a bodyboarder at Porthtowan Beach on 10 September 2011.

Meanwhile, Kirkcudbright and Tynemouth Lifeboat Stations have both been awarded Anniversary Vellums to mark 150 years’ service with the RNLI.