Experience and compassion combined when three volunteers faced the toughest test

The call came at 8.19am on Easter Sunday 2012. All that Damien Bolton, Nicola Bradbury and Matthew Main knew was that two men were in the water in rough seas between Port Isaac and Tintagel, and that one of the men was face down in the water. ‘Tregardock is a lovely beach at low tide but at high tide it’s a rocky beast full of shifting sandbanks and unpredictable, confused seas,’ explains Senior Helm Damien. ‘This was going to be a difficult rescue.

‘But I felt that, if there was anything that could be done, we could handle it. We all knew the area well from our training.’

Copeland Bell, Port Isaac’s D class lifeboat, was quickly launched and the trio arrived on scene 7 minutes later. Sure enough, two men were visible, and one was able to shout for help before being swept under a wave.

The story so far
A local father and son, Peter (60) and Paul (27) Sleeman, had been fishing together at the beach. Aware that the tide was coming in, the pair had started to go home up the steps only for Paul to be swept off by a large wave. Peter grabbed a torpedo-style lifeline from the top of the steps, threw it to Paul and started to drag him in. But just as he thought he’d brought his son to safety, Peter too was swept into the sea.

The area was particularly treacherous that day because of a high spring tide, force 4–5 winds and a 3m swell. This was driving onto the cliff face and being bounced back, making it impossible for the men to get back to the steps. In fact they were being pinned into an arc of semi-submerged rocks.

Alone in the sea in this isolated spot, the two men were eventually spotted by a passing walker who called the Coastguard and waited on the cliff top to guide in the rescuers. It is thought that the fishermen had been in the water for at least half an hour.

Venturing in
As the lifeboat crew sped towards them, the men were being tumbled by the waves. ‘They would disappear, and then out of this boiling torrent would come Paul’s head and his dad’s back,’ pictures Matthew.

The crew agreed to face the risk of taking their small boat into these extremely hazardous conditions. Damien duly took the boat off upwind and deployed the anchor before reversing back towards the casualties. By veering down in this way, the Helmsman kept the bow facing into the swell, thus avoiding capsize.

Damien’s skilled boathandling brought them through the waves and rocks to within 3m of the cliff face and 2m of the casualties. But then he stopped – he’d spotted the rope from the torpedo-buoy and realised that, if they went any closer, it could become entangled in the boat’s propeller.

Only Paul had shown any sign of consciousness since their arrival. Now the crew encouraged him to swim the short distance towards the lifeboat. Although reluctant to leave his father, he eventually did so, going limp and lifeless as he reached the boat.

Damien, Nicola and Matthew worked together successfully to heave this 1.9m man onboard. They found he was attached by rope to Peter, so they cut Paul free and secured the line to the boat – but at that moment they were hit by a large wave and their engine cut out.

A swift exit
A loss of power in such circumstances could have been fatal to all. ‘If we hadn’t been able to restart, we would have been over and in with the casualties,’ remembers Nicola. The engine did restart quickly but it was still vital that they got out into safer waters right away.

Damien gave the order to cut the anchor line and quickly drove out of the tumultuous waves into calmer seas away from the rocky cliffs. They had not been able to get Peter onboard, but they were still connected to him.

Once out of the danger zone, Damien pulled Peter alongside to check for any signs of life but there were none. Meanwhile Paul was clearly in a very bad condition, drifting in and out of consciousness – his life was still at risk.

Damien made the decision. He fitted a lifejacket to Peter’s body to ensure they could recover it later and then let him go. He called for an immediate evacuation for Paul and an RAF search and rescue helicopter appeared right on cue.

Meanwhile Nicola and Matthew administered first aid to Paul, wrapped him in a survival bag and put a neoprene helmet on him to preserve body heat. He was both hypothermic and at risk of secondary drowning having taken in a lot of water.

Matthew comments: ‘It was clear that we’d reached Paul with only seconds to spare. There is no doubt in my mind that he was about to give up.’

Paul, who was now distressed, was successfully airlifted from the moving lifeboat and taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske. The lifeboat crew then returned to recover Peter’s body and take it home to his family.

Looking back, looking forward
Asked afterwards if he had been aware of the danger they were heading into, Damien asserts: ‘I was very conscious of the risk but I had full confidence in the ability of the crew aboard the Copeland Bell that day. We had 37 years' worth of experience between us and had trained together for the last 7 years.

‘On a small boat like this, each crew member has to know each others’ jobs and must be in tune with one another to constantly balance the boat. These skills had become instinctive to us – I believe it was our teamwork that saved Paul’s life.’

In formal recognition of their putting their own lives on the line beneath that craggy Cornish cliff face, Damien is to be honoured with a Silver Medal for Gallantry and both Nicola and Matthew with Bronze Medals. They will receive them at our Annual Presentation of Awards ceremony in May.

Back at home, the Sleeman family have become close to the Port Isaac lifeboat men and women, describing them as: ‘… Truly amazing people. Without their skills, bravery and determination Paul wouldn’t be here today.’ Paul went on to attend Matthew’s wedding in September.