Towing a stricken boat to the safety of port might seem routine but, in often gruelling conditions, it takes great skill and smart decision making. So what’s involved in a tow?
First, the crew must decide whether or not they need to tow. They assess the weather, sea state
and water depth. They consider the size and condition of the casualty boat and find out how many people are onboard. The easiest way to bring people back to safety is usually on their own boat,’ says
Swanage Coxswain Dave Turnbull. ‘As long as the boat is in good condition – not on fire or sinking – we’ll take it in tow to a place of safety. The last thing you’d want to do is tie yourself to a boat that’s sinking.’ Setting up the tow In some cases, the lifeboat can be manoeuvred alongside the casualty boat, so the crew can hand the tow to the people onboard. Otherwise, the tow rope is thrown. Tow ropes are heavy, so a heaving line is often used to help throw the tow rope across. Sometimes, a lifeboat crew member might go onboard the casualty vessel to help. When the tow rope is secured on the casualty boat, it gets let out to the right length – long enough to allow a dip in the rope. Making sure the length of tow is correct will reduce chafe, snatching and stress on the rope. Towing can also place a lot of stress on the boat, so the crew need to make sure the deck fittings can take the loads placed on them. If needed, they can use other strong points such as masts and winches.

‘In an ideal world, the boat would have something nice and low you could attach to,’ says Dave. ‘If you’re pulling from up on deck it pulls the bow of the boat down. If you imagine towing a car, it’d be like towing from the roof!’ ‘ As long as the boat is in good condition – not on fire or sinking – we’ll take it in tow to a place of safety. The last thing you’d want to do is tie yourself to a boat that’s sinking.’ In rough weather, the crew will try to tow in step. This is where both boats position themselves on similar parts of different waves, minimising the strain on the tow rope. Once the tow is underway, the lifeboat crew regularly check the casualty boat for position and signals from the people onboard, and the
tow rope for chafing. They may need to adjust so that a fresh part of line comes into contact with the fairlead (a hook to tie the tow rope around). This is called freshening the nip and prevents chafing and breaking. The tow rope breaking or parting under load isn’t just inconvenient – it’s dangerous. Recoil could cause serious injury and damage. Are there different types of tow? Vessels are usually towed astern of the lifeboat. But sometimes, like when approaching a harbour, it may be necessary to bring the other boat alongside. Sometimes this can be done in one move but, in difficult conditions, it’s usually done in several quick attempts. The crew need to reduce their speed gradually, and take great care not to foul propellers with the tow rope. A challenging tow In March last year, Penlee and Sennen Cove lifeboat crews joined forces to assist a 3,600-tonne coaster, Lady Alida, in an 11-hour rescue. The 88m cargo ship had suffered engine failure at 3am. With a strong south-westerly wind blowing, the ship started to drift towards shore with seven crew members onboard. In darkness and a force 6 wind, Penlee’s Severn class lifeboat Ivan Ellen and Sennen Cove’s Tamar class lifeboat City of London III towed the coaster 2 miles out into deeper, safer water. The Lady Alida dropped anchor and both lifeboats headed back to Newlyn at 6.20am. Five minutes later, both crews were having a warming cup of tea in Penlee’s boathouse, when they were interrupted by a call from Falmouth Coastguard requesting the relaunch of both lifeboats. The Lady Alida was dragging its anchor and drifting towards the shore. Just after 7am, the lifeboats arrived on scene. The plan was to standby until a tug arrived from Brixham but, 1½ hours later, there was no sign of the tug. The Lady Alida was only 2½ miles from shore and still drifting. So, once again, the Sennen Cove and Penlee lifeboats attached tow ropes and slowly headed seaward for safer waters. The salvage tug was still struggling in poor weather, so a larger tug was tasked to help. By the time it arrived, the lifeboats had towed the Lady Alida over 4 miles. The volunteers were ‘ In an ideal world, the boat would have something nice and low you could attach to. If you imagine towing a car, it’d be like towing from the roof!’ finally able to stand down – 11 hours after their first launch. Patch Harvey, Coxswain of the Ivan Ellen, says: ‘It was an extremely long job, not made easy by the conditions. A fantastic team effort from both of the volunteer lifeboat crews from Penlee and Sennen Cove.’

Words: NIkki McMullen
Photos: RNLI/(Dennis Eddie, Paddy Lee, Nigel Millard),
Stephen Duncombe