Tuesday 15 January 2008

Once in your career

It's funny sometimes how life can pass you by when you take your eye off the ball. Although at home all day yesterday with a poorly daughter, and aware of the grim weather, I failed to notice the news that Torbay and Salcombe Lifeboats were at sea conducting a truly impressive rescue in gale force 8 winds and 5m seas.

Called at 7.30 on Sunday evening the rescue was carried out by Torbay lifeboat in the dark. Overall 30 or 40 attempts to come alongside were made before all of the 8 crewmembers were recovered. In the words of the Spencer Gammond from the RNLI, the lifeboat crews operated "at the very limit" to evacuate the ship. I'm damn sure they did. Well done lads.

Thankfully the lifeboat was undamaged and nobody from either crew or the Ice Prince was injured. In itself a miracle given the no-existent margin for error and safety in a rescue such as this.

The Ice prince has subsequently sunk but remains a danger to shipping.

(Photo: from Torbay station website)

1 comment:

Douglas Wilcox said...

What a magnificent rescue!

30 to 40 approaches in the dark with the risk of the ship rolling on top of you.

It is quite, quite humbling and everyone returned to their family!