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THE LIFE-BOAT. The Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution. VOL. XXIX. SEPTEMBER, 1934. No. 319. THE LIFE-BOAT FLEET Motor Life-boats, 124 :: Pulling & Sailing Life-boats, 50 LIVES RESCUED from the foundation of the Institution in 1824 to August 31st, 1934 63,721 A Stormy Passage. By COMMANDER J. M. UPTON, R.D., R.N.R., Inspector of Life-boats for the Irish District. ON 12th March, I left Falmouth with sea for 65 hours. The distance travelled the motor life-boat Frederick H. Pilley, was 471 miles. This gives an average formerly stationed at The Lizard, for speed of 7'24 knots. The maximum the new station, established this year, speed for the boat on trial was 7'49. at Port Askaig, Islay, off the west coast Though the most was made of favour- of Scotland. able tides, an average speed of only a The Frederick H. Pilley is a self- quarter of a knot under the maximum righting motor life-boat, 38 feet by on a passage of 471 miles was certainly 9 feet 9 inches, with a single 40 h.p. not bad in the weather we had. engine. She was built in 1920 and has Fortunately or unfortunately, which- a fine record. She has rescued 130 ever way you look at it, with a crew lives. who had never been in a life-boat before, With me were Travelling Mechanic the passage was made in, perhaps, the Ralph Scott and a crew of four men worst weather of last winter. The from Port Askaig: Peter McPhee (cox- crew were dubious at first. They did swain), Hugh Buie (second coxswain), not know the capabilities of the boat A. McPhee (motor mechanic) and J. under them. The weather very quickly McDougall. Port Askaig being a new showed them what she could do. They station none of the four local men had soon gained confidence, and I never ever been at sea in a life-boat before, want a better crew in a boat with me in though they are all four experienced any weather. The weather on nearly fishermen. all runs between ports was most unkind. The brief record of the passage is that Nearly every morning when leaving the it took ten days, but two of those ten we wind was a fair one, and blowing suffici- were not at sea. We put in at Penzance, ently hard to give the boat a good help Padstow, and Angle; crossed the Irish with the sail. This help, however, was Sea to Rosslare Harbour; ran up the always very shortlived, and the wind Irish coast putting in at Kingstown and went ahead and increased considerably, Donaghadee; thence to Port Ellen, especially making Angle and Rosslare at the south-east corner of Islay, and Harbour, where a full gale was blowing. so to Port Askaig. We were actually at The sea and swell were never true; the 302 THE LIFE-BOAT. [SEPTEMBER, 1934. boat took a great deal of nursing; went on into Milford. It may have very heavy water came inboard. There been coincidence, but I think the being no shelter whatever, every sea trawler was deliberately keeping with that came inboard completely enveloped us. We were at sea ten hours and all hands. Oilskins before the day's travelled seventy-one miles, so that our run was finished became waterlogged average speed was over 7 knots. and useless. On arriving at Angle and Owing to the amount of stores on Rosslare none of the crew had on a deck, I decided to remain at Angle the stitch of dry clothing. next day, during the north-westerly The boat behaved splendidly in every gale. We left the following morning. kind of sea, especially running before it. The wind was then from the south- There were no signs of broaching to. west and had moderated, but it was When taking heavy water she quickly still blowing from twenty-four to thirty recovered, and it was only the confused miles an hour, and we met a very state of the sea that caught her un- confused sea and swell. The sails were prepared. I can quite understand the set and good progress made, but the very fine name she has got at The wind gradually increased ; rain set in Lizard. making visibility very bad; heavy Our worst runs were from Padstow squalls were frequent. to Angle, and across the Irish Sea from Angle to Rosslare. We left Padstow A Fall Gale. on the 14th in fine weather, with At two in the afternoon the wind wind from the south and a falling glass. went to north-west, and increased to a The sail was set and the wind at once full gale with a heavy sea. The engine began to increase, with a heavy follow- had to be eased and sails taken in. ing sea. In spite of this the boat Squalls of wind and hail were frequent. steered well, and showed no signs The weather was bitterly cold. Very of broaching to. Heavy water was heavy water was taken in; we all had occasionally taken in the waist, but to use the float lines; and the helmsman it was not dangerous. had to be lashed at the wheel. For About 11.30 A.M. the wind went to the next two and a half hours we were the south-west, and increased to a driving into the gale. moderate gale. Full sail was kept on This was the worst passage I have and the boat made excellent speed, but ever made in a life-boat. The boat at times she had to be brought up to had to be carefully nursed the whole the sea, which was very heavy and way over. It was impossible to relax confused, being from the westward with for a moment. To eat or drink was the wind from the south-west. Heavy impossible. water was taken inboard and the cox- The whole crew were splendid. Cox- swain's life-lines and the float lines swain McPhee and Second Coxswain were used by all hands. As Mechanic Buie steered magnificently, and Travel- McPhee said, " It's a good thing we ling Mechanic Scott was unceasing in have not to bale out with a tin." his care of the engine, and unfailingly cheerful even under the worst con- Punching into a Heavy Sea. ditions. The engine ran perfectly all At three in the afternoon a heavy the way. squall of wind and rain struck the boat, At 4.45 in the afternoon we passed and the wind flew to north-west. We the Barrels Light Vessel and ran into eased the engine to get in the sails and Rosslare Harbour with a fair wind the rest of the passage, over two hours, and tide. We arrived at six o'clock, was a punch into a very heavy confused having travelled fifty-nine miles in sea, with a head wind rising to a fresh nine hours. Our average speed was gale. Heavy water was taken inboard just over 6J knots. Coxswain Wick- but the engine ran splendidly. About ham and all the Rosslare Harbour crew 7 P.M. we sighted a trawler making for were waiting to take over the boat. Milford Haven. She kept within about They had decided, if we had been half half a mile of us all the way in to St. an hour later, to come out and look Ann's Head. She then went ahead, for us between the Tuskar and the but waited until we came up and. then Barrels. They moored the boat for SEPTEMBER, 1934.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 303 us and refuelled, and we were able to very cold; and again everyone was get straight ashore in the boarding wet" right through. boat. The whole crew were ex- From Port Ellen to Port Askaig, the hausted ; our eyes red with salt; not last twenty-one miles of the 471, we a dry piece of clothing on us; even had a light breeze and calm sea; our our changes of clothing, in bags, wet average speed was just under 8\ knots; through. and we brought the Frederick H. Pilley Next morning we set out for Kings- safely to her new station at 4.45 on town at eight o'clock. Our eyes were the afternoon of 21st March. still bad ; we needed rest; but it would The confidence which this passage be easier to get our clothes dried at gave to the four fishermen who made Kingstown than in the cottages of the it is shown by the fervent hope of all crew at Rosslare Harbour. The wind four, when we reach Port Askaig, that was moderate, but after we passed the practice with a full crew which Wicklow Head it increased and went is always held when a new boat reaches ahead, blowing from the north with her station, might take place in a full rain and hail squalls. It was bitterly gale, so that the rest of the crew might cold. That day we did seventy miles. see for themselves what a life-boat We were all glad to spend the next can do. Unfortunately the weather day, Sunday, at Kingstown. was not kind. No gale came. For the rest of the passage we had This passage was an exceptional nothing stronger than a strong breeze, experience in these days when the but on the last day but one, when we larger types of motor life-boat all were running from Donaghadee to have cabins and shelters, and passages, Port Ellen, we found that we were even in stormy weather, can be made making no headway against the strong in comparative comfort ; but to, those, breeze and strong flood-tide when off coxswains and others, who took life- Larne, so we put in there until the tide boats round the coast befqre the first eased oft.

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