SMART RESCUE BY LIFEBOAT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22005, 1 February 1937, Page 10

SMART RESCUE BY LIFEBOAT

YACHT IN DIFFICULTIES AT SUMNER ABANDONED VESSEL CAPSIZED Caught in a north-westerly wind off Taylor's Mistake soon after 11 o'clock yesterday morning, the Z class yacht Waterwitch, with F. Mawson and N. Churchill on board, got into, serious difficulties and the two yachtsmen were rescued by members of the Sumner Lifeboat Institution. The wind, which had been blowing strongly all the morning, suddenly increased in violence when the boat, which was on its way from Lyttelton to Scarborough, was off Taylor's Mistake. Realising their predicament when their boat gave a sudden lurch and seas of greater height were whipped up the occupants lowered their sails and dropped the anchor overboard with the twofold object oi keeping head-on to the heavy seas and preventing the boat from drifting. They could not arrest the drift, however, and soon the yacht had been blown to within a few feet ot a reef in Taylor's Mistake. Hoisting a few feet of canvas, the yachtsmen made out to sea again, deciding that their best course was to get up to Whitewash Head if possible and signal for assistance from the Sumner lifeboat. Their distress signal was noticed by the lighthouse-keeper, who telephoned the police station at Sumner, and the siren was sounded shortly after 1 o'clock. Unfortunately, the tide was almost completely out, and it was not possible to launch the motor-lifeboat Rescue 11. A small lifeboat which is kept on Uie slip alongside the lifeboat shed was used. Helped by the wind and tide the lifeboat made a quick run to # the Waterwitch, which, although pitch-' ing heavily in the choppy water, was *n no great danger. The yachts- | men were concentrating on keeping their boat head-on to the seas to avoid any possibility of catching a swell broadside on. Little difficulty was met in transferring the two men and the lifeboat crew then began their task of rowing back with an increased burden—two extra persons and some water shipped on the way out. In addition, the tide and wind were against them, and it was only by.gaining the shelter provided by the Scarborough cliffs that they were able to make any real progress. Hundreds of people watched the rescue from vantage points on the Scarborough breakwater and the adjoining hill. It was not possible to salvage the Waterwitch, which drifted towards the bar, and at length was capsized by the breakers. Later M. Candy, of the Sumner Life-Saving Club, swam out on the belt to the yacht but unaided he found it impossible to bring the boat in.