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Boat: All Weather Lifeboat
Crew: Mark Pollard (Coxswain), John Blakeston, David Proud, Alan Rowe, Dave Nicoll, Carl Beradmore, Tom Bird, Jonathan Hackwell
Location: ½ mile Southeast of Manacle Buoy
Shout Date: 17/09/2009 - 09:02
Weather:SE 5, Moderate Sea & Heavy Swell, Good Visibility, Sunny

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At 08:54 Falmouth Coastguard requested that Falmouth All Weather Lifeboat be launched following a call from the 43ft Yacht White Spirit with two persons onboard reporting that it’s steering had failed and that they were only ½ mile Southeast of Manacle Buoy.

The All Weather Lifeboat left its pontoon berth at 09:02 and headed across Falmouth Bay arriving on scene at 09:20. By this time the yacht had drifted ½ mile further to the Southwest and thankfully away from the danger of the Manacle Rocks. The skipper reported that he had managed to rig the emergency tiller and was happy to head back under his own power with the Lifeboat acting as an escort. The yacht was safely berthed at Port Pendennis Marina at 11:21, the Lifeboat being released to return to station.

The All Weather Lifeboat was back alongside its pontoon berth by 11:24. The lifeboat was then refuelled, and was ready for service by 11:40.

The yacht had just been purchased and was on passage from Falmouth to Milford Haven with a planned stop over in Newlyn. The cause of the failure had been a mechanical fault in the steering mechanism. The skipper had made a very wise decision to alert the Coastguard of his predicament considering his close proximity to the Manacle Rocks and the prevailing conditions, but luckily the ebb tide took him clear of danger.