Another ride on a lifeboat

This time it was just a boat to boat transfer. This morning the forecast high winds had arrived. We anchored off Holbrook creek but it was too choppy to row in in Worm. Pete and Claire gave us a lift in their smacks boat. Three of the other smacks boats, Lettuce, Papa Stour and Ripple sailed over. A pleasure they were destined to regret. The RHS gave us their usual welcome. They have a new exhibition of school memorabilia including Nelson related goodies. It is open to the public regularly and will be formally opened by the Duke of York next weekend. Then we had coffee and pastries and headed back to the creek.

The wind had got worse and there were white horses in the bay. Neither Papa Stour not Ripple had an outboard. PtK fought the wind and managed to scull Papa Stour to the landing but Wrabness was out of the question. Mike and Sue took Sarah in Lettuce and towed PtK in Papa Stour.

Andy and Fiona (Electron) towed Ripple with their tiny RIB and we sat in the front of Transcur's smacks boat with Pete, Claire, Josie and Millie. Mike and Sandra braved the waves in their inflatable and got safely to Lilli Bullero, who had dragged her anchor half across the bay. The younger Robertsons went in AWOL and managed to sink. Luckily, the water was only shoulder deep and they got safely back to shore, the only permanent causalty being Clive's phone.

The waves got bigger and the smacks boat's outboard was out of the water too much. Pete started rowing too and we were making progress. A few waves came in at the bow but the boat felt very safe. These smacks boat are great little craft. Pete and Claire swapped to get more of the weight aft to lift the bows and keep the prop in the water more and then the engine cut out. It couldn't be started again and things were not looking good.

Luckily we managed to get Lilli Bullero's attention and she got close enough for me to throw her a line and we got aboard leaving Pete in the smack's boat. Lilli then got close enough to Transcur for Claire to get aboard. The other smacks boats had tied on to her to be towed. Robinetta was dragging a little by now too and we needed to get aboard. She was bucking like a bronco and still too close to Transcur for it to be easy to get to her in Lilli.

Melvin had seen the difficulties we were having and had told the coastguard. The inshore lifeboat came to see if assistance was needed but the boats had pretty much got themselves sorted. They kindly gave us a lift to Robinetta and we raised anchor and motored back to the mooring at Wrabness. The sun came out and the wind and the water were warm it was really nice.

Under the shelter of the cliffs it was fine. But Holbrook bay was a different matter.