RNLI Lifeboat Rescues Stricken Yacht in Force 10 Winds Off Porthleven
Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
On Halloween night, a serious maritime rescue unfolded just two miles off Porthleven, the town located on England’s southwestern coast. A 40-foot yacht with eight people aboard sent a mayday call as it began to take on water in extremely severe conditions. His Majesty’s Coastguard received the distress call and tasked the nearby RNLI lifeboat Ivan Ellen to respond.
The Ivan Ellen, a 56-foot lifeboat crewed entirely by volunteers, launched rapidly and was underway within eight minutes. Weather reports from a nearby station indicated Force 10 conditions with gusts reported up to 75 knots, creating a violent sea state that would test both the lifeboat crew and the vessel in distress. The volunteer team headed straight into the storm toward the stricken yacht.
The Rescue: Challenges and Response
When the lifeboat reached the yacht, sea conditions were too dangerous to transfer crew directly to the stricken vessel to perform onboard pumping or repairs. Communication over VHF established that the yacht’s skipper and passengers faced multiple problems: the yacht was drifting toward shore, water ingress was increasing, and not all eight people on board had adequate safety equipment.
With the yacht rapidly drifting inshore, two RNLI crew members went out onto the deck of the lifeboat and, on their first attempt, succeeded in securing a tow line to move the yacht away from the shoreline and back toward deeper water. The tow line subsequently parted, however, and the yacht began drifting again, ultimately coming to within roughly half a mile of the shore — a precarious distance given the high winds and shallow waters near the coastline.
Compounding the danger, the yacht’s skipper later reported a broken port-side window that was allowing additional water to enter the cabin. Faced with escalating risk and the limitations imposed by the severe weather, the RNLI requested helicopter assistance to ensure the safe evacuation of everyone on board.
Evacuation and Aftermath
On a subsequent attempt, the lifeboat crew re-established the tow connection. Helicopter crews were able to recover all eight people from the yacht and bring them to safety. Once the passengers had been safely evacuated by air, the Ivan Ellen took over, towing the damaged yacht back to the harbour for recovery and further assessment.
The combined efforts of the RNLI lifeboat crew and the helicopter team prevented a potentially catastrophic grounding close to the shore and ensured that all eight people were rescued without reported serious injury. The incident highlights the complexity of maritime rescue operations under extreme weather conditions and the importance of rapid, coordinated response.
Key Takeaways and Safety Reminders
This rescue underscores several important safety lessons for anyone venturing onto the water: always carry appropriate safety equipment for every person on board, maintain reliable communication with coastguard authorities, and heed weather warnings that forecast severe conditions. Even experienced skippers can find themselves overwhelmed when structural damage and rapidly developing weather combine.
The swift actions of the volunteer RNLI crew, their close coordination with His Majesty’s Coastguard and helicopter services, and the determination to keep everyone safe illustrate the effectiveness of established emergency procedures at sea. In conditions described as Force 10 with extreme gusts, the decision to evacuate by helicopter rather than risk on-deck transfers likely prevented further harm.
The yacht was secured and towed back to harbour by the Ivan Ellen, bringing the incident to a safe conclusion and allowing follow-up inspections and any necessary repairs to begin.