Chichester sailors relive 'frightening' misadventure after being saved by heroic RNLI

Delia Swift and her husband Chris Bell, who have been sailing the waters for more than 50 years, were stuck in a harbour for 12 days after bad weather struck on their trip.

The couple had set off from their home in Chichester with their dog Ozzy on a three-month voyage around Britain exactly four weeks before the rescue.

Having made it as far as Padstow on the north coast of Cornwall, a run of strong northerly winds had meant they had been stuck in the harbour for 12 days.

With more poor weather forecast, they made the difficult decision to cut the trip short and head back home.

Watching the forecast closely they spotted a gap in the weather and left Padstow, heading for Lands’ End and the relative shelter of the south coast.

While they had a good wind, unfortunately their yacht wasn’t fast enough to round Land’s End before dark so they decided to anchor in St Ives Bay as the safest option.

At that time, in June 2021, the forecast was indicating strong gusts of wind the following day but they had put in place the necessary precautions.

After a long night on anchor watch, the next day brought with it a steady Force 8 gale and big seas and the yacht was being dragged towards the shore.

The pair were forced to take up the anchor and head out to sea, away from the coast, in a North Westerly direction and kept in hourly contact with the Coastguard.

By midday, with no sign of the wind dying down and after informing the Coastguard, the pair felt there was no other option than to make a run with the wind and tide for Lands’ End.

In extremely heavy weather, they made good headway. Five hours later the wind had eased slightly, but was still gusting and the seas remained big.

They were cold and wet but continued to draw upon their experience. As the tide turned however, it became very difficult to control the boat with the heavy swell and tidal turbulence.

The forces exerted proved too much for the yacht and the rudder was lost. With no way of steering the boat, they were now at the mercy of the sea.

Sennen Cove RNLI rushed to the scene and rescued the pair and their dog Ozzy.

"I can honestly say that the volunteers at Sennen Cove RNLI saved our lives, we wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for their help", Delia said.

"‘We are very experienced sailors of over 50 years and have sailed across the North Sea and English Channel long-distance.

"We always respect the sea and do not take risks, but this proves how you can get caught out, even when being careful.

"I cannot express how frightening it was and how reassuring it was to hear that they were on their way and to see the beautiful orange lifeboat appear on the horizon and know that help was near.

"The team were wonderful. They were lovely, professional, and compassionate, whilst focusing on what they needed to do to save lives and keep everyone safe.

"Had they not come, the outcome could have been so different that day."

The news comes as the RNLI announce that data shows increased demand for their life-saving service.

Last year, 1,350 people were helped by RNLI lifeboat crews in the south west - an increase of 11 per cent on 2020.

This increased demand is also reflected in the number of lifeboat launches – 1,387 lifeboat launches took place in 2021 (an increase of 7 per cent on 2020), with 2022 expected to be another busy year.

With demand for its lifesaving services at a high, the charity is putting out its own ‘Mayday’ call, urging the public to take part in the Mayday Mile, to raise essential funds to provide vital training and equipment to keep their lifesavers safe, while they risk their lives to save others.

Whether you choose to walk, jog, hop or skip, the Mayday Mile challenges you to cover at least one mile in any way you like between Saturday 1 and Monday 31 May, whilst raising vital funds for RNLI lifesavers so that they can continue to keep people safe at sea.

Sign up and find out more at www.RNLI.org/SupportMayday.