Saving Lives at Sea: Selsey RNLI crews feature in popular BBC documentary

The volunteer lifeboat crew of Selsey RNLI featured in the fourth episode of the BBC series on Tuesday, September 1.

The episode follows the Selsey crew on a high-stakes callout to the coast, responding to a call of a yacht who had put out a mayday after taking on water with its engine room completely flooded.

To make matters worse, one of the yachtsmen had also suffered a serious blow to the head.

"As soon as they put out the mayday call, that is when the game face comes on. Speed is of the essence”, Craig, an ethical housing business owner by day, told the cameras.

"This boat had no power, and within a few miles it would have been headed into a very busy shipping area.”

After almost 30 minutes after launching the crew made it onto the scene of the yacht.

"You don’t know how long they’ve been there and sitting helpless in a position like that for any period of time is going to take its toll on anyone,” Craig added.

"The challenge was to get me from the lifeboat onto the casualty vessel which was rolling quite considerably.

"As soon as I started talking to the second casualty the fact that he was able to speak to me, I managed to relax to a little bit.”

After a check, the yacht was deemed to have an engine failure and the RNLI took the decision to tow the vessel.

Bill, the man who suffered the head injury on the yacht said: “It just seemed to happen so quickly. Going from a nice boating four days out to suddenly a disaster.”

The trip was meant to be a special one for Bill and his half-brother Matt who had only met three years ago after discovering they were half-brothers after six decades apart.

Matt said: “I am adopted. I was adopted when I was five weeks old so I knew no-one else.

"I tried to track down my family history and I wasn’t aware of Bill’s existence.”

"This was like the brother that I have never known,” Bill added.

The pair then realised they shared a love for boats and decided to buy one together, calling the vessel ‘Carpe Diem’.

After weeks of work getting the boat into ship shape they set off on their maiden voyage, a four-day 320 mile sail from Dorset to Norfolk.

But having set out in fine weather, conditions quickly worsened with the wind so strong it snapped the boom rigging.

Bill added: “A wave then hit the boat and it lifted me clean off my seat, took me and threw me against the bulkhead and I banged my head on the bulkhead.

"Then when I woke up I started being sick and I shouted to Matt that I think I need to go to hospital.

“He came down and said ‘that’s us, we’ve had it’ and then I went back into my berth and I started to pray.

"I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw that orange vessel come alongside us.”

After an hour and a half tow, the lifeboat was in sight of Chichester Harbour. One ashore, after being examined by medics, Bill was given the all clear.

Craig added: “They decided to sail some 320 odd miles together, in a boat they had just bought together. I think there is a lot to be said about brotherly love there.”

To watch the full episode, which also covers rescue efforts across Newbiggin, Lyme Regis and Shoreham visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer.