Former Pirate’s Silver Medal for Gallantry
Former Pirates player Patrick ‘Patch’ Harvey, the RNLI coxswain of the Penlee lifeboat ‘Ivan Ellen’, is being awarded a Silver Medal for Gallantry and a Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum for his exemplary display of courage, leadership and determination to save lives, together with his excellent boat-handling skills in extreme weather.
This recognises a dramatic rescue in hurricane conditions on the 31st October last year, when eight people were rescued from a disabled French yacht off Porthleven. Six other lifeboat crew members are also being awarded Silver Medal Service Certificates. The crew of the HM Coastguard helicopter based at Newquay will also be presented with a Silver Medal Service Certificate by the RNLI for their outstanding lifesaving actions.
The rescue of the eight sailors on the stricken yacht came on the evening of Halloween, with the Severn class all-weather lifeboat ‘Ivan Ellen’ launched at 8.30pm to go to the aid of the disabled 40-ft sailing vessel.
Patch immediately realised that the yacht was being blown towards the shore, with the beach to the south of Porthleven known for its dumping waves and heavy undertow. Winds were gusting to 87 knots, hurricane force, with six to seven metre waves, and poor visibility due to darkness and driving rain.
He decided to transfer the casualties into a life raft and then into the lifeboat but the skipper of the French yacht, who spoke little English, confirmed they didn’t have a big enough life raft or enough lifejackets for all eight people onboard, and some were severely seasick.
Patch instructed his crew to prepare a towline and, with the heaving line passed successfully, the lifeboat began a slow tow away from the shore. However, the line parted and the yacht was adrift again. The lifeboat crew hauled in the 200m heavy, wet towline on the aft deck, the lifeboat rolling heavily, and waves breaking regularly on the deck. Wind spray was engulfing the upper steering position, where Patch was controlling the lifeboat, and the crew on the aft deck were often up to their waists in moving water.
It appeared from the parted heaving line that the crew member on the casualty vessel had secured not the tow line but the weaker heaving line. Patch decided on a last attempt, when one of his own volunteer crew members became severely ill, meaning the team was a man down.
Patch came in very close to the yacht so the towline could be passed across and used his exceptional boat handling skills to get the lifeboat in the correct position. The line was successfully secured, and the lifeboat began a slow tow further out to sea. Progress was slow, and the yacht was now taking on water through broken portholes, with the casualties up to their shins in water and some severely seasick.
Patch then requested helicopter evacuation and the lifeboat continued to tow the yacht slowly out, until the helicopter arrived around 25 minutes later, diverted from another emergency on the Isles of Scilly. It took an hour for the coastguard helicopter crew to winch the eight casualties to safety in the extreme conditions.
During this time, Patch’s crew provided casualty care checks on their own unwell crew member, with Patch going into the wheelhouse to check his condition.
Finally, with all casualties off the vessel, Patch got his crewmember back to shore for medical assistance and recovered the casualty vessel back into Newlyn Harbour. Penlee’s Atlantic 85 class inshore lifeboat was launched to assist with berthing the yacht safely and the all-weather lifeboat returned to her berth at 2.05am.
Once the yacht was secured, three hi-lines were found tangled in its rigging, showing how difficult it was to lower the winch-crew to the deck and testament to the skill and tenacity of both the helicopter pilot and the winch-crew.
The surprise news of their awards was announced to Patch and the lifeboat crew on the 13th July, as they gathered at the station to celebrate Patch’s 30-year service to the RNLI.
Volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager at Penlee RNLI, David Pascoe, another former Pirate, said: “We are all extremely proud of our lifeboat crew for their incredibly brave actions that night. The RNLI does not give out awards for gallantry lightly and to receive these is a great privilege both for the individuals and the lifeboat station.”
