Dunbar Lifeboat Station

A new lifeboat coxswain faced a high seas drama on Saturday night on his first rescue in charge. Jamie Lamb (25)took the Dunbar lifeboat through near gale force winds and high seas to go to the aid of a yacht in difficulty off the East Lothian coast. The two crew of the Port Edgar based yacht Explorer had become disorientated in mountainous waves, suffering from severe sea sickness. Jamie, Dunbar's new deputy second coxswain, says: ‘When we arrived at the lifeboat berth at Torness on Saturday night, I initially thought there was a chance we would not be able to leave the mooring, the seas were so big. ‘The yacht had given her position as 1½ miles north of Dunbar, but once we got out of Torness we discovered she was actually over 8 miles North. ‘It took the best part of an hour to reach her, punching our way through a fairly big sea. I was talking to the yacht crew on the radio most of the way there, reassuring them that we were on our way, and it was clear they were in a lot of trouble.’

 Dunbar Coxswain Gary Fairbairn has been awarded the RNLI’s Bronze Medal for Gallantry for his part in saving a couple from their yacht in a severe gale on 15 May. The medal was presented to him at a ceremony in London's Barbican centre by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent.

Coxswain Fairbairn’s crew on that night – Mechanic Kenny Peters and Crew Members Stuart Pirie, Kevin Keillor, Brian Cleator and John Watt – will each receive Medal Service Certificates at a later date.

In a force 8 gale and very rough seas, with swells of up to 7m, the skipper of the 8m Swedish yacht Ouhm issued a Pan-Pan call, which was picked up by Forth Coastguard. The request to launch the RNLI Dunbar lifeboat soon followed and the crew put to sea at 5.30pm and headed for a position 37 miles north east of the station.

Dunbar GP Tom Badger was presented with an inscribed vellum to mark 25 years of work with the Dunbar RNLI crew.

Dr Badger has only been to sea on a medical emergency once in his quarter century of service as Honorary Medical Adviser.

But all the crew members over those years have been “through his hands” during their regularly medical check ups.

Dunbar’s RNLI inshore lifeboat capsized during a routine weekend training exercise in surf off Belhaven beach just after 1pm yesterday (Sunday 24 January). Dunbar’s RNLI All Weather Lifeboat the John Neville Taylor was on scene shortly after the incident.

DUNBAR'S RNLI lifeboat crew went to the aid of a fishing boat five miles of the coast after its steering failed on Monday.

The 'Spitfire' fishing boat was making slow progress back to Dunbar Harbour, steering with the aid of fish boxes dangling over the side. Dunbar RNLI second Coxswain Mark Anderson was in charge of the rescue, and said it was extremely cold as the crew left their berth at Torness at 2pm.