Read Online Lifeboat! by Margaret Dickinson - Free Book Online
Authors: Margaret Dickinson
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eastwards for one mile and then abruptly south-south-easterly for four miles on a reciprocal bearing of 155 degrees to take him directly back across the estimated path of the drifting dinghy.
Ifâindeedâthere was a drifting dinghy out here.
As he made this second turn, Pete Donaldson caught his eye and pointed towards the south. Macready looked and saw a tiny speck in the sky approaching rapidly. The Sea King helicopter. Pete then left the deck for a few minutes to call up the pilot of the Sea King.
âRescue helicopter Five-five. Rescue hell-copter Five-five, this is Saltershaven lifeboat, Saltershaven lifeboat. Do you read? Over.â
âSaltershaven lifeboat, Saltershaven lifeboat, this is Rescue Five-five. Rescue Five-five. Loud and clear. Go ahead. Over.â
Pete then gave the helicopter pilot details of the lifeboatâs planned course and the pilot replied, âSaltershaven lifeboat, this is Rescue Five-five. Message received and understood. We will fly further out and work back towards you. Out.â
Both Breymouth Coastal Rescue Headquarters and Jack Hansard came on the air to confirm that they had heard the exchange of conversation between the lifeboat and the helicopter and now knew exactly what was happening out at sea.
The time was 14.10. For the next hour the Mary Martha Clamp continued on her box-like zigzag pattern of search whilst a few miles to the north-east the Sea King adopted a similar method, skimming only feet above the waves.
At 15.12 the helicopter pilotâs voice came over the radio/ telephone again and Pete hurried to respond.
â⦠We have sighted an object in the water fifty-three degrees seventeen minutes north, zero degrees thirty-six minutes east. Over.â
The lifeboat was three and a half nautical miles away and Macready immediately set a course for the position on the chart given by the pilot. Pete relayed his coxswainâs message. â⦠Lifeboat heading on bearing zero-three-zero at full speed. Will be with you in about thirty minutes. Over.â
Now the crew shifted their positions towards the bows of the lifeboat, each man eager to be the first to spot the dinghy. Pete Donaldson now remained near his radio/telephone.
Twenty-three minutes after they had received the message from the air/sea rescue helicopter, Tony Douglas pointed and shouted excitedly, âMacâthereâs something over there.â All eyes now turned to look in the direction Tony pointed. The helicopter was circling above the area.
âThereâs summat there,â Fred muttered to himself and signalled his agreement. Macready swung the wheel and the boat turned a few degrees to starboard, heading for the bobbing black object that Tonyâs sharp eyes had spotted.
âI reckon itâs them,â Tony shouted. âHere, letâs have those glasses, Dad.â
He trained the binoculars, squinting against the mercurial water. âYup, itâs a dinghy right enoughâanâ I can see them in itâat least â¦â
He paused as the lifeboat sped closer.
Then slowly he lowered the glasses. Tony Douglas, father of two young children himself, turned towards his father, his face sombre.
âI can only see one bairn!â
Chapter Six
Julie Macready heard Howardâs car as she was taking the casserole from the oven. She ran out to meet him.
âHello there,â he called as he swung his legs from his car and bounded towards her, enveloping her in an enthusiastic bear-hug.
âHello, Howard,â Julie said, a little shy of him, a little nervous of how he and her father would get along together.
The only other time the two men had met had been on Open Day at Julieâs College, when her father had visited. Howard had joined them for the afternoon from the neighbouring University. There, Howard had been surrounded by his own kind, and it had been Macready who had felt out of place.
But this was
Ifâindeedâthere was a drifting dinghy out here.
As he made this second turn, Pete Donaldson caught his eye and pointed towards the south. Macready looked and saw a tiny speck in the sky approaching rapidly. The Sea King helicopter. Pete then left the deck for a few minutes to call up the pilot of the Sea King.
âRescue helicopter Five-five. Rescue hell-copter Five-five, this is Saltershaven lifeboat, Saltershaven lifeboat. Do you read? Over.â
âSaltershaven lifeboat, Saltershaven lifeboat, this is Rescue Five-five. Rescue Five-five. Loud and clear. Go ahead. Over.â
Pete then gave the helicopter pilot details of the lifeboatâs planned course and the pilot replied, âSaltershaven lifeboat, this is Rescue Five-five. Message received and understood. We will fly further out and work back towards you. Out.â
Both Breymouth Coastal Rescue Headquarters and Jack Hansard came on the air to confirm that they had heard the exchange of conversation between the lifeboat and the helicopter and now knew exactly what was happening out at sea.
The time was 14.10. For the next hour the Mary Martha Clamp continued on her box-like zigzag pattern of search whilst a few miles to the north-east the Sea King adopted a similar method, skimming only feet above the waves.
At 15.12 the helicopter pilotâs voice came over the radio/ telephone again and Pete hurried to respond.
â⦠We have sighted an object in the water fifty-three degrees seventeen minutes north, zero degrees thirty-six minutes east. Over.â
The lifeboat was three and a half nautical miles away and Macready immediately set a course for the position on the chart given by the pilot. Pete relayed his coxswainâs message. â⦠Lifeboat heading on bearing zero-three-zero at full speed. Will be with you in about thirty minutes. Over.â
Now the crew shifted their positions towards the bows of the lifeboat, each man eager to be the first to spot the dinghy. Pete Donaldson now remained near his radio/telephone.
Twenty-three minutes after they had received the message from the air/sea rescue helicopter, Tony Douglas pointed and shouted excitedly, âMacâthereâs something over there.â All eyes now turned to look in the direction Tony pointed. The helicopter was circling above the area.
âThereâs summat there,â Fred muttered to himself and signalled his agreement. Macready swung the wheel and the boat turned a few degrees to starboard, heading for the bobbing black object that Tonyâs sharp eyes had spotted.
âI reckon itâs them,â Tony shouted. âHere, letâs have those glasses, Dad.â
He trained the binoculars, squinting against the mercurial water. âYup, itâs a dinghy right enoughâanâ I can see them in itâat least â¦â
He paused as the lifeboat sped closer.
Then slowly he lowered the glasses. Tony Douglas, father of two young children himself, turned towards his father, his face sombre.
âI can only see one bairn!â
Chapter Six
Julie Macready heard Howardâs car as she was taking the casserole from the oven. She ran out to meet him.
âHello there,â he called as he swung his legs from his car and bounded towards her, enveloping her in an enthusiastic bear-hug.
âHello, Howard,â Julie said, a little shy of him, a little nervous of how he and her father would get along together.
The only other time the two men had met had been on Open Day at Julieâs College, when her father had visited. Howard had joined them for the afternoon from the neighbouring University. There, Howard had been surrounded by his own kind, and it had been Macready who had felt out of place.
But this was
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