2010 Medal award – Dunbar

Bronze Medal for Gallantry
Coxswain Gary Fairbairn

On Friday 15 May 2009, Dunbar Coxswain Gary Fairbairn and Mechanic Kenny Peters were at the lifeboat station when the crew pagers went off at 5.07pm. The Coastguard advised that a yacht was in difficulty with two people onboard. As soon as volunteers Brian Cleator, Kevin Keillor, Stuart Pirie and John Watt arrived a few moments later, they went to launch the Trent class John Neville Taylor.

The crew strapped themselves into their seats for the 42-mile passage in a force 8 gale with 5–7m of swell. As they continued, the wind increased to a severe gale force 9 and the waves tore away fendering and dislodged the salvage pump. At one stage the lifeboat plummeted 10m, and further on she was knocked over 90° by a large wave, submerging the port side.

By the time they reached the position of the yacht Ouhm, the lifeboat was battered and the crew bruised. It was difficult to spot the yacht but the tug Magic was standing by trying to provide some shelter upwind. The yacht had already capsized twice.

Swedes Ingrid and Jonas Åkerblom were forced to leave their prized boat, which was also their home. Then came the difficult task of actually getting them off in the dreadful conditions, as a tow was impossible.

Coxswain Gary Fairbairn, who had been at the helm throughout, was to have his skills tested even more as a drogue that had been used to try to keep the yacht in position failed. This caused the yacht to turn beam on to the sea. As Gary made his first approach, the John Neville Taylor took a big hit from a wave. Applying full power astern, Gary managed to avoid crushing the Ouhm. At the second approach, Stuart managed to drag Ingrid Åkerblom to safety and, on the third approach, Stuart grabbed her husband and dragged him over the lifeboat's guardrail.

The pair were given first aid and hot drinks and taken back to the station. As everything they owned was on the yacht, they were now penniless. The crew then organised a whipround to pay for a night's accommodation. Ingrid later said: 'We could both have died out there; that is quite clear. It was very frightening and we are extremely grateful to the lifeboat crew for rescuing us.'

The next day, a yacht was reported drifting towards rocks near Arbroath. Ouhm's drogue was catching on the seabed. The crews of Arbroath's Mersey class and D class lifeboats were able to recover her.

Dunbar lifeboat's crew received Medal Service Certificates, and the assisting tug's captain, Marcel van Honk, was sent a Chief Executive's Letter of Appreciation for his initiative and compassion. For his courage, judgement and exemplary boathandling in extreme conditions, Coxswain Gary Fairbairn was awarded the RNLI's Bronze Medal for Gallantry.