0:00:02 > 0:00:03We're an island nation,
0:00:03 > 0:00:07drawn to the sea that surrounds us.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08For many, it's a playground.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12For others, it's where we earn our living.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16But the sea's unpredictable.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19It can change in an instant.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21And when accidents happen...
0:00:21 > 0:00:23they happen very fast.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25The sea is a dangerous place.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29If you don't respect the sea, the sea will bite you.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32There to save our lives is a volunteer army
0:00:32 > 0:00:35of nearly 5,000 ordinary people.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40Ready to leave their jobs, their families, to race to our rescue.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48to know that if it wasn't for you that person wouldn't be here.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54They rescued me, but they also saved a mum, a daughter, a sister, a wife.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55Oh, my God.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59To see someone disappear under the water right in front of you
0:00:59 > 0:01:02is brutal. It's absolutely horrendous.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Equipped with their own cameras...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07- Is my light flashing? - Yeah, it's fine.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..the crews give us a unique insight into every call-out,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12as only they see it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15There's another little wave.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Speeding through the roughest weather,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23searching for people who may only have moments to live.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Can you still hear me?
0:01:25 > 0:01:29For those who risk their lives, it has become a way of life.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33When those pagers go off, it's life and death.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Off the coast of South Wales,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53the Bristol Channel is shrouded in thick fog.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Guarding these treacherous waters, Porthcawl lifeboat station.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00SIRENS
0:02:04 > 0:02:06An emergency call's come in.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10The volunteers here are used to dealing with any crisis the sea can throw at them.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Go and get dressed.
0:02:12 > 0:02:13But today's different.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18You're programmed to attend at the lifeboat station, put your gear on
0:02:18 > 0:02:20and go out and rescue somebody at sea.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22It's not often you hear that
0:02:22 > 0:02:26you're going to rescue somebody fallen from a horse, in a boat.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32The only information the crew have is that a woman has been seriously
0:02:32 > 0:02:34injured while out riding.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47The 20-year-old is on a remote beach three miles up the coast.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50She is too far from a road to reach by ambulance.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54In this fog, an airlift by helicopter would be too dangerous.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02The only way to get her to hospital for urgent emergency care
0:03:02 > 0:03:04is by boat.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06We were kind of the only option.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08A lump automatically appears in your throat
0:03:08 > 0:03:12to know that it comes down to you.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13You can't really get it wrong.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16You can't take your time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20You just need to get there and get the job done.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Between the crew and the casualty
0:03:23 > 0:03:25lies one of the most dangerous headlands on their patch,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Sker Point.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33To make matters worse, today they can barely see it.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Sker Point is an area that you treat with massive amounts of respect.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It's an evil cocktail, if you like, of dangers.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50It's got needle-sharp rocks.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Big tides. Fast-moving water.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Some would use the word treacherous.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01It's an area that you try to avoid, if you can.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02The fog was so thick,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05it was really outside of our comfort zone.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06We couldn't see a thing.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14Somebody was testing us.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35The coastguard and paramedics have got down to the remote beach on foot.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Cold, wet and in pain,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Sophie, the rider, has already been examined by the medics.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Her horse has been caught and led to safety.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44All right...
0:04:44 > 0:04:46But Sophie hasn't been so lucky.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Hello, Sophie. Give us a sec, I'll have a chat with the paramedic,
0:04:51 > 0:04:52and then we'll get a plan to get you
0:04:52 > 0:04:55somewhere warm and dry, all right?
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Right.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00My phone rang, and it was Sophie to say, "I've had a disaster."
0:05:01 > 0:05:03"Moby ran towards some rocks,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06"and I've fallen off and I've hurt my left side."
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Then she started crying, and that's when I started thinking,
0:05:12 > 0:05:13"What damage has she done?"
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Everything was going through my mind.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18Did she break her leg,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21break her arm? She was never going to walk again...
0:05:21 > 0:05:23INDISTINCT RADIO MESSAGE
0:05:25 > 0:05:29It just frightened the life of me thinking the very, very worst.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33It was when we learned that actually this is
0:05:33 > 0:05:36potentially a spinal injury with
0:05:36 > 0:05:39potentially life-changing injuries attached to it,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41everything tends to slow down
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and you need to start to really think about
0:05:44 > 0:05:46what we're going to do and how we're going do it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48What we're going to do then is take you on our boat.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52No, no. We're not going to be doing stuff like that, OK?
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Sophie has been given drugs for the pain, and strapped to a stretcher.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58If she's damaged her spine,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02any movement could leave her permanently injured.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Ready, brace, lower...
0:06:03 > 0:06:07But now the crew have to get her and the paramedic onto a boat
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and out through the waves.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12While Simon stays with the casualty,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14helmsman Bee gets extra hands
0:06:14 > 0:06:16from the bigger boat waiting offshore,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18to help with the delicate manoeuvre.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33You stay as you are, and as the boat is set at that angle there,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35that's exactly how we're going in, all right?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37We had two people on board
0:06:37 > 0:06:41that really weren't used to being out at sea.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44One of them was completely immobilised.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46The worst case scenario would be
0:06:46 > 0:06:48that we encounter some large surf
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and the boat go over.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52OK, so the brief I've given to the paramedic is
0:06:52 > 0:06:55if it goes over, we'll worry about the casualty,
0:06:55 > 0:06:56he needs to worry about himself,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59so stay with the boat or a lifeboat man, OK?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- VOICEOVER:- It's all about risk versus benefit.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Is the benefit worth taking the risk?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06And in this situation, when you're told that there is no other option,
0:07:06 > 0:07:11there is no other way of extracting this person safely, and comfortably,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13then, yeah, it was worth the risk.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Keep going.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Keep going.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Steady. Steady, Eddie.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- Steady, Eddie.- Are you all right?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I'm your captain, and everything is going to be fine, trust me, OK?
0:07:32 > 0:07:36All right. If we can just turn her head towards my left
0:07:36 > 0:07:38to the starboard side of the boat...
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Right. Excellent.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41There we are.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Paramedic... If we get the paramedic on the bow here.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Don't worry, mate. It's just to keep you dry, all these bags.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52OK, don't worry.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The crew must now navigate the riskiest part of the evacuation.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Hold us here, guys.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Just let this settle down for a second.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Standing between Sophie and safety is the breaking surf.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08You're telling her everything is going to be OK, you will be fine.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Step away, guys. Step away.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14What you're actually thinking is,
0:08:14 > 0:08:15please let it be calm,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17please let there be no waves,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19please let this be OK.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25There's always an element of doubt.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28But you can't show THEM that.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34We've got a little wave, I'll just...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38No, don't worry, that won't happen.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39It's not going to happen.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41It must have been absolutely petrifying
0:08:41 > 0:08:44knowing that you're strapped into a stretcher,
0:08:44 > 0:08:45and if you ended up in the
0:08:45 > 0:08:47water you wouldn't be able to swim,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49you wouldn't be able to move your arms.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51You would literally be at the peril of the lifeboat crew
0:08:51 > 0:08:53that are with you.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55That must have been pretty horrific.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57There's another little wave...
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Are you OK, Soph? Are you OK?
0:09:01 > 0:09:02SHE SCREAMS
0:09:02 > 0:09:04That's all right. OK.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06It's all right, mate. You're all right.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07There you go. That's perfect.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Well done. You're all right.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14You're all right. Well done.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17That's the worst part. That's it, we're good now.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18How are you doing?
0:09:18 > 0:09:19I know...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22OK. We're getting out now.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24We're going onto the big boat now.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Nothing is going to happen to now, OK?
0:09:26 > 0:09:27You're absolutely fine.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30There's far too much paperwork involved to let anything happen to you now.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Bee and the crew face one final hurdle -
0:09:33 > 0:09:36heaving Sophie on to the larger, faster lifeboat
0:09:36 > 0:09:39to get her to medical attention as soon as possible.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40Well done, Soph.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44Right.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Well done, mate. Goodness me.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Mate, I'm just going to try and tuck you in a bit.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I know you're probably soaking wet,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and thinking "What's he talking about?"
0:09:53 > 0:09:5620-year-old Sophie has been riding for eight years.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01She was galloping her horse, Moby, along the beach
0:10:01 > 0:10:03when she lost control.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The accident was caught on Sophie's own camera.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Well, one minute I'm on Moby,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10next minute I'm on the floor,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14crying, soaking wet, and the next minute I'm going onto a lifeboat.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16So...
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I just couldn't believe what was going on.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Never, I've had no problems with him.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24We've gone hacking... Never any problems.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29We had a canter through the sand dunes, went into a gallop,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and after a couple of seconds
0:10:31 > 0:10:35I felt like, "Oh, I don't have him any more."
0:10:38 > 0:10:41It's one of the worst feelings I think I've ever been through.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43SHE SCREAMS
0:10:44 > 0:10:48If the RNLI hadn't come, I literally don't know what would have happened.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Is your pain still the same?
0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Yeah.- It's not getting worse though?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- No.- OK.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- Anything else?- Just cold.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Just cold. I know.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01They were so friendly, they were making me laugh,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03just making me feel comfortable.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06We're nearly home, mate. We've got about ten minutes now, OK?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09I know that seems a long time, but if I keep yabbering then
0:11:09 > 0:11:11we'll be there in no time.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14It made me feel a bit, like, safe, even though
0:11:14 > 0:11:17it was a scary situation to be in.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20What I'm going to do, just so people don't stare at you,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I'm just going to hold this like this, all right?
0:11:26 > 0:11:27They were just so...
0:11:27 > 0:11:29It's just crazy, just what they did.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Back at Porthcawl, an ambulance is waiting to take Sophie
0:11:34 > 0:11:37for the final leg of her journey to hospital.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38There you go, Soph.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41All the best, mate. See you soon, all right? You take care.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44They rescued my daughter.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47She could have died. They did a fantastic job.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55This is one of those jobs that you do lose sleep over,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58you do go through the "what ifs".
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Because if it had gone wrong it would have gone very wrong.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05To get back to the lifeboat station is always a relief
0:12:05 > 0:12:06after a job like that.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20For the volunteers at Porthcawl, between call-outs,
0:12:20 > 0:12:21it's back to the day jobs.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Can I have a cod, please?
0:12:27 > 0:12:31In Bee's case, he's cooking up the local catch.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Yeah, we're probably
0:12:36 > 0:12:38200 metres, 300 metres from the lifeboat station.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41So, yeah, it suits me well.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49There's the lifeboat station.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It's so convenient, I've had to buy next door to live in.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54We're looking to extend the shop - I live above it
0:12:54 > 0:12:56so that we can be nice and close to the business
0:12:56 > 0:12:59but even closer to the lifeboat station.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01If I'm working on the chip shop,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03literally everything stops
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and I will run flat out from behind the range
0:13:06 > 0:13:08or from whatever I'm doing,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10and I will be sprinting out of the chip shop
0:13:10 > 0:13:12down to the lifeboat station.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14And I reckon I can do it in about 32 seconds now.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22From the sandy beaches of South Wales
0:13:22 > 0:13:24to the wild shores of Shetland,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28at any time there are up to 5,000 yellow-booted volunteers
0:13:28 > 0:13:32willing to drop everything to save the lives of others.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34PAGER RINGS
0:13:34 > 0:13:37When the pager goes off it's kind of...adrenaline straight away,
0:13:37 > 0:13:38massive rush,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40drop what you're doing
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and just run to the car.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43PAGER RINGS
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Am I going to run, am I going to drive?
0:13:45 > 0:13:46Where are my keys? Where are my shoes?
0:13:46 > 0:13:49PAGER RINGS
0:13:49 > 0:13:50For me I'm always in the shower or in the bath.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Have I got clothes on, do I need to have clothes on?
0:13:54 > 0:13:56I don't think any lifeboat volunteer
0:13:56 > 0:13:57will sleep naked.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I never take shoes.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03It's stupid, really.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06And then I always pinch a pair of wellies from the station
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and take 'em back home. I've got about ten pairs probably in the shed.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13The last time my pager went off I was sat in a geology class.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The teacher looked at me funny and said, "You're beeping.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20A lot of roast dinners been missed,
0:14:20 > 0:14:21Christmas dinners...
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I don't know how many times I have left mid-dinner, starting dinner.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30There was a shout on our first wedding anniversary,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I remember that. I think there was three shouts that day.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36The first one was about 5:45am in the morning,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38so no chance of a lie-in.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42My personal life has suffered from being part of the RNLI.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I'm pretty sure I was dumped once because of it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49But, hey, you know - we win some, we lose some, don't we?
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Of the 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59one of the oldest is on the North Sea coast at Redcar.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02There has been a lifeboat here since 1802.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Redcar is quite your stereotypical seaside town.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Booming during the summer, thrives off the arcades, the high street
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and the fish and chips.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15It's just your normal seaside town, if you like.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20Redcar was transformed by the arrival of the railway in the 1840s,
0:15:20 > 0:15:24as Victorian day-trippers descended in their thousands
0:15:24 > 0:15:27to enjoy eight miles of inviting sandy beach.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Before the arrival of their first motor-powered lifeboat in 1931,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35crews put to sea in open-top rowing boats,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38dragged into the water by a team of horses.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Today the lifeboats here rely on an alternative form of horsepower.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44This is where we house our 85,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47in the bigger area with our launching vehicle.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Nathan is one of 24 volunteers ready to head out in all weathers.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Here we have Steve, the institution's smallest tractor driver.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58He's also a nurse, so he generally tends to look after the first aid
0:15:58 > 0:15:59equipment we have on station.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Good afternoon, Nathan.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Steve's a tractor driver. His primary role on station is just breaking things,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- unfortunately for Steve. - And making tea.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08And making tea. And Neil's just joined up.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- And does Nathan take the mickey out of you guys quite a lot?- Yes.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14He has been known to, yeah.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16A Land Rover full of balloons.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Missiles in your exhaust.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21The last one that he probably did was that one with the hazard tape.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26You never know what's going to happen next.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It's camaraderie, it's what keeps us going, it makes us who we are.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31It's good to know that when we need to do a job,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33we can all come together and get it done -
0:16:33 > 0:16:35regardless of the craic and the mickey-taking on station,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38when stuff needs to be done we all come together
0:16:38 > 0:16:40and the job gets done when it needs to be.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44And many of the jobs the Redcar crew get called to
0:16:44 > 0:16:46are down to one particular problem.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52At Redcar we have quite a unique set of rocks, and they are not the
0:16:52 > 0:16:53friendliest of rocks.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56So, our spectrum for call-outs, our potential for call-outs,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58is quite high.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03These innocuous-looking rock formations, also known as scars,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07have kept the lifeboat crews busy since the first tourists arrived.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11At low tide, they can be seen stretching a mile out to sea.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12As the tide rises,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16within minutes they can become islands cut off from the shore,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19before slipping under the sea themselves.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Tide cut-offs, they are our most frequent customer.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It comes in pretty quick and there's nowhere to go.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Once you are cut off, it's only a matter of time
0:17:26 > 0:17:29before that little island you're standing on
0:17:29 > 0:17:30is no longer an island.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33I have no problem with people getting cut off by the tides at all.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- It just comes as part and parcel of the service... - PAGER BEEPS
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The sunshine has brought a rush of visitors to the beach.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Out of the way, please.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Two out clambering on the rocks
0:17:53 > 0:17:55have now been cut off by the fast-rising tide.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Move out the way, please. Move out the way!
0:17:59 > 0:18:00Around our shores,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05lifeboat crews rescued 683 people cut off by the tide last year.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Of those, the crews reported that 82 would have drowned
0:18:09 > 0:18:10if they had not intervened.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13We had to launch the lifeboat very, very quickly
0:18:13 > 0:18:15as the tide's still rising.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17And where they were, the water was becoming deeper.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23One minute you can be high and dry, the next minute it can be six,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25seven foot of water above it.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26The tides change that quickly.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29A day out at the beach for two local students
0:18:29 > 0:18:33has turned to potential disaster. They're stranded,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36but the fast-moving tide is only half their problem.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40With the submerged rocks now surrounded by several feet of water,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45any attempt to walk back could see them plunged in over their heads,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47and the crew have no idea if the teenagers can swim.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51The terrain between the beach and the rocks where
0:18:51 > 0:18:53the two teenagers were is treacherous.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It's rocky, it's slippy,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57there's big holes, there's crevasses.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12When you need rescuing,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15there's always going to be that temptation to rescue yourself.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17That's human nature.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Unfortunately, the knowledge isn't there
0:19:18 > 0:19:21to do an effective self-rescue.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Although you could be waist-deep in water, on a rock ledge,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28one wrong step and you could fall off the ledge
0:19:28 > 0:19:30and be in over your head.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35With the teenagers now a danger to themselves, speed is critical.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38But the rocks lurking beneath the surface are also a danger for the crew.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Do you think they were quite relieved to see you there?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Probably not.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06I think they were expecting someone to come over and tell them off
0:20:06 > 0:20:07for being cut off on the rocks.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Yeah...
0:20:15 > 0:20:19It happens. They are not the first and they will not be the last people
0:20:19 > 0:20:21that we get off them rocks.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54While the rescue would have been all too familiar to the Victorian crews
0:20:54 > 0:20:56who used to patrol this patch,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01today's trippers may have had a uniquely 21st-century souvenir
0:21:01 > 0:21:03in their sights.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The two people on the rocks may have been chasing Pokemon characters.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I believe that was what they were doing,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and then the tide caught them out.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18I personally would not chase the Pokemon characters out to sea.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I wouldn't chase Pokemon characters on land either.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Around the country, volunteers have learned that no matter what the
0:21:30 > 0:21:33weather, when the great British public mixes with the water,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36it can be a recipe for disaster.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38As soon as the sun shines, every man and his dog
0:21:38 > 0:21:40wants to be out there on a dinghy or a lilo.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44People that have no idea and have never lived by the sea,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48come down and "Oh, that looks great, let's go and enjoy it."
0:21:48 > 0:21:51And they don't understand the risks.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54A lot of people come on holiday,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57they don't even know the sea comes in and out.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02They just don't have a clue about anything at all about the sea.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06People that have come down for the day,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08or buy an inflatable without oars,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10sit in the inflatable and been blown out to sea.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13Everybody jump in.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17One bank holiday we were called out six times to inflatable dinghies
0:22:17 > 0:22:19that were being blown out to sea.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22You sometimes get people
0:22:22 > 0:22:24from up in the valleys come down
0:22:24 > 0:22:26and launch their jet ski and don't have any fuel.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29We have now recovered five casualties to the boat...
0:22:29 > 0:22:32We had one call-out once where people were trying
0:22:32 > 0:22:33to use an electric fan
0:22:33 > 0:22:36because their engine had stopped working, to get themselves going.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Just two people?
0:22:40 > 0:22:42We pride ourselves on
0:22:42 > 0:22:43not being judgmental
0:22:43 > 0:22:45on anyone that we rescue,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47so we offer our support to absolutely everyone
0:22:47 > 0:22:49in any circumstance.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54It's not just casualties of the two-legged variety
0:22:54 > 0:22:57that occasionally call on the lifeboat crews' services.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01We did have a cow rescue in Kinsale.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Quite a funny situation, really.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13They all ended up in a cave.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Unfortunately, the tide started coming in and they got stuck.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22The lads went into the cave and, one by one,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24pulled the cows out.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30It turned out that all of them were in calf.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Eight cows that day and potentially eight calves,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36so that's 16 lives saved that day.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Seeing the cows walk away safely, wagging their tails,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45it looked like they were very grateful.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47The cows always say thank you.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Lifeboats have been guarding the waters of both the UK and Ireland
0:23:59 > 0:24:02since the RNLI was founded in 1824.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Castletownbere is one of 46 stations that guard
0:24:10 > 0:24:12the entire Irish coastline.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Come on...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Of the 1,000 souls in this remote fishing town,
0:24:18 > 0:24:2126 carry emergency pagers.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22Look.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24That's all Daddy's stuff there. Look.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Including volunteer and father of three, Dave.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Yeah...
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Two boots. Do you know what happens when the pager goes off?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35- Beep.- Beep, yeah.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Where do I go?- Lifeboats. - Lifeboats, yeah.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40And where do we go?
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Out to sea? Yeah.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Sometimes at night, isn't it?
0:24:44 > 0:24:48I was a volunteer since 2008.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Emma was born in 2011.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54And the boys were born in 2015.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Life got busy.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Before, you could just run out the door and close the door and there
0:25:00 > 0:25:02was nothing to worry about until you got back.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05But now you're going away from your wife and three kids.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07It's a slightly different feeling, definitely, yeah.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Definitely. But it wouldn't stop me doing it.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Push!
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Yeah, you have to sacrifice,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20but I think volunteers are happy to do it.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22It doesn't feel like a sacrifice, to be honest.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25You're maybe leaving your wife and kids at home,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29or in a restaurant or something, when your pager goes off, but,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33thankfully, they are very understanding as well
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and they know what it's all about, too,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and they're happy that we do it
0:25:39 > 0:25:41and I don't think my wife would have it any other way, anyway.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Dave and the other volunteers keep watch over thousands of square miles
0:25:50 > 0:25:51of ocean.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54To battle everything the Atlantic can throw at them,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57the crew here are armed with one of the biggest weapons
0:25:57 > 0:25:58in the rescuers' arsenal.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04The Severn-class lifeboat is designed to handle any conditions.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09There's nothing between us and America, so, you know,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12we get big weather systems coming in from America.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14If you have an Atlantic storm you'll get the full fury of it.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The coastline is very rugged.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22There's lots of things that can catch seafarers out.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26It's very unforgiving, so it is.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29One, two, three...
0:26:29 > 0:26:34It's inevitable that something happens every now and again.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- RADIO:- 5:20am, I'm hoping you don't have to be up and about just yet,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45and judging by the weather I've woken up to,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47probably the best place is to be in bed...
0:26:47 > 0:26:51A huge storm, 150 miles wide, is rolling in across the Atlantic.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54There are warnings of gales in Plymouth, FitzRoy,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Sole, Lundy, Fastnet,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Irish Sea and Shannon.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03The coastguard has put in an urgent call to the Castletownbere crew.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07That day, myself and my wife, we were due to go to a wedding.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Initially I had no idea what call it was.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12I said, "I'll be gone maybe for a couple of hours."
0:27:13 > 0:27:15So it wasn't until I got to the station that I realised
0:27:15 > 0:27:17what was happening, and where we were going.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I realised this was a big shout.
0:27:26 > 0:27:2845 miles out to sea,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32a 62-year-old sailor, alone on a small yacht, is in danger.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37The yacht's mast has snapped,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41leaving him at the mercy of 30-foot waves and gale force winds.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46The weather conditions that day were fairly rough.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53I'd never experienced any weather on the boat like that before.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It was probably one of the worst days I was ever at sea.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Even with the most powerful lifeboat in the fleet,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06with a top speed of 25 knots, in these conditions
0:28:06 > 0:28:10it will take the crew over two hours to reach the yachtsman.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Our thought process on the way out was,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17are we going to be able to get him off the boat,
0:28:17 > 0:28:18is he going to be injured?
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Potentially, is he still going to be there,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22is one of these big seas going to wash him off?
0:28:28 > 0:28:32I suppose the thing that we're concerned with is finding him.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38A search and rescue helicopter has also been scrambled.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Together they scour the sea for the tiny yacht.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44A white yacht
0:28:44 > 0:28:46in white seas that has been de-masted.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48You know, it's, um...
0:28:48 > 0:28:51like looking for a needle in a haystack, really.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Over two-and-a-half hours after leaving port,
0:28:59 > 0:29:01the crew finally spot the stricken yacht.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05An experienced solo yachtsman,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09the 62-year-old sailor had been returning home from the Azores to Scotland
0:29:09 > 0:29:10when he was caught by the storm.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13For the last 48 hours,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17he's been battling the conditions alone without any sleep.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Just as we arrived he appeared up on deck.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21He just looked exhausted.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25The conditions that he was in must have been absolutely frightening.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Every minute must have been like an hour out there for him.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Although the crew can finally see the sailor, in these seas,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36any attempt to get to him could be catastrophic.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39The weather was atrocious.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42It was virtually impossible to try and get the two boats
0:29:42 > 0:29:43alongside each other...
0:29:46 > 0:29:49..the lifeboat being 43 tonnes weight.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52If that hit off the yacht in those seas,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54it would probably just cut it in two.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58The crew decide their best option is to tow the boat over 45 miles
0:29:58 > 0:30:00back to port.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04The exhausted sailor must attach a rope to the bow of his boat himself.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08Out of the shelter of the cabin, he's exposed to the full force of the storm.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11He did struggle to attach to the tow rope,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14he seemed slightly disorientated.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20He kind of wasn't sure what he was doing at that stage.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24I'd say delirious from just the rolling around
0:30:24 > 0:30:26and being thrown around at that stage, you know.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31At towing speed,
0:30:31 > 0:30:33the yachtsman now faces ten hours being dragged
0:30:33 > 0:30:36through 30-foot waves in gale force winds.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41He spent most of the tow half submerged.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44A sea would come, we'd go up one side,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47down the other side, and he'd appear through it in behind us.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54It was more like a submarine than a yacht for a lot of the tow, to be honest.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59It's a hellish enough place for him to be.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Just two-and-a-half hours into the tow,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08the drained yachtsman signals to the crew for help.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11I'd say he was ready to throw in the towel at that stage.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12He had no more to give.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16He told us that he was getting very, very cold.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Hypothermic.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Once we heard that, we thought we have to do something here and
0:31:20 > 0:31:22we'd better get him off the boat.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33What went through my mind is that this is going to be difficult, whatever we're going to do.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36The weather was still up kind of force eight, force nine.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39And it was eight or nine metres swell at that stage.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43In the conditions it would have been...
0:31:43 > 0:31:47It would have been too dangerous to go alongside him with the lifeboat.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Fears for the yachtsman growing, Ryan faces a dilemma.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56The decision I made was the lesser of two evils, really.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58You're not going to leave the casualty on board his vessel
0:31:58 > 0:32:01if he's in trouble,
0:32:01 > 0:32:04and, you know, if he's calling for help.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07At the end of the day we're there to try and help,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09so we do that to the best of our ability.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13He decides to launch a small inflatable boat
0:32:13 > 0:32:15to get the sailor off the yacht.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Brian are now faces another difficult decision -
0:32:22 > 0:32:23who to send out.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28It was risky because it's only a small boat.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32In those sorts of winds it could be picked up and blown over, you know,
0:32:32 > 0:32:33it could be capsized.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39I was very apprehensive as to... you know, who could I send?
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Who's going to refuse, you know?
0:32:44 > 0:32:47You're not there to refuse, you're there to help.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Someone's life is at stake,
0:32:51 > 0:32:53you don't think about yourself in that situation,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55you just think about what you have to do.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Someone had to do it, so I volunteered.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02I said, "Brian, look, if you want,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04"I'll throw on a dry suit there
0:33:04 > 0:33:09"and put on my life jacket and helmet, and I'll go and get him."
0:33:13 > 0:33:16I don't think I did at that moment,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19I don't think I thought of my family.
0:33:20 > 0:33:26You kind of can't cripple yourself with thoughts like that
0:33:26 > 0:33:30because there's potentially another dad out there
0:33:30 > 0:33:33trying to get home to HIS wife and his kids.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40I mean, you have a task at hand.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44As Dave sets off in the small inflatable boat,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46with all hands on deck,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50untended, the lifeboat's onboard cameras stop recording.
0:33:58 > 0:34:0120 minutes after heading into the storm alone,
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Dave returned with the sailor.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07He was very, very happy to be off
0:34:07 > 0:34:12that yacht, and the prospect of going on board
0:34:12 > 0:34:16the big, warm-looking lifeboat was very, very appealing to him.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18After 20 hours at sea,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23the crew brought the sailor and his yacht safely back to harbour.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25I think he did appreciate the risks.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28He was telling me he had nightmares for a few nights after it,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31you know, with the conditions that he had experienced, you know.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36For someone that had the experience that he had,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39it said a lot to say that he was having nightmares
0:34:39 > 0:34:40after it, you know?
0:34:45 > 0:34:49The Castletownbere crew received an award for their actions
0:34:49 > 0:34:51at sea that day.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Was what I did that day very brave?
0:34:55 > 0:34:59I'd say what I did that day was very necessary.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02When someone is in trouble, we all volunteer to go and do that,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04we all volunteer to go out to sea when the weather is good
0:35:04 > 0:35:05and when the weather is bad,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08and it's all for the same reasons, you know,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10to help someone that's in trouble at sea.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14I think any one of the crew, if they had the opportunity to do it,
0:35:14 > 0:35:16would go and do it, you know.
0:35:16 > 0:35:17In a heartbeat.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19That's the kind of crew that they are, you know.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25I think I made the wedding for about 12 o'clock that night.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27There was a bit of a debriefing with my wife -
0:35:27 > 0:35:30"Where were you till now?"
0:35:30 > 0:35:32She was just relieved that we were back,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36that we were home safely and that I was all right.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47All volunteers must accept that danger comes with the job.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50And every stretch of coastline has its own reminder
0:35:50 > 0:35:52of the ultimate risk they face.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- ARCHIVE:- Cullercoats on Tyneside is in mourning.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57For six members of its lifeboat crew were drowned.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00The boat went out in heavy seas, a great wave capsized her.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Within sight of hundreds on the shore, the sea took six lives.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Penlee lifeboat the Solomon Browne
0:36:07 > 0:36:10was launched just after eight on Saturday evening.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12It's thought the lifeboat was holed while trying to rescue
0:36:12 > 0:36:14more people from the coaster.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16On the shortest day of winter,
0:36:16 > 0:36:19the village of Mousehole reflects the darkest day in its history.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24It highlights the fact that we're only human, but there is always
0:36:24 > 0:36:25that element of risk
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and there is always that "what if".
0:36:28 > 0:36:31And I think every one of us knows that.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33- ARCHIVE:- But so cruel was the raging sea,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36that the lifeboat, though unsinkable, was capsized twice.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Only one man out of her crew of eight has been saved.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43You can see the faces of mothers who have lost their sons.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Of wives who have lost their husbands.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48While along the shore, men wait for the victims of the sea.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- CREW MEMBER:- You're obviously going out there to save lives at sea.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55The sea's an extremely dangerous place.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57You do know that if something does go wrong,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59it could be the ultimate sacrifice that you have to make.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06We are essentially trained to put ourselves in that environment
0:37:06 > 0:37:08that nobody else can.
0:37:08 > 0:37:09So risk needs to be managed
0:37:09 > 0:37:11but it also has to be taken.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Yeah, it's what we do. It's what we do,
0:37:17 > 0:37:18it's why we're there.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32Sitting between Exmoor and the sea lies the town of Minehead.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37This sleepy seaside resort is adored by holidaying families and retirees
0:37:37 > 0:37:39escaping the rat race.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43But the lifeboat station here guards one of the most treacherous stretches
0:37:43 > 0:37:45of coastline along the Bristol Channel.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Years ago, before they had comms,
0:37:49 > 0:37:50you couldn't hear nothing.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53The only communication was tap you on the shoulder or on the helmet.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57The boat crew here is made up of 21 volunteers.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59If we had a launch now, depending on where it is...
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Paul is coming up to 40 years' service.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07One of the few youngsters on board, Harry, joined six years ago.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09I was just a bit shy.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13I was always a shy person, and it's a bunch of new people
0:38:13 > 0:38:15I've never met before with a few funny characters...
0:38:15 > 0:38:18It can be a bit daunting when you're... I was only 17.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I was quiet to start with, that was a problem, I think.
0:38:21 > 0:38:22And now they say I don't shut up, so...
0:38:22 > 0:38:25You haven't had to prove anything to us,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28it was something we always knew that you were capable of doing
0:38:28 > 0:38:29and you've come through.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31But there's so much more learn around here,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34which I think I'll only ever learn by going on shouts
0:38:34 > 0:38:37- and things like that, so... - You never stop learning.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40From each shout, or each exercise, there's always something different.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42You just don't know what's round that corner.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47By December, with all the summer season crowds gone,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49just the locals remain.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52One, a 69-year-old woman, has gone missing.
0:38:52 > 0:38:57Overnight, emergency services have been scouring the moors and cliffs.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02After 17 hours with no sighting, the search is extended to the sea.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09The missing woman is a keen hiker
0:39:09 > 0:39:12and was out walking on a remote coastal stretch of Exmoor.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16When she failed to return home after darkness fell,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19her frantic family called for help.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21The coastguard had been out all night,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Exmoor search and rescue had been out all night
0:39:24 > 0:39:26and the police had been searching for her.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33With no trace of the woman on land,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37the two Minehead lifeboats have been called out to search the coastline.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41But with temperatures plunging as low as three degrees overnight,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44the chances of finding her alive are dropping fast.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47I was worried because it was a cold night,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50she'd been out for a long time...
0:39:50 > 0:39:54Somebody that's been out for 17 hours isn't going to be good.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58The coastal paths along this stretch of Exmoor
0:39:58 > 0:40:01drop hundreds of feet down cliffs, to rocks below.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06This notorious knife edge can catch out unwary walkers.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10With patchy mobile phone coverage, by the time the alarm is raised,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12it may be too late.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15She could have fallen down the cliff and banged her head and...
0:40:16 > 0:40:18..potentially drowned.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22You could be out looking for somebody who's not alive any more.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Since I've joined, I think we've had one shout to
0:40:30 > 0:40:34somebody who had lost their life, and I didn't make the shout.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39I know the crew who did go out to it said it wasn't very nice.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45That is the only sad side of the RNLI.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49I always look on it, I'm bringing back someone's loved one.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56The crew painstakingly comb every cove and crag...
0:41:00 > 0:41:02..all too aware that every minute counts.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Finally, 17 hours after she went missing,
0:41:16 > 0:41:18the woman is spotted.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19She's alive.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22But just above the rising water, she's still in danger.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29Stuck in the narrow cave entrance,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33the crew can't get their boat in safely to rescue her off the rocks.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Stay there...
0:41:43 > 0:41:48They call in the station's second, more manoeuvrable D-class lifeboat.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53It's quite a small, narrow cave with a lot of rocks and hidden boulders
0:41:53 > 0:41:55underneath the water line,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57so they made the decision to wait for us to get up there
0:41:57 > 0:42:01because we're more suited to getting into a smaller, confined space.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Going to be five minutes...
0:42:09 > 0:42:12There was quite a bit of swell coming up and down the mouth
0:42:12 > 0:42:16of the cave, and we didn't want to really get stuck in that.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I remember thinking to myself,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25I hope we don't hit any of these rocks that are submerged because,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28honestly, you can't see them and you wouldn't even know it was there
0:42:28 > 0:42:32and all of a sudden a big "doof" and the prop's been hit.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34And it's not the best place to be, in a cave
0:42:34 > 0:42:36without a working engine.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42It's a bit of a precarious moment.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43You don't think about it,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46you're just doing your job.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50You're just working as a team and that's what you do, yeah.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59All right?
0:43:00 > 0:43:02All right.
0:43:02 > 0:43:07I think she was in a pretty dangerous position.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10She was dazed and weak and...
0:43:10 > 0:43:13And the boat, it was moving around from side to side
0:43:13 > 0:43:16and it wasn't quite level against the rocks.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23I don't want the casualty to fall between the boat and the rocks,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25because that is the worst place to be.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32So I just picked her up and gave her to Rich.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Can we have a look?
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Sally's terrifying night in the cave
0:44:05 > 0:44:09began after she lost her footing and fell from the clifftop path.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13I had a couple of times there where I thought I could really die here.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19My biggest fear really was
0:44:19 > 0:44:20the cold.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23I thought if I fall asleep in the cold, that's it, really,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25I don't think I'll wake up, you know.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30And I thought, you know, every minute I'm here in the dark,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32it's a minute nearer to the daylight -
0:44:32 > 0:44:34I had to think positive in the head.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37You know, I had to do that, really, to survive there, really.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41I was confused. I was a bit confused, I must admit.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45My body inside was absolutely like, just tingling,
0:44:45 > 0:44:46it was very strange.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49I would say she probably had another hour
0:44:49 > 0:44:53before she would have got hypothermic.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56So we got to her right at the right time.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01When I see the boat,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03it was just wonderful to see them, really.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07I think it was pleased to see me as well.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10I think if they thought I was dead that would be awful for them,
0:45:10 > 0:45:13they've got to find a body, haven't they? Washed up.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18I'd say a little bit surprised to be honest
0:45:18 > 0:45:20that she WAS still alive, because it's a long time.
0:45:21 > 0:45:22She's a very lucky woman.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26Yeah, it was great, great to find her.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Find her as she was, really. Yeah.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Over 18 hours after she set out on her walk,
0:45:37 > 0:45:42Sally finally makes it back to Minehead, and medical attention.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44I'm very grateful to them,
0:45:44 > 0:45:47and I hope I never need them again, really!
0:45:49 > 0:45:52To think they're volunteers, they've got other jobs as well.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54I think they're marvellous, really.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02I was quite proud we found her and got her off.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Once you've saved a life, I suppose it's a little bit infectious
0:46:06 > 0:46:08where you want to keep...
0:46:08 > 0:46:10You want to make sure that you're on the boat
0:46:10 > 0:46:12to be able to go and potentially save ANOTHER life,
0:46:12 > 0:46:14because it does make you feel pretty proud.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25Back on the south-west tip of Ireland, at Castletownbere,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28this tight-knit fishing town has deep pockets
0:46:28 > 0:46:30when it comes to funding their lifeboat station.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34Today is Lotto day.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38This week's jackpot is 5,600 euros
0:46:38 > 0:46:42so it can go up to about 10,000 euros if, you know,
0:46:42 > 0:46:44if it lasts for a good while.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46Sheila is my mother, she's been the fundraising secretary here
0:46:46 > 0:46:48for 50-odd years now at this station.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50She's a lot of money collected over the years.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Coming from a fishing community,
0:46:56 > 0:46:58I think it's good that everyone can play their part.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04Especially, you know, you've had a lot of tragedies in this area over the years.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11In 1968, there was no lifeboat at Castletownbere.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Three days before Christmas, a local fishing boat,
0:47:14 > 0:47:17the Seaflower, was caught in a storm.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20All five fishermen were lost at sea.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24There was a big search for them at the time.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26And the bodies were washed up the next day,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28so they were picked up but they had all drowned.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31That was a very tragic story.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34The loss of so many touched the lives of everyone
0:47:34 > 0:47:37in this small community.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39That struck a chord
0:47:39 > 0:47:42with my mother and my father and...
0:47:42 > 0:47:45I think from there they started lobbying
0:47:45 > 0:47:48to get a lifeboat established in Castletownbere.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56Brian's mum, Sheila, helped fundraise for 30 years.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00In 1997, the town got its first lifeboat.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03It was great excitement the day the boat arrived.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08An all-Ireland match in Dublin wouldn't draw as big a crowd
0:48:08 > 0:48:10- at what was here.- That's how it arrived on the day.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12The day she arrived, it was mighty.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14- There was a great buzz around the place.- There was, yeah.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16They came from absolutely everywhere.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19I was so proud.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25It's part of the lifeblood of the community.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Most of the population in Castletownbere are connected
0:48:29 > 0:48:31to the fishing in some way or another.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34When their loved ones are at sea,
0:48:34 > 0:48:38it's good to have the lifeboat there if they get into trouble.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40SIRENS
0:48:40 > 0:48:44When the Castletownbere crew are awoken in the early hours
0:48:44 > 0:48:47by their pagers, they know it means serious trouble.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53Out at sea, a fishing boat has issued an urgent mayday.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57It was a local vessel, that had sent out a distress,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00and they were in trouble, their boat was sinking.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03They were abandoning their boat, getting into a life raft.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07As soon as we heard that, we knew that things were getting fairly serious.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11The two men who work on the boat are both local.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15One is related to a member of the lifeboat crew.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18The skipper of the boat was my sister's husband.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21So obviously it was a very anxious situation.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27By the time I got in, there was enough lads there to go on the call.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33It wasn't to be, so I waited in the station.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38I think I would have preferred to be on the boat.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41At least if you're on the boat, you know you're doing things that need to be done.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47I probably wouldn't have taken Seamus on that particular call.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49It's better not to have that connection,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51because if the worst did come to pass,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54you would hate for Seamus to be on board.
0:49:57 > 0:50:02You're hoping for the best, but thinking about the worst.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08The stricken vessel is 11 miles out in the Atlantic.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14At top speed, the Castletownbere crew are still almost an hour away.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Not long after they launch,
0:50:17 > 0:50:21the coastguard loses radio contact with the sinking boat's crew.
0:50:22 > 0:50:23Have they gone down,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25have they abandoned ship?
0:50:25 > 0:50:27You're totally blind to it.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31It's a serious one, really.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34You have guys at sea that are in imminent danger.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Abandoning ship and getting into a life raft would be a last resort.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43You may have to jump overboard,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46casualties end up swimming to the life raft in a lot of cases.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50You know, it's survival mode, really, at that stage.
0:50:52 > 0:50:53If they do get into the water
0:50:53 > 0:50:55or they're hypothermic or they're in shock,
0:50:55 > 0:50:57so there's a lot of different factors.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00They need to be got out of that situation as quickly as possible.
0:51:03 > 0:51:0550 minutes after launching,
0:51:05 > 0:51:08the crew approach the last known position of the boat.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11There's no sign of a life raft.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15Trying to find a life raft at sea
0:51:15 > 0:51:17poses a challenge at the best of times.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20If you have a swell or a chop going,
0:51:20 > 0:51:24you know, it's going to be appearing and disappearing the whole time.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26You're going to be scanning the horizon for something,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29you know, really, really small.
0:51:34 > 0:51:35It's a big, big ocean out there.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Suddenly, they spot an emergency flare.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48A few minutes later, a life raft comes into view.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54When we arrived, they were overwhelmed
0:51:54 > 0:51:57to have a boat alongside them.
0:51:57 > 0:51:58And to know that they were safe.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00We just threw them a rope.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05I threw it probably as hard as I could, to be honest,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08just to make sure that it got there.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11I don't think I've ever thrown one as accurately, to be honest.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17I'd say if I threw it another ten times I probably wouldn't have been able to do that.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21I was absolutely delighted that they were OK.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23I was absolutely over the moon
0:52:23 > 0:52:26that we were going to be able to bring them back home.
0:52:27 > 0:52:30The skipper, Miguel, has lived in Castletownbere
0:52:30 > 0:52:34and fished these waters for nearly 20 years.
0:52:34 > 0:52:3812 years ago, he'd saved enough money to buy his own boat.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43He'd been out fishing for mackerel when she started taking on water.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Although the two fishermen are safely on board,
0:53:29 > 0:53:34just a few hundred metres away Miguel's boat is in serious trouble.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39We made our way over to where their boat was still just about floating.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45We thought we might be able to put someone on board,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49and get a salvage pump on board and try and get it pumped out.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51But when we arrived on scene alongside the boat,
0:53:51 > 0:53:53we could see it was just too dangerous
0:53:53 > 0:53:54to try and get anyone on board.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Watching a boat going down is...horrible.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25It's like watching somebody die.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Just...slowly just slips, that's the only way to describe it,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34it just slips away.
0:54:34 > 0:54:38And er...you know, there's nothing you can do about it.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55I think it's just a life-changing moment, really.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00It brings it home to all of us again, you know,
0:55:00 > 0:55:05how fragile life is and how fragile working at sea can be.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13But at the same time,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15we were delighted that we had them on board and that
0:55:15 > 0:55:18they were safe and they were well.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21And that we were actually bringing them back ashore
0:55:21 > 0:55:24and bringing them back to their loved ones.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26So we knew that we had done the job that
0:55:26 > 0:55:30we have trained for years to do.
0:55:31 > 0:55:36Boats can be replaced over time, but you can't replace
0:55:36 > 0:55:38a mother, or a father, or a brother, or a sister.
0:55:42 > 0:55:47I really didn't care about the boat, once everybody was OK.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50The boat really was only secondary.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55Obviously it's a loss, but, I mean, it pales in comparison, really,
0:55:55 > 0:55:56to what could have happened.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23I just shook his hand, I just shook his hand.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25You know, glad everything's all right.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31I wouldn't be a great hugger.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Yeah.
0:56:42 > 0:56:46Intrepid hiker Sally suffered no ill effects from her night in the cave.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51She still likes to take long strolls through the countryside.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56It did take me a while to find the confidence, really.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58I mean, I had to watch every step.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01I'm fine now. And I've been out every day,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04I've probably been walking more than ever, really.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07I mean, I'm very grateful for being here, you know.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11I realise how bad it could have been.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14I think I feel really lucky, really, more than anything.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17But I haven't actually done that walk again.
0:57:17 > 0:57:22It's lovely, but I don't think I'll go there again.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24I'll tell you, if we've got a little wave...
0:57:26 > 0:57:28No, don't worry. That won't happen.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30Right, there's another little wave.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Another one. Are you OK, Soph?
0:57:32 > 0:57:33Are you OK?
0:57:33 > 0:57:37And after her equine accident sparked a seaborne evacuation,
0:57:37 > 0:57:42Sophie escaped with just some bad bruising.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44I can't wait to go back on him now for the summer,
0:57:44 > 0:57:50and start hopefully getting out with him and going to a couple of shows.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53No!
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Moby got away with a telling-off.
0:57:55 > 0:57:56- What's he doing?- Having a roll.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59He's had a bath! He's not...
0:58:02 > 0:58:05Trying to find a kayaker in the sea,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08the saying "a needle in a haystack" doesn't do it justice.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10As a dad, I couldn't think of anything worse
0:58:10 > 0:58:12than my child being lost at sea.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15You just prepare yourself for the worst.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17I thought, "This is it.
0:58:17 > 0:58:18"We're done."
0:58:18 > 0:58:20SHRIEKING
0:58:21 > 0:58:24You know, it was so close.