When David Richards and his grandson Henry went out racing from Fowey, they didn’t expect their sail to end with a lifeboat rescue.
Henry, my grandson, and I decided to sail together for the Fowey Sailing Opal series, the last yacht race series of the season, as his dinghy season was complete and he was at a loose end (sailing-wise) until his winter sailing started with the RS Tera South West Squad. The Opal series is basedon handicap starting, with slower yachts setting off first.
So, on 23 September 2023 I was skippering my 18ft yacht, Doux Bisou, a Beneteau 18 SE daysailer, with Henry as crew, in one of the series races. I was then aged 70 and Henry had just turned 13. I have experience of dinghy sailing over many years but class myself as moderately competent. Henry has six or seven years’ dinghy experience and is a competent single-handed sailor of smaller dinghies.
My experience in the boat was limited, as I had taken delivery of it towards the end of the previous summer. I am qualified to Coastal Skipper level (motor) and also enjoy time on the water in a 27ft motor boat.

David’s dinghy sailing experience was limited but his grandson Henry had seven years’ experience and is a competent single-handed sailor. Photo: Beneteau
The forecast was for southerly wind, initially gusting to around 16 knots, and a 0.8m (2-3ft) swell. Both wind and swell were due to build later but conditions should have been comfortable enough during the period of the race. The course was D, G, M, Q, G, D, that is: south out of the estuary, turn west at the Cannis Rock South Cardinal, anticlockwise around St Austell Bay, and back.
An early minor problem (the soft shackle attaching the jib sheets to the jib came adrift, so I hove to, to remedy the issue), caused me to be well at the back of the fleet shortly after the start. Still, I decided to push on and complete the course. We didn’t regain touch with the other yachts and after the last mark in St Austell Bay, Q, we were heading east to the Cannis Rock South Cardinal and home.
The wind was gusting to about 20 knots, possibly more, and the swell was about 1.8m, the weather conditions having deteriorated earlier than anticipated. No other boats were in sight.

Once out of the river and into St Austell Bay, sailors are exposed to weather and swell from the South West. Photo: TMW Photography/Alamy
Being on a beam reach and given that we were still racing, I decided to hoist the spinnaker and immediately faced problems with the leeward spinnaker sheet having wrapped on the end of the boom. We resolved this and the spinnaker was set and trimmed. However, the boat was immediately overpowered by the gusting wind and was knocked flat.
We managed to regain our footing but no sooner had the boat righted than it was knocked flat again. I lost my footing and fell into the water, while Henry managed to stay in the boat. As I surfaced, the boat was already 10m away from me with the distance only growing. The spinnaker was flapping, making a din and I could see Henry signalling to me, although Henry has told me that I was very quickly out of sight in those sea conditions.
Henry had very little knowledge of the boat. However, he managed to drop the spinnaker but only to the extent that it was in the water beside the boat. The boat was then relatively stable but was prevented from sailing by the impediment of the spinnaker. Henry had no knowledge of how to get the motor into operation and therefore could not use that either to address the problem of being somewhere near the Cannis Rock and being pushed ever closer by wind and swell.
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Armed with knowledge
Fortunately, Henry, being interested in all things related to sailing, had just two weeks earlier picked up his mum’s VHF Radio course book and absorbed it in his inimitable fashion. Henry sent out a textbook Mayday call using the hand-held VHF radio in the boat, changing from the race office channel to channel 16, alerting the Coastguard to me going overboard, the boat not being under proper control and his location being close to the Cannis Rock.
Unfortunately, the race office was not monitoring Ch16 and were among the last to know of the Mayday call, to which a number of Fowey boats responded.

Henry has been sailing since he was seven and is a keen RS Tera racer. Photo: Jenny Matthews/Alamy Stock Photo
Earlier in the afternoon I had seen the big Seafari RIB set out towards Mevagissey but I hadn’t seen it return. Consequently, while I was floating I faced west in the hope that I might see it on its return to Fowey. I was overjoyed when I did in fact see the RIB, but what I didn’t at that point appreciate was that it came onto station as a result of Henry’s Mayday call.
So I wondered why it did not appear to be making an attempt to get close enough to haul me out. That was clarified when I was told the RNLI was approaching and that the RIB was marking my position. I looked around to see the Fowey Trent class lifeboat, with the Coastguard helicopter above it.
At the same time, Fowey’s D class lifeboat started helping Henry. Jimmy Hoddinott (of the Fowey D class lifeboat) transferred to Doux Bisou and, after removing the tangled spinnaker sheets, stowed the spinnaker in its chute. They then proceeded to sail back into Fowey.

David and Henry set sail out of the Fowey Estuary on Doux Bisou, David’s Beneteau 18 SE. Photo: Jenny Matthews/Alamy Stock Photo
The RNLI fished me out and after making sure I had no injuries, were able to stand the helicopter down. The RNLI took me back to their station and gave me very welcome hot, sweet tea.
I was able to observe Henry and Jimmy Hoddinott sailing Doux Bisou in and fairly nonchalantly mooring up. Henry and I were able to check we were both okay before the ambulance arrived to have me checked over at hospital as I had spent 20 to 25 minutes in the water, and risk of secondary drowning was an issue. The care and attention I received, from the Coastguard, the RNLI, the NHS and the boating community was exceptional and very humbling.
I was not the only casualty of the day’s testing conditions: a crew member of one of the larger yachts suffered a dislocated shoulder. Henry and I did not sail for the rest of the series, mostly because wind and sea conditions were adverse through to the end of October on those days when Henry was available.
However, we are planning on sailing together again this year, particularly on the Fowey to Flushing race (and back) in August, providing the conditions are suitable. Henry will otherwise continue with his single-handed dinghy racing.
Lessons learned from a lifeboat rescue
Safety Equipment
I was wearing a self-inflating life jacket while Henry was wearing a buoyancy aid. I had not done up the crotch strap of the life jacket. The boat was equipped with a handheld VHF radio, emergency flare, one lifeline and a safety knife, none of which was on my person or attached to Henry or myself.

David Richards is a semi-retired quantity surveyor who started dinghy sailing in a Fireball while at school in Zimbabwe. Photo: TMW Photography/Alamy
The boat also has a 1m³ built-in ‘insubmersibility’ volume so that it is notionally unsinkable. However, that, of course, is what was said about Titanic! Nonetheless, due to the size of the boat and its ‘insubmersibility’ volume, it is not equipped with a life raft. It is easy to board the boat from the water at the transom, which is open.
Racing safety
Observing standard safety procedures is not enough and assuming that reasonable competency will suffice is inadequate. Perilous scenarios should be mapped
out and practised before getting into the hurly burly of racing. While I intend sailing only inshore/coastal waters, that provides more than sufficient space
to get into trouble.
Spinnaker use
The spinnaker should be used more judiciously. If I had not raised the spinnaker on a beam reach in high-ish wind, I would not have gone overboard. The racing advantage of any sail change or manoeuvre should be weighed against risks of collision or crew loss.
Personal floatation
When sailing keelboats outside of immediate safety cover, both helm and crew should have self-inflating life jackets, equipped with PLBs, and the crotch strap should be fastened (in the final heave onto the RNLI lifeboat, my lifejacket was nearly pulled off).

Fowey RNLI commended Henry’s brave actions. Photo: Jenny Matthews/Alamy Stock Photo
Tethers and knives
If I had been connected to the boat through a life line I would at least have stayed with the boat but, in that case, we should also both have been carrying safety knives in case problems arose from being tied to the boat and dragged through the water, chest first.
Personal communication devices
While a PLB would have allowed me to make a distress signal, I should have been wearing the VHF radio and had another in the boat.
Crew briefing
Henry did an amazing job remaining calm and calling for help, largely due to experience built up over previous years and his desire to learn more. We should have discussed and practised MOB drills, including how to drop all the sails and start the engine. Sailing two-handed means that in the event of an MOB, the remaining crew should be able to handle the boat and all systems aboard solo.
MOB gear
If no horsehoe or other lifebuoy is fitted, the boat should have a floating heaving line for recovery of the MOB.
Race monitoring
Race offices should, as well as monitoring Ch16, estimate ‘last boat in’ time (based on first boat back) and seek confirmation on the race office channel that all is well if that time is exceeded.
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