MAY has been a busy month for the Appledore RLNI. The volunteer crew was training on the new Tamar class all weather boat Molly Hunt on May 16.

With the boat still on the mooring, the crew heard a vessel calling Swansea Coastguard saying they were having engine trouble near Middle Ridge Buoy.

They needed urgent assistance as the tide was pushing them hard towards the South Tail in the estuary mouth.

Molly Hunt was rapidly launched and the crew found a 24-foot Tamar fishing boat, by then at anchor, with two people on board.

The pair had managed to get the engine going but as it was very sluggish, the lifeboat crew towed it back to Appledore and made it safe on a mooring. It appeared that fuel had been siphoned from the fuel tank.

This is not the only boat this season that has suffered from the theft of fuel so please, all boat owners, check your fuel before you leave your mooring and if anyone sees anything suspicious, please phone the police immediately.

The new Tamar was also used on the evening of Thursday, May 20 when the crew was called to help a 50ft fishing boat, Bruno of Sutton, which had suffered engine failure seven miles off Lundy.

With thick fog all the way there, the crew managed to locate the fishing boat using special direction finding equipment on board the Tamar, together with radar.

They safely towed the vessel back to Appledore, not getting home until the small hours of the morning, with continuing thick fog all the way.

Martin Cox, RNLI Coxswain at Appledore, said it was a demanding night because of the fog: "The visibility was no more than 50 metres in places and the thick fog was with us throughout the service. Fortunately there was no wind and a smooth sea, but it was all good experience for the crew."

The Douglas Paley, Appledore's inshore rescue boat has also been used to respond to several emergency calls and the boarding boat has also been in use as a rescue boat in its own right up river at low tide.

On Monday May 24 the inshore lifeboat, together with the RMB Chivenor rescue helicopter, were called to help a surfer reported to be in difficulties off Baggy Point. Luckily it turned out that the lady in question was perfectly all right, she was spending the beautiful evening fishing for mackerel from her surf board.

The jigging of the line for the fish appeared to a member of the public to be arms waving for help, a recognised method for someone calling for help.

Although in this instance the rescue turned out to be a false alarm, the feeling amongst all the RNLI volunteers is they would much prefer to go out and find someone safe, than not to go out and find that they had not rescued someone in genuine trouble.

Remember if you see someone who appears to be in genuine difficulty to dial 999 and report the incident immediately to the Coastguard, who will then coordinate the appropriate rescue.

● The Clovelly lifeboat was called to the aid on a yacht which had suffered electrical problems.

The lifeboat Spirit of Clovelly was on exercise on Sunday when a call came in from the Instow-based yacht which was anchored off Clovelly.

The electrics had failed meaning the engine could not be started. The yacht was towed in to the safety of Clovelly harbour.

Helmsman Alam Campbell-Garnett said: "We were happy to help tow the boat into Clovelly."