Queen makes award to Derbyshire rescuer

8:54 PM Tue 15 Sep 2009 GMT

'Rescue - somewhere in the world every week' . Click Here to view large photo

Across the world every week there are sailors who, because of inexperience, carelessness or merely a long string of bad luck, get into trouble on the high seas, and it's the rescue personnel who often put their own lives in danger to effect a rescue.

Petty Officer Marcus Wigfull - Wiggy - .. .

A North Derbyshire man has been given a bravery award from the Queen for saving the lives of three stricken yachtsmen after their boat grounded on a notorious reef off the Scottish coast.

Petty Officer Marcus Wigfull, known as Wiggy, from Unstone, near Dronfield, has been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery in the Air.

He was named in the Queen's annual Operational Honours list, recognising his key role in saving three sailors' lives.

Along with colleagues from the Royal Navy's helicopter search and rescue station HMS Gannet, based at Prestwick in Ayrshire, he was scrambled after reports of a floundering vessel just outside Ardrosson harbour in Scotland.

He was winched down to the yacht and got two of the three sailors into a harness just before the yacht was hit by crashing waves.

He returned and plucked the third crew member to safety.

Helicopter captain Lieutenant Commander Andrew Murray said: 'I cannot emphasise enough how much Wiggy's presence of mind throughout the rescue contributed to this positive outcome.

'The yacht was in danger of breaking up at any given moment, and he fought through a four metre sea, showing considerable courage throughout and with total disregard for his own safety, to save the lives of those yachtsmen.

'It really was extremely unpleasant out there and very dangerous for those on board the yacht and the Royal Navy crew.'

Petty Officer Wigfull (Wiggy) said: 'I won't say there aren't moments when you might be scared, but there were three other very scared people there, too, and they were relying on me getting them out of there. My job is to save lives.'

All members of the sailing fraternity can be grateful that across many coastal regions of the world people like 'Wiggy' are there when it matters.

by BW Media