BOTH Arbroath lifeboats, RNLB 'Inchcape' and 'Duncan Ferguson' were launched just minutes into the New Year to attend an incident at Arbroath cliffs.
This was the first call out of 2008 for any of the UK's lifeboat stations and it took place at 50 minutes after midnight.
A group of anglers had been fishing from the rocks close to the Brandy Cave at the north end of Carlingheugh Bay when one sli
pped and broke his ankle.
The weather was mild but there was very thick fog with visibility below 10 metres and about a one metre swell.
Tommy Yule, coxswain of RNLB 'Inchcape', said: " Visibility was very bad. When we got to the scene you couldn't see to the top of the cliff, just the blue lights on the coastguard Land Rover glowing through the fog."
Dave Sigley, Derek Robertson and Ian Ross took the inshore lifeboat into the cliffs and Ian Ross went ashore to assess the situation. He advised that more assistance was required due the nature of the injury and the position of the casualty, who was found on a section of rocks about 20 feet above the sea with a 45 degree slope running down to the water.
Colin Stewart and Malcolm Teviotdale were transferred ashore from 'Inchcape' to give specialist first aid on the spot and the casualty was then placed in a stretcher which was lowered by the rescue team of about 10 people to the inshore lifeboat which had the tricky task of holding a steady position in the swell.
He was transferred to RNLB 'Inchcape' and brought back to Arbroath harbour where an ambulance was waiting to give more first aid before taking him to Ninewells hospital.
