Brixham Coastguard were alerted at just after 5.00 a.m. on 30 January 2001 to an emergency call from the Dorset based skipper of the fishing vessel `Daisy Patricia' who besides suffering an electrical problem with his vessel whilst 3 miles south of Rame Head, his sole crewmember was reporting diabetic sickness in rough seas and strong winds.

The skipper informed the Coastguard that he was taking the vessel from Portland in Dorset to Polruan in Cornwall for a refit to the boat when his colleague had become ill. The 53-year-old crewmember required immediate assistance, but fortunately was still conscious.

Coastguard requested the launch of the Plymouth all weather lifeboat and after locating the vessel in the darkness by direction finding (DF) equipment and after placing two of its own crew members on board to assist the skipper with his electrical problems, the sick man was taken on board the lifeboat which sped back to Plymouth to land the man ashore to a waiting ambulance crew.

The `Daisy Patricia' was brought into Plymouth for further work before she resumes her passage to Cornwall.