German tourist, Thomas Lindner, had been just 23 when he was holidaying in Orkney. He was staying, alone, in the bothy at Rackwick, Hoy when he had the misfortune to slip down the cliff whilst out walking. Unable to climb back up he had lain there for eight hours until a passing fisherman spotted him and radioed the coastguard.
It was only a trip round the corner for Stromness Lifeboat so they soon had him safely into Stromness Harbour and in an ambulance to The Balfour Hospital. His injuries were only slight so Thomas was out and about the next day.
In August this year Thomas walked up to the RNLI shop on the pier and said 'You saved my life in 1976'. He came into the station and we soon found the record of his rescue.
An Orcadian newspaper report from 1976 identifed the passing fisherman as Willie 'Willick' Sinclair Jr in his boat:
Merlin II. Willick served on Stromness Lifeboat for many years, including a period as coxswain. Sadly, Willick passed away, aged 90, in 2024.
Merlin II, however, is still working, with Colin Mowat, Willick's nephew at the helm.
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
