There is panic coming through the marine band radio on the bridge. It is a woman's voice "We're sinking! Come quickly! Mayday!" The position is noted on the chart; four hours steaming. I alter course.

"Mayday, this is the Rainbow Warrior, we are coming to your rescue, please confirm your position?"

A new position is given to us. They are a lot closer; right on the Corsica coastline, just an hour away.

"The boats breaking up, you've got to come quickly!"

In a calming voice I talk to the distressed boat. It's a racing yacht, there are three woman on board and they have hit a rock. On deck the crew prepare the fast rescue craft under the flood of deck lights. They attach tag lines and connect the crane. The Mistral is coming; it's whipping up the sea around us, but we are ready to launch; into the blackest of nights. A light house flashes just ahead of us; guarding, in its red sector, an outcrop of rocks.

"We have our rescue boat in the water, but we cannot see you. If you have a flare, madam, this would be a good time to use it." The decks of the Rainbow Warrior are filled with crew peering into the darkness; trying to spot the stricken craft.

"We have no flares on board. The boat is about to disintegrate! Oh please help us."

"My dear, we are so close now, we'll be with you in minutes. Can you see us?"

The tone in her voice changes, "Yes, I can. Oh, thank you".

Just then our rescue craft calls on the radio. "We've found them."

Ten minutes later we have three very beautiful but very frightened Portuguese women on board the Rainbow Warrior. In the warmth of the mess room and out of the weather we treat the survivors to a hot cup of tea before a French lifeboat arrives on the scene to take them away. Farewell to the damsels in distress, Rainbow Warrior resumes her course towards Marseille.