Sergeant Peter Fitzgibbon was on holiday in Whitby, North Yorkshire, when he got caught up in a dramatic operation to rescue the three from the 30ft waves.

An inquest heard that a force eight gale warning was in place when their 24ft cabin cruiser, named Last Call, left the harbour on November 23 last year.

Andrew Carrick, 45, his partner Jill Russell, 48, and his brother John Carrick, 36, all from Middlesborough, were killed when the boat overturned.

Sergeant Fitzgibbon told the inquest how he and his wife watched in disbelief as the craft headed out to the harbour entrance.
"I was running down the pier yelling at them to turn back but they could't hear me," he said.

"The boat just hit two or three waves and went absolutely vertical and two people fell out the back."

The off-duty officer called the coastguard as the two men were swept from the boat and into the sea and, disregarding his own safety, vaulted a wall at the end of the pier and continued shouting to the men in the water, despite being hit by waves himself.




"Just as the boat was backing up, the biggest wave I'd seen that day took both of them under – completely under," he said.
Both men were taken ashore by the lifeboat and taken to hospital, where both were later pronounced dead.

Coroner Richard Watson told the inquest that Miss Russell was also thrown into the sea and airlifted to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The coroner praised Sgt Fitzgibbon for his actions.
"Your courage and bravery that day was quite extraordinary," said Mr Watson.

Speaking after Wednesday's hearing, Sgt Fitzgibbon said his thoughts were with the families of those who died.
"I am sorry for their loss," he said.
"I did everything I possibly could."