The significance of the rocket apparatus along the west Lizard Coast has sometimes been understated, but although more lives were saved by this means than by the Lifeboat, the Coastguard and local men always attended when summoned, a fine example of bravery and teamwork. One only has to experience a violent storm here to see at first hand the conditions they dealt with. The sailing ships, unsailable, their gear, masts and sails often already damaged or lost overboard, and the crew exhausted through hours of attempting to tack away from the cliffs, became embayed and powerless to escape the clutches of the rocks.