Mumbles Lifeboat early morning call to Three Cliffs

When the yacht had anchored late last night the sea was calm and the anchorage of Three cliffs bay on Gower looked perfect.

However over night a strong on shore wind had picked up making the possibility of the yacht being washed ashore a probability. The skipper called for help when he found it impossible to get the yachts anchor up.

The Mumbles Lifeboat launched within 15 minutes and was on the scene within 20 minutes of launching. The decision was made to put Lifeboat crew on board the yacht to assist the skipper. With conditions getting worse the yachts anchor was pulled up and the yacht taken out into the safety of deeper water near Oxwich bay.

The Mumbles lifeboat returned to station by 6.15 am.

Coxswain of the Mumbles lifeboat Martin Double said ' Thankfully the skipper had the sense to call for help as soon as possible. His experience taught him that things could very quickly have gone wrong under the circumstances. We would always urge anyone going to sea to keep an eye on the weather forecast for the next 24 hours when anchoring anywhere.'

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.