Selsey news: Dutch yacht requests RNLI assistance for second time in three days.

The yacht had engine failure 11 miles south south east of Selsey Bill and, with very little wind, was struggling to make progress.

The volunteer crew were paged at 11.29am on Friday 11 November 2016 and at 11.41am the Tyne class lifeboat Voluntary Worker launched with a crew of seven.

At 12.19pm the lifeboat reached the Maria-Angela and transferred the second coxswain, Willy Pledger, to the yacht to assist with rigging the tow and for communications as the three Spanish and one Dutch national spoke very little English.

The weather on scene was wind southerly force 2-3 in sunshine with good visibility and a smooth sea state. Once the tow was established at 12.28pm a course was set for Chichester Harbour. At 3.15pm the harbour was reached and the Maria-Angela was berthed alongside at Sparkes Marina with the assistance of Hayling Coastguard team.

The Maria Angela was towed into to Sovereign Harbour by Eastbourne RNLI lifeboat in the early hours of Wednesday 10 November after making a distress call in similar circumstances as today.

The Voluntary Worker departed Sparkes Marina at 3.30pm to return to Selsey arriving at 4.20pm and rehousing straight away. The crew of the lifeboat today were Coxswain Martin Rudwick, Second Coxswain Willy Pledger, Mechanic Geoff Mellett , Dave Lamdin, Gary Pearce, Max Wiseman and Pip Skeet.

RNLI media contacts

• Max Gilligan Selsey RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer
  07956 415429 [email protected]
• Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/South East/East) 0207 6207425 / 07785 296252 / [email protected]
• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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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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