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Hurley yacht with two on board blown onto lee shore in Dartmouth Harbour

Lifeboats News Release

Two yachtsmen, unable to use their engine, were driven in the dark onto a lee shore in Dartmouth Harbour.

Daniel Seed and his son, visiting yachtsmen from Preston in Lancashire, called the Coastguard just
after 7 pm on Saturday evening when they saw a 20 foot Hurley yacht in the darkness having problems in the 25 knot winds in the harbour. They were blown ashore 80 yards south of the Bayard's Fort.
Some of the lifeboat crew piled out of a local restaurant close by as they answered the call.
The yacht with two on board had been on passage from Dawlish to Plymouth and made for Dartmouth as
the winds increased and their engine became unusable.
By the time the lifeboat crew arrived the yacht was pinned by the wind to the shore and the Seeds
had helped the crew to lower their sails. Will Davis, a recent volunteer to join the RNLI crew, was
put on board and the lifeboat towed the vessel to the Town Quay.

Kevin Murpy, helmsman on the left. Will Davis, a recent volunteer to join the crew on the right

Daniel Seed

Dart RNLI lifeboat crew with the Hurley yacht safely brought to the Town Quay
The Hurley yacht under tow by the Dart RNLI lifeboat in Dartmoth Harbour

Andy Kyle

The Hurley yacht under tow in Dartmoth Harbour

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

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