Margate RNLI assists disabled yacht
Margate RNLI has come to the aid of a yacht disabled and becalmed in busy shipping lanes off the north Kent coast.
The yacht, with two persons on board contacted UK Coastguard around 2pm today (Saturday 21 July) reporting that they were experiencing machinery problems and becalmed in benign weather conditions in the Princes Channel around five miles north west of Margate.
The yacht’s crew requested assistance and Margate’s RNLI all-weather lifeboat was tasked to assist. The lifeboat located the yacht with the assistance of Port of London Authority’s radar coverage of the estuary and once it was established that the crew of the yacht were safe and well the vessel was taken under tow to the safety of Ramsgate harbour.
Nick Smith, Deputy Launching Authority, Margate Lifeboat said: “The yacht was disabled and becalmed in busy shipping lanes and asking for assistance at an early stage was a prudent course of action which avoided the situation developing into what could have been a more complex operation perhaps in the dark. We urge people to talk to the coastguard at an early stage in these situations”.
ENDS
RNLI Media contacts
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Peter Barker, RNLI Margate Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer 07974 064304 [email protected]
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Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer (South East), 0207 6207426, 07785 296252 [email protected]
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For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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