Back to back shouts for St Mary's RNLI lifeboat

The first call for assistance came from a yacht with five people on board at 10.55pm that was drifting with no power 6 nautical miles west of the Isles of Scilly. The casualty was reached at 11.40pm and successfully towed back to St Mary's harbour.

The second shout came at 1.01am from another yacht, also drifting without power with three people on board about 10 miles east of the islands, close to the Traffic Separation Scheme between the islands and the mainland of Cornwall.

That yacht was also successfully towed back to St Mary's harbour and the RNLI lifeboat The Whiteheads was placed back onto the moorings ready for further service at 3.30am.

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.