Dungeness RNLI tasked to three people on broken down yacht in the shipping lanes
At 10.25am on Friday 5 July 2019, RNLI Dungeness and her volunteer crew went to the aid of a yacht with engine failure in the middle of the shipping lanes in the English Channel.
The casualty, located 8.5 miles south east of Dungeness, was experiencing engine problems and the flat calm weather conditions meant that the persons on board were unable to use their sail.
Once the lifeboat was on scene, it was established that a tow was required and the lifeboat towed the casualty back to safety in Rye Harbour. Once the vessel was safe alongside, the lifeboat returned to Dungeness and was back on service at 3.30pm.
Coxswain, Stuart Adams says: ‘The casualty was unfortunate to experience engine failure on a flat calm day in a busy shipping lane. They followed the correct procedure and called the UK Coastguard for help. They were well prepared and were wearing lifejackets which is imperative when on the water'.
Notes to editors
- Dungeness lifeboat station has been operating since 1826. To learn more about the lifeboat station go towww.dungenesslifeboat.org.uk
- Dungeness’ Shannon-class lifeboat was the first Shannon lifeboat in the fleet and came to station in 2014.
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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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