Stranded yacht refloated by Margate RNLI
Margate’s volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew has come to the aid of a yacht stranded on a sandbank off the north Kent coast
The 12m long yacht with five persons on board was on passage from Queenborough to Ramsgate when it ran aground on the Margate Sand around two miles north of Margate around 9am this morning (Tuesday 23 July).
Unable to immediately refloat the vessel themselves, the crew broadcast a Mayday distress call asking for assistance. The call was picked up by UK Coastguard who alerted Margate RNLI.
The town’s all-weather lifeboat was tasked to assist and arrived on scene around 15 minutes after launching. The tide was in the last hour of the ebb and as the weather was fine it was decided not to attempt an immediate refloating but to wait for the flood tide.
The lifeboat remained on scene and reassured the yacht’s crew who were uninjured and well equipped, all wearing lifejackets and with suitable life-saving equipment to hand.
Shortly after on the flood tide, a towline was passed, and the yacht was pulled clear of the sandbank into deeper water. Once the yacht’s crew had checked that their vessel had not sustained any damage it proceeded on its voyage towards Ramsgate and the lifeboat was released to return to station.
Photo: Margate RNLI all-weather lifeboat approaches the grounded yacht (RNLI Margate)
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 (SouthEast), 0207 6207416, 07786 668825 [email protected]
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For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789
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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