Long shout for St Mary's RNLI lifeboat

The yacht, with two persons on board had suffered keel damage and was taking in water when sailing against the wind. The St Mary's lifeboat, under the command of relief coxswain from Torbay, Richard Fowler, arrived on scene at 3pm when the casualty was 68 miles from the islands.

The lifeboat then escorted the yacht back to St Mary's, arriving back at 11.23pm when the harbour launch took over the casualty and placed her on a mooring.

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.

Learn more about the RNLI

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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.