Lymington RNLI were called to their first rescue of the New Year.
On the 2 Jan at 4.38pm the Lymington voluntary crew were called by HM Coastguard to assist 26 ft yacht with engine problems.
The lifeboat was swift to launch under the helm of Simon Nuding. The conditions were good and the sea state was calm with a North F1. The lifeboat proceeded towards the mid Shingles area, which is between Hurst Castle and the Needles in the Solent.
The crew quickly spotted the yacht which was drifting westwards on an ebbing tide with little wind close to the shingle bank. The crew and helm were quickly able to establish a tow line to the 26ft yacht from the lifeboat without going on board, given the calm conditions.
The yacht with three people onboard was towed by the lifeboat back to the Harbour Masters Pontoon in Lymington.
Simon Nuding the helm, said that the people onboard the yacht did the right thing in calling the Coastguard for assistance. The yacht was only a few minutes away from being aground on the Single Bank.
The lifeboat was back at the station and prepared for service again by 6.37pm. The lifeboat remains on call 24/7 to assist people in need and all the crew at the station are volunteers.
Suzanne Brown, Lifeboat Press Officer, Lymington Lifeboat Station (07711) 393910 [email protected]
Paul Dunt, Regional Media Officer, SE and London (07785) 296252 [email protected]
For enquiries outside normal business hours contact the RNLI duty press officer on (01202) 336789
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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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