Margate RNLI’s busy summer season has continued into September with three calls in three days involving both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats.
The first call came on Friday afternoon (31 August) when a speedboat with one person on board was towed to Foreness Bay by the inshore lifeboat after it encountered machinery failure and was adrift around half a mile off the coast at Margate.
The inshore lifeboat was called out again on Saturday afternoon (1 September) when an angling dinghy also experienced problems with its engine while around three miles off Westgate-on-Sea. Once again, the disabled vessel, with two persons on board, was towed to its launching site at Foreness Bay.
Finally, just after 9am on Sunday (2 September) the sole occupant of a yacht on passage from the river Swale to Ramsgate contacted UK Coastguard reporting engine failure and drifting into shallow water off Reculver Towers, around seven miles west of Margate. The town’s all-weather lifeboat was tasked on this occasion and after ensuring the occupant was safe and well took the yacht in tow for the two-and-a-half-hour passage to the safety of Ramsgate harbour.
Nick Smith, Deputy Launching Authority, Margate RNLI said: “These may seem straight-forward ‘tow-home’ call-outs but in all three instances they needed assistance and the busy weekend confirms the need for both an inshore and all-weather lifeboat at Margate.”