A man who had to be rescued by Margate RNLI from aboard a yacht which he’d tied to a London Array wind turbine was arrested hours later on suspicion of stealing the vessel but eventually released due to a lack of evidence.
Margate RNLI were called out to the yacht on Wednesday (May 15) after it encountered difficulties in the Thames Estuary and sought shelter by tying up to the offshore wind turbine.
The alarm was raised after a support vessel working at the London Array offshore windfarm spotted the craft which was suffering no propulsion and a damaged rudder..
At one stage the man aboard the yacht went into the water and had to be pulled out by crew on the windfarm support vessel.
The yacht was eventually towed in to Ramsgate by the RNLI and secured safely in the harbour where it was met by Margate’s Coastguard Rescue Team and Border Force officials.
The case was passed by the Border Force to Kent Police who arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of theft. The was alleged to have the stolen a boat.
A Kent Police spokesman said: “Enquiries were carried out and the man was subsequently released without charge due to insufficient evidence.”
