Ramsgate RNLI was called to a yacht with engine failure off Margate on Sunday (March 26).
The thirty two foot yacht had been travelling from Burnham on Crouch on the East Coast to their summer berth in Ramsgate when they suffered the failure.
At 4.45pm, due to the unfavourable weather conditions, HM Coastguard took the decision to launch the All weather relief Trent boat Henry Heys Duckworth, asking the volunteer crew to assess the situation onboard the yacht on arrival at the scene.
The yacht was in the Queens Channel off Margate, close to the shifting Margate Sands and in a busy shipping route leading up to the Medway and the Thames.
On arrival and after speaking to the two crew, with the wind gusting up to twenty eight knots, and a rough sea around North Foreland, it was decided that the best course of action was to take the yacht under tow. Due to the wind direction there was no choice other than to head towards Sheerness and the port of Queenborough.
Ramsgate RNLI requested the Coastguard launch the Sheerness lifeboat for a relay and the Shannon class, Mrs Judith Copping Joyce met them at the south east outer edge of the Whitstable Flats Wind farm where the yacht was handed over and continued on its journey to Queenborough.
Ramsgate RNLI then returned to Ramsgate, against the wind making for a very bumpy ride home.
The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations without which it would not be able to continue saving lives at sea.
Nice to see them doing what they were founded for!
Indeed – but this is the second time in recent weeks that the Ramsgate boat has been called to an incident off Margate – and then a second boat called out from Sheerness.
Margate only has two dinghies which are ok for inshore work during the summer but clearly not up to the task of going to sea in the winter.
That’s what they do.
Save lives at sea.
yes = better than what they are doing at dover
I expect they were saving lives at sea.
why would they be doing something different at Dover?
Massive respect to all the rnli. Lifesaving heroes
Sad that it had tó be the Ramsgate all weather lifeboat and not one from Margate which must give pride to those who opposed a new RNLI lifeboat station to include the all weather boat. Fortunately the extra time taken wasn’t critical this time.
Not pride, just shame.