Selsey lifeboats help return yacht to safety

Lifeboat crews observed a small yacht manouvering around the fishing boats moored in Selsey, around lunchtime on Friday (October 8).

A spokesperson for the RNLI said the skipper 'seemed unsure of his intentions' and so a D-class inshore lifeboat was deployed to make contact and assess the situation.

During their approach, the team saw that the yacht was trying to anchor closer inshore. So, once the team made contact, they gave safety advice to the skipper and a lifeboat crewman was transferred to the civilian vessel.

'The small yacht was headed for Southampton and, with no wind, using a small outboard engine," the RNLI spokesperson said.

The lifeboat crew originally planned to escort the yacht to the west side of Selsey, but the skipper indicated that, if the wind stayed low, a shortage of fuel might make doing so impossible.

Instead, the crew decided to deploy an All-Weather Lifeboat from Selsey in order to tow the stranded yacht back to the safety of the nearest harbour: Chichester.

By 2.20pm, the yacht was safely berthed at the Sparkes Marina in Chichester Harbour.

The All-Weather Lifeboat, meanwhile, returned to the Selsey station at 4.08pm, where it was cleaned, refuelled and made ready for another call-out.