Sailors rescued off coast of Selsey

Selsey RNLI responded to a mayday call from the 33ft yacht after it ran aground off the Selsey Bill with three people on board.

The team launched the D class lifeboat at 5.52pm arriving at the scene seven minutes later.

A Selsey RNLI spokesman said: "The crew of the yacht reported everything was ok and they were happy to carry on with their passage to Hartlepool from Falmouth. The ILB escorted the yacht out to the Looe channel buoys and safe waters before returning to station.

"A guard vessel from a local cable laying operation also responded to the mayday. The ILB returned to station at 6.26pm and was rehoused straight away. The crew today were Helmsman Harry Emmence, James Albrey and Dan Langford.

"The Helmsman Harry Emmence said how surprised he was to get a call to a yacht aground after the advice from the UK government during the current covid-19 emergency. On this occasion we were able to keep a distance from the persons on the vessel as the safety of our crews is paramount. But the RNLI crews will always respond to an emergency."