Four people have been rescued after their yacht ran aground on the Goodwin Sands.
The skipper of the Chatham-based yacht Spirit, made an emergency call to Dover Coastguard at 1.46am this morning after the boat was pushed onto its side, five miles south-east of Ramsgate.
Rough sea conditions and strong northerly winds meant the crew were in danger and coastguard staff requested the launch of Ramsgate RNLI lifeboats and an RAF rescue helicopter.
Together they managed to pull the 35-ft yacht into deeper water and successfully re-float it, before the inshore lifeboat escorted it back to Ramsgate.
Frank O’Neil of Dover Coastguard said: “During this incident, the good training of both the skipper and the crew as well as following all the correct procedures made a significant contribution to this rescue.
“We received a comprehensive Mayday and all the information needed to get rescuers on the scene quickly.”
POSTED: 14/05/2008 10:15:00