Solent Coastguard received a mobile phone 999 call from a vessel off of Portland Bill requesting help as they had broken down.
Weymouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat ‘Ernest and Mabel’ was launched at 1.55pm on Sunday 19th September to go to the aid of the motor yacht which had set off from Portland Marina for a day at sea and suffered engine failure some 2 miles South East of Portland Bill.
When the lifeboat arrived on scene, they quickly established that the three persons on board were safe and well, then set up a tow and brought them to Weymouth Harbour arriving at approx. 5.00pm.
The RNLI advises mariners that if you are going to go to sea ensure you have a marine band radio to call for help if required since a mobile phone signal cannot be relied upon some distance from shore and that the lifeboat is also unable to use the radio direction finder that they have on board to help find the casualty vessel.
