Published: April 18, 2010
Burnham-On-Sea lifeboats called to help yacht in difficulty

Two Burnham-On-Sea lifeboats were launched on Sunday night (April 18th) to help a yacht in difficulty.

A 26ft yacht had been reported to Coastguards as being disabled with its steering out of action and its keel jammed down.

Both the Staines Whitfield and Puffin lifeboats were launched at 7.25pm, and proceeded with haste to the yacht, which they found approximately a mile and a half off-shore from the lower lighthouse on Burnham beach.

"It transpired the yacht was from Combwich in the River Parrett. The crew of Puffin landed a lifeboat volunteer onto the casualty to assist whilst the Staines Whifield crew towed the yacht to its home mooring," lifeboat spokesman Mike Lang told Burnham-On-Sea.com.

"On arrival at Combwich, there was not sufficient water at the mooring, so two of the three yacht crew were landed on shore while the small flotilla waited for the incoming tide to reach the mooring. Once the yacht was safely secured, the remaining crewmember was landed, and both lifeboats returned to Burnham slipway."