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Walton-on-the-Naze: Yacht in 'perilous situation' towed to safety

RNLI The yacht being towed by Harwich LifeboatRNLI
The propeller of the 26ft (8m) yawl had got entwined in a lobster trap at Pennyhole Bay, off Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex

A lone yachtsman had to be rescued after his boat was stuck in a "perilous situation".

The RNLI said the propeller of the 26ft (8m) yawl had got entwined in a lobster trap at Pennyhole Bay, off Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex.

It said the yacht was was "rendered helpless" as its propeller had been damaged.

The yacht was towed to safety by the Harwich Lifeboat to Shotley Marina in Suffolk.

An RNLI spokesman said the rescue mission happened just after 13:00 BST on Friday.

'Critical decision'

He said the yacht was "entangled in a perilous situation" and posed a "significant risk in the vicinity of the bustling ports of Felixstowe and Harwich".

"The volunteers of the inshore lifeboat understood the gravity of the situation, recognising that leaving the yacht adrift could lead to potential collisions with other vessels," he said.

"Hence towing the yacht to safety was not only a prudent decision but a critical one."

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