Watch: Helicopter and lifeboats answer Mayday call

Skegness' RNLI lifeboat was called out for the second time in four days this morning when a yacht sent out a Mayday distress call off the Lincolnshire coast.

The two-man crew of the yacht Dolphin of Rhu were on the way from Wells, on the Norfolk coast, to Grimsby when they began taking on water and suffered engine failure about 10 miles east of Mablethorpe.

At 7:36am they issued a Mayday call asking for immediate assistance. The Humber Coastguard scrambled the Skegness and Humber RNLI lifeboats straight away, along with Coastguard helicopter Rescue 912, based at Humberside Airport.

The Mayday call was also heard by two of Centrica Energy’s wind farm support vessels who were on their way to the wind farms off Skegness. Windcat 9 andWindcat 17 were able to quickly locate the yacht and offer assistance.

Windcat 9 began towing the yacht towards Grimsby.

As soon as the Skegness lifeboat arrived, crew members climbed aboard the yacht to assess the situation.

The tow was transferred to Skegness lifeboat and continued towards Grimsby while the crew of the yacht were taken on board Humber lifeboat to be airlifted by Rescue 912 to Humberside airport.

They were cold and wet but not badly hurt.