Rye Harbour Lifeboat launched at 4:36pm on Saturday September 24, following a request from the Coastguard to assist the yacht “Border Collie”, a 44 foot Moody sailing yacht with engine failure, which was lying a mile and a half east of the harbour entrance.
The yacht, with two people on board, was boarded and a line attached before being towed to the safety of Rye Harbour.
The owners, David Hartley and his wife Roz Osberg, said “We are forever grateful to the RNLI as this is the second time they have been to our rescue since we bought the yacht”.
The couple from Tunbridge Wells have recently purchased the yacht and were en route from Eastbourne to Rye when they suffered the breakdown.
As the lifeboat entered Rye Harbour the stricken yacht was quickly moored to the jetty outside the lifeboat station as the crew received another request to search for a kite surfer off Camber Sands, as a kite and board had been washed ashore without any trace of the owner. Later, the man was found safe and well on the beach.
On interviewing David and Roz they pledged support for the Rye Harbour Lifeboat appeal. The lifeboat station is trying to raise funds to buy a new Atlantic 85 Class Lifeboat at a cost of £215,000 and is still some £50,000 short of this target.
Source: Rye Harbour RNLI
Photo: Steve Griffin – Press Officer Rye Harbour RNLI