Thames Coastguard requested the lifeboat to launch to assist a 26ft catamaran broken down 8 miles north east of Whitstable.

The crew located the casualty, the Nepeta, at anchor near to the Pan Sands Beacon. The wind farm workboat Meriel D had also arrived at the scene and was standing by the disabled craft.

A crewman from the lifeboat was placed onboard the Nepeta and assisted with recovering the anchor before the lifeboat towed the craft to Whitstable Harbour where a lifeboat shore party was waiting to assist with securing the craft alongside the south quay.

Onboard the catamaran was her owner and skipper Mr Antony Barratt from Slough and his Brother-in-Law, Mr Graham Manning from Sonning near Reading.

Mr Barratt said afterwards “We were heading from Maldon to Chichester under sail when the rigging snagged and locked solid off Essex. We continued for another 6 hours under engine power when the engine coughed and stopped when we were near to the wind farm”

  “We decided that discretion was better than valour so called for assistance, and we were very pleased to see the lifeboat”.

  It is believed the engine failed due to a problem with the fuel system.