At 5.28pm on Saturday afternoon, both Porthcawl RNLI lifeboats Rose of the Shires and Jean Ryall launched to the assistance of a 26ft yacht that had run aground on Sandy Bay, Porthcawl.

Volunteer RNLI Helmsman Joe Missen reached the stricken yacht first and said “when we got to the yacht, we found two persons on board. They had run the yacht aground, and we needed to tow the yacht off the beach quickly as the tide was about to go out.”

The bigger Porthcawl Atlantic 85 Lifeboat Rose of the Shires then took the yacht in tow back to the safety of Porthcawl Marina.

Mr Phillip Missen, Lifeboat Operations Manager from Porthcawl RNLI said “when the yacht got into difficulty, the crew did the correct thing and immediately put out a Mayday call to the coastguard. This meant that we were able to launch the lifeboats quickly, and get the yacht towed off the beach before the tide started to drop. With the Easter Holidays coming up, we advise anyone planning to take their boats afloat to ensure their radios are in working order, and always take with them flares and lifejackets.”