Sailors rescued after dinghy sinks off Hengistbury Head
- Published
Two sailors were rescued after their dinghy capsized and sunk off Hengistbury Head, near Bournemouth.
Mudeford RNLI Inshore Lifeboat and the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter searched the area after the sailors' shore contact made a 999 call on Sunday.
The crew of an inflatable boat pulled them from the water after responding to a call from Portland Coastguard for vessels in the area to keep a look out.
The uninjured sailors had been in the water for 20 minutes.
They were taken back to shore by Mudeford Lifeboat.
Ros Evans, Portland Coastguard watch manager, said: "The dinghy sailors' shore contact did exactly the right thing by dialling 999 coastguard when the dinghy capsized.
"We recommend that dinghy sailors should carry hand-held vhf, flares or a charged mobile phone to call for help, but the most important thing is that they should wear a life jacket or buoyancy aid and these two dinghy sailors were doing just that."