RNLI crews from Douglas and Port St Mary were both called into action earlier this week.

The Douglas all-weather lifeboat Marine Engineer was called out to help a 10-metre yacht with engine failure on Wednesday.

With one person on board, it had left Douglas in the early hours to sail to Conwy in Wales.

With a calm sea and no wind the yacht had been motoring when approximately eight miles south east of Douglas the engine failed due to an electrical fault rendering the yacht immobile.

Having first ensured that the single person on board was not in need of any immediate assistance the yacht was taken under tow back to a berth on the Visitors’ Pontoon at the Battery Pier in Douglas.

Coxswain Peter Cowin explained that they had only just completed their training the previous day on a new RNLI towing system.

Mr Cowin said: ’The new towing system produced by the RNLI is well engineered and worked well.’

On Wednesday evening the crew of Port St Mary’s D-Class inshore lifeboat ,Spirit of Leicester, launched to reports of a paddleboard in difficulty off Kallow Point.

In a force two south-westerly wind and slight seas, and located the reported casualty within minutes.

Having established that the two paddleboarders were both safe and well, Port St Mary RNLI’s inshore lifeboat escorted them back to the safety of Chapel Beach.

Helm of the inshore lifeboat Morgan Guy said: ’On this occasion it was a false alarm with good intent, but we would like to thank the observer for raising their concern.

’If you ever see someone in difficulty, please call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.’

Port St Mary Lifeboat Press officer Kirsty Pendlebury added: ’It has been a busy summer for Port St Mary RNLI and I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of the volunteer crew and station officials who remain on-call 24/7 for their time and dedication to continue to save lives at sea.’

l Manx Charity, the One World Centre, is to host a public talk by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute looking at its worldwide work on drowning prevention.

The talk, which is free to attend, will take place at Ballakermeen High School Studio Theatre, Douglas, at 7pm on Thursday, September 30.

Seats can be booked through Eventbrite at https://savinglivesworldwide.eventbrite.co.uk or by calling 800464.