A lone yachtsman sparked an extensive air and sea rescue operation in the Thames estuary after inadvertently becoming separated from his yacht Serendipity after his tender broke adrift with him onboard, leaving his 18-foot yacht to continue on its way unoccupied.

The alert was raised after a passing motor-cruiser El Bravo II came across the unoccupied yacht still with its auxiliary engine running near to the Red Sands Towers, seven miles north of Whitstable.

Whitstable Lifeboat was launched to investigate and a search initiated to locate the occupant or occupants who it was feared may have gone overboard.

Whitstable Lifeboat was joined in the search by the Sheerness Lifeboat, four Police vessels, an RAF Sea King Helicopter Rescue 125 from Wattisham and a Coastguard spotter plane Echo November from Manston.

After nearly an hour of searching the yachtsman and his tender were found by Rescue 125  three miles from his yacht in the vicinity of the Maplin Sands, off the Essex coast.

The yachtsman was winched aboard the helicopter, and then transferred to the Whitstable Lifeboat who put him back aboard his yacht, which was then taken under tow by the Sheerness Lifeboat for Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey. He was cold but otherwise uninjured.

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Photo shows Rescue 125 preparing to winch the yachtsman onto Whitstable Lifeboat, with his yacht visible alongside. Click to enlarge