A sailor left stranded at sea after his yacht ran aground off the coast of Essex was towed to safety by an RNLI worker carrying out his first ever rescue.

A crew was called out on Wednesday, April 17 at 5pm to reports of a yacht in trouble two miles south of St Osyth beach.

Probationary helmsman Brogan Bates led the team of four volunteers in rescuing the stranded sailor, towing him to safety near Colne Bar during high tide.

There were no reported injuries for the unlucky sailor, who returned to Brightlingsea Harbour.

Mr Bates, who was being watched by helmsman Joff Strutt, said: “I was nervous initially when I was told I was taking charge of the service as this was my first as helmsman, but Joff told me to just treat it as a training exercise.

“Those words and the hours of training, faith in my fellow crew members abilities, and the equipment we use settled those initial nerves.

“Faith in our equipment, especially the personal protective equipment we wear is very important in allowing us as volunteers to safely head to sea to help others.

“This is why campaigns such as the upcoming Mayday campaign is so important to fund our kit, which cost £1800 per crew member.”

More information on the Mayday campaign, which runs throughout of May, can be found on the RNLI website.