Two men in an inflatable boat collided with a chain ferry after their engine failed
A man had a lucky escape on Friday evening after he was thrown into the water and dragged under a chain ferry in Dorset.
The incident happened after the inflatable dinghy he had been aboard suffered engine failure while in the path of the Sandbanks chain ferry.
He and another man were unable to start the engine in time and were thrown into the water after colliding with the vessel.
One of the men was dragged under the ferry before surfacing on the other side and being plucked from the water by crew.
While the second man was rescued by a passing yacht.
Portland coastguard watch manager Maddy Davey, said: “The two men were very unfortunate that their boat broke down where and when it did.
“In this kind of situation quick communications are key and so handheld VHF radio, mini flares or a mobile phone in a waterproof bag would have proved invaluable in contacting the coastguard and requesting immediate assistance.”
RNLI crews were called to the scene and assisted in removing the dinghy from the ferry’s chains after becoming trapped.
Both of the men were unharmed following the incident.
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