Yachtsman of the Year Dee Caffari and Velux 5 Oceans competitor Alex Thompson are giving away signed T-shirts to highlight their support of the RNLI.

Both attended the London Boat Show and signed up to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute to help stress the importance of the charity’s work.

“The longer you’re out there, the greater the risk,” says Dee. “You can only expose yourself to the dangers of the sea for so long before you need help. It’s a great service provided by these guys and it’s important to support them.”

Thompson spoke of his respect for the RNLI, especially following what he described as his “very harrowing experience” during the latest Velux 5 Oceans race where the keel broke on his Open 60 Hugo Boss and he had to be rescued by fellow competitor Mike Golding.

Although the incident happened some way out of the RNLI’s range – Alex was in the middle of the Southern Ocean at the time of the incident – he is fully aware of the work that they do and said, “The more people that join this great organisation the better.”

For your chance to win the RNLI T-shirts signed by Dee and Alex, visit the RNLI’s sea safety section on ybw.com.