A WAYWARD cruiser became lost in thick fog last night, Monday, drifting perilously close to Saltburn pier, without proper navigation equipment on board.

RNLI lifeboats from Redcar and Staithes launched just after 10pm to search for the 14 metre long cruiser, which had engine problems and had drifted on to breaking surf close to the pier.

The two men on board the cruiser called the UK Coastguard for help to say they had engine problems and were drifting in thick fog.

Without any proper navigation equipment they were only able to report that they could see a 'small village with a pier' through the fog, from which the UK Coastguard deduced that the boat was either close to Saltburn or Skinningrove.

At 10.15pm the Redcar lifeboat found the craft in breaking surf near Saltburn pier.

Dave Cocks, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar RNLI said: "The cruiser had sufficient engine power to get out of the surf, guided by the lifeboat. Once it was clear we put a crew member on board.

"The craft was around 14 metres long and it was struggling to make headway because of the engine problems, so our crew decided to rig a tow to get to Hartlepool.

"The RNLI all-weather and inshore lifeboats were launched from Hartlepool to take over the tow and at 12.45am the cruiser was met by UK Coastguard teams in Hartlepool marina.

"Unfortunately the crew of the leisure cruiser were not adequately equipped or experience for the conditions they found themselves in. The only had a mobile telephone to raise the alarm with, which meant our lifeboat crews were unable to use radio direction-finding equipment to locate them.

"It seems their navigation skills were only basic which meant that, in the poor visibility we had last night, they ended up in a perilous position in the surf at Saltburn, very close to the pier.

"I would encourage anyone who plans to go to sea on a boat to seek advice on what equipment and training they should have to enjoy their time at sea while staying safe. There’s a lot of excellent information on the RNLI website at rnli.org."