Humber Coastguard are warning mariners to be more prepared for all weather conditions after two incidents were directly attributed to dense fog in the area on Sunday evening (28 June).

In the first incident, a 33yr old man from the Tyneside area had to call Coastguards after becoming lost in the fog on his jet ski, near St. Marys Island.

He had managed to get ashore on the island and seek help from a local family, using their telephone to call 999 Coastguard.

His main concern was for his wife and family who were waiting for him on shore and could not be contacted. At the same time his wife was calling 999 to report him missing.

Cullercoats RNLI Inshore lifeboat was launched and escorted the man back to shore, reuniting him with his family at the lifeboathouse.

And in a separate incident, two hours later, a 999 call was received from a small fishing boat, lost in fog off Holy Island.

The two persons aboard had spent some time fishing and the fog had descended rapidly leaving them disorientated and unsure of their whereabouts.

The boat was not carrying a VHF radio, flares or a torch, which would have helped determine their position.

Seahouses RNLI all weather lifeboat launched and after some time managed to locate the casualty by using their foghorn, searchlights, flares and speaking directly to the casualty through a connect call created by the Coastguard Maritime Co-ordination centre at Humber.

Mike Green, Watch Manager at Humber Coastguard said: ‘These incidents could have been avoided if the owners/operators of the vessels concerned had heeded weather forecasts, or at least been prepared. If you are going to sea, there is always the risk of rapidly descending fog, and a good compass, flashlight and VHF radio are basic necessities.’