Salcombe RNLI rescued two men from an emergency life-raft after the crabber they were on sank.

Salcombe’s Coxswain Chris Winzar heard a message over the radio on Friday at around 9am from a local crabber that they could see another vessel listing to one side, taking on water and sinking.

Chris called out for the volunteer crew and self-launched, meaning they made the decision to launch without waiting for a call from HM Coastguard.

The Salcombe all-weather lifeboat and the volunteer crew arrived on-scene six miles south east of Salcombe, where the two fisherman were in the emergency life-raft and were then taken aboard one of the two vessels that were luckily within eyesight of the crabber.

By the time Salcombe RNLI arrived on scene, the crabber had sunk and was gone, and the two fishermen and life raft were transferred to the all-weather lifeboat. Both fishermen were taken back to Salcombe Lifeboat Station and were given food and drink.

Salcombe Lifeboat Coxswain Chris Winzar said: “If the vessel that reported the boat sinking hadn’t seen them if could have been a different story and they could have been in the life-raft much longer. The crew were well prepared and had life jackets on as we took them onboard the lifeboat.”

The video below is courtesy of the RNLI