Calls to boats with engine failure have been the story of the year so far.

The RNLI Dart lifeboat crew have been busier than ever this year with rescuing 24 adults and 2 children.

This weekend a motor cruiser with five on board was towed back to Dartmouth from near Stoke Gabriel when they caught a rope around their propeller.

The weekend before, the volunteers were tasked to three incidents in a row, without having the time to return to the lifeboat station in between. All three were due to engine failures for one reason or another.?

On Tuesday, May 15, the pagers sounded and resulted in a six minute launch as the boat was being prepared for the bi-weekly training exercise and the crew were already in their dry suits.

The call was to a 25ft, 3.25 tonne angling vessel which was found drifting east one mile beyond the Mewstone, outside the entrance to Dartmouth harbour. Again the cause of the callout was engine failure.?

The 50 hp engine on the D class lifeboat was able to tow this heavy boat, but if the sea conditions had been different it would have been a tick in the box for the B class lifeboat coming to Dartmouth for a trial later in the year.