Lifeboats save an average of three people every day as the number of amateur sailors getting into trouble at sea continues to rise .

Figures released by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution show there are 15 lifeboat launches each day, and that one in five people do not check the weather forecast before setting sail.

More than half of the launches - staffed by volunteers - are to help people in pleasure crafts including dinghies and sailboards.

'Take fundamental precautions'

A further 22% of missions were to help people cut off by the tide or in trouble in the sea.

The Institution estimates that a total of 1,248 lives were saved throughout the year. August was the busiest month because of the number of people on summer holidays.

A spokeswoman for the institution said: "It is rather disheartening to find so many people who do not check tide tables, weather forecasts and charts. We would urge people to check the basics and take fundamental precautions before they head out."

Sailing enthusiast Geoffrey Stubberfield: 'The sea can be difficult'

Sailing enthusiast Geoffrey Stubberfield backed up the advice from the Institute. "Many sailors do not take enough precautions. They don't study the weather forecasts for example and they go out ill-equipped," he said.

"They are the novices, the beginners, who haven't seen enough sailing to appreciate that in fact the sea is a difficult thing to master."
 

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