Exmouth RNLI are urging boat owners to make sure they have the right equipment for helping rescuers locate them in an emergency.
It follows a call-out on Monday when a speedboat broke down in Lyme Bay - and those on board only had mobile phones.
Without a specific search location, the RNLI launched two boats to search for their vessel - which was found and towed to safety.
But the rescue took longer than it would have if they'd been equipped with VHF radio, a GPS device, and flares.
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