Swansea Coastguard was alerted at 2:20 p.m. on 21 February 2001 by the friend of a father and son lost in dense fog on their 16ft boat 'Sea Spray'. The pair had called ashore when their radio aerial broke and their compass fell apart leaving them hoping they were sailing back to Mumbles but not completely sure of their own location or which direction they were sailing in.

The father and son, from Ebbw Vale in Newport left Swigg Buoy in Swansea Bay one and half hours previously and thought they were heading north east back to the Bay but were in actual fact heading in the opposite direction towards Port Talbot.

Swansea Coastguard requested the launch of the RNLI all weather lifeboat from Mumbles, tasked Coastguard Rescue Teams from Port Talbot and Mumbles. The Port Talbot team carried out at visual search of the shoreline. The lifeboat was assisted in the sea search by the Sea Fisheries Protection vessel that was in the area at the time the crew of which soon located father and son, escorting them back to Port Talbot deep-water harbour.

The boat then suffered engine failure but was towed by the lifeboat back to Knab Rock where the two were helped ashore by the Mumbles Coastguard Rescue Team. Neither man needed medical assistance.

Swansea Coastguard Watch Assistant, David Jones commented, "Both father and son expressed their relief to me when they realised help was on it's way, they had both become worried about the situation they were in and did the right thing in alerting someone ashore who knew to contact the Coastguard straight away."