Mungo Jerry – whose band had a worldwide 70s’ hit with “In the Summertime” – has been rescued at sea by the RNLI.
Mungo – real name Ray Dorset – was in his powerboat off the coast of Bournemouth when he ran into difficulties.
The RNLI launched a rescue boat and towed him to safety from shallow waters.
Mungo later posted:
“Cruising around on the boat with the guys on a sunny afternoon, little did I know that in the early evening we would be rescued by the wonderful RNLI.
“Big thanks to them.
“I guess that in the future I should take care of how close I venture into shallow water.”
“Luckily we weren’t mistaken for asylum seekers, those poor unfortunate folks who risk their lives on the waves in the hope of improving their wellbeing in another land.”
The RNLI said in a statement:
“Yesterday evening at around 8pm, RNLI Poole lifeboat assisted a broken-down powerboat off the coast of Bournemouth.”
Mungo Jerry formed his band in Middlesex in 1970.
The same year “In the Summertime” became a number hit around the world.
It’s one of the best-selling singles of all time – more than 30 million copies.
Mungo said it only took him ten minutes to write and compose on his second-hand Fender Stratocaster.
At the time he was working as a lab technician for watch company Timex.
