Ocean rescue chiefs last night called on people to take proper safety precautions before setting to sea.

The demand follows a huge search and rescue operation launched yesterday after a craft, with three people on board, reported it was taking on water.

But according to a Harbour Radio spokesman the people on board did not know their position, reported the wrong boat name and only used a cellular phone to call a friend.

The spokesman said that at 1.10 p.m. it received a call from a vessel saying it was taking on water and needed help. Shortly afterwards, water knocked out the boat's electrics.

Two Police boats and a fisheries vessel were launched, a private helicopter chartered for $1,000 an hour, private boats were alerted and off-duty Police crews were called in.

In addition, Police crews on duty at the powerboat racing in Ferry Reach and dinghy racing in Hamilton Harbour were called in to support the search -- leaving the two events with no emergency cover.

The only location report was southwest of the Island, but using their position finding equipment Harbour Radio was able to locate the boat at Western Blue Cut, about five miles northwest of Dockyard.

But because the name of the boat was wrong and no colour was given, each boat on the water had to be checked.

About two-and-a-half hours later the fisheries boat found the vessel and towed it back to land. No-one was injured.

"We found that they had position equipment on board and a cellular telephone which they used to call a friend on another private boat to come and give them help,'' added the Harbour Radio spokesman.

"He would have lost his position finding equipment and radio when he lost his electrics, but with the cellular phone he could have called and we could have found out what was going on.

"In this case a lot of time and resources were given up to launch a major search which could have been avoided.'' He said people going out on boats should leave a float plan -- saying where they are going, where they set out from and how long they are expected to be -- with a person staying onshore.

It would even be possible to call Harbour Radio alerting them to their whereabouts and leaving a time they were due to come back to land.

The spokesman added: "This is not the first time something like this has happened. We have constant problems.

"Responsible people would file a float plan or would leave details with someone onshore. This was a huge waste of manpower and taxpayer's money.'' He paid tribute to the large number of private boats that helped in the search yesterday.

"There is an element of the boating public that is not responsible, however there is an element that is very responsible and we were very pleased with the public's response to the search. We appreciated their help.''