A SEA search ended happily early today after coastguards received an emergency call from a man saying he was lost somewhere off the Margate coast in a small boat.

When the drama began late last night, the man's only means of communication was a mobile phone and some flares. And the only reference point he gave to coastguards and the town’s lifeboat was that he could see a lighthouse flashing.

After asking him to fire some flares, and taking bearings, the lifeboat eventually found him after some two hours, just north of the Margate Sands.

He and his companion were towed into Margate harbour at 1am today.