Dover Coastguard's senior watch manager, Peter Lake, said the men were lost with no navigation equipment.

The pair set out at 0500 BST and were reported missing at 1000 BST.

The men were contacted but lost again and after aircraft and three lifeboats were launched, they were eventually found on Hastings beach.

The coastguard said the two men, both from London, had set off not knowing "the first thing" about seafaring.

'Risky rescue'

"Unfortunately, you just can't get in a boat and drive it off like a car," Mr Lake said.

"There are lots of other elements to take into consideration - one of them is weather and most important of all is reduced visibility."

He added: "We had two incidents happening at the same time, which involved a lot of units.

"Our commitment of several rescue units in thick fog to these people in the inflatable was somewhat risky.

"We may well have needed these units elsewhere because of the reduced visibility and the further possibility of collision."