Rescuers tow 40ft sailing yacht to safety after engine failure

A lifeboat crew from Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (Gafirs) took a vessel to the Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport after it faced difficulties in Stokes Bay.

The rescue was made just after 8am yesterday, when the Gafirs team was alerted to the incident by the coastguard.

The yacht, which rescuers found at anchor, had two people on board and was also battling problems with its sails.

After receiving a call, Gafirs was at the scene within minutes – including senior helm Brian Pack, who was celebrating his birthday at the time.

He said: ‘We placed two crew members on board the casualty vessel who helped rig a tow line.

‘We then took the casualty vessel to a berth at Royal Clarence Marina, where it was placed safely alongside.’

Hill Head Coastguard Rescue Team met Gafirs Lifeboat at the marina and helped bring the vessel alongside in the berth and issued safety advice to the sailors.

The incident was Gafirs’ 24th of the year and sixth in just over a week in the Solent.