Clipper and Air Search aid rescue of dismasted French yacht

A FRENCH yacht was left drifting five miles north-east of Sark on Saturday after strong winds broke the vessel's mast.

Channel Island Air Search's plane Lion's Pride, the St Peter Port Lifeboat, the Commodore Clipper and Condor Express were all involved in saving the boat in the choppy seas.

Guernsey Coastguard received a call from the two-person crew of the Tiekoroba at about 3.30pm.

The lifeboat crew was scrambled while Lion's Pride was already training in the area. Quickly on the scene, it dropped two smoke flares to help others locate the vessel.

'In the meantime an all ships call from Guernsey Coastguard had resulted in a response from the Commodore Clipper en-route to Guernsey from Portsmouth and from the Condor Express en route from Guernsey to Jersey,' deputy harbour master Tony Pattimore said.