Herm rescue after yacht runs aground
SAILORS had to be rescued after their yacht broke free of its mooring while they slept and ran aground off Herm.
A 999 call was made at 12.40am yesterday.
The 12-metre yacht had been moored near Herm, but broke free of its mooring while the crew slept. It then ran aground near Rosaire Steps and was taking on water and listing severely.
The crew climbed into their dinghy and called for assistance.
The Spirit of Guernsey lifeboat and Elizabeth and Margaret Milligan inshore lifeboat were paged, launching at 1.10am.
Once on scene, the inshore lifeboat was able to recover the crew from the dinghy and transfer them to the lifeboat.
While the crew were shaken, none were injured.
With the tide falling, the yacht was unable to be re-floated immediately.
The yacht began to float at around 4.15am, with the inshore lifeboat pulling it safely off the rocks shortly after.
Lifeboat crew assessed the vessel for damage and once it was clear that the boat was not taking on any water, the lifeboat connected a tow astern and recovered the vessel and crew safely back to St Peter Port, arriving shortly after 5.15am.
Guernsey Coastguard search-and-rescue mission co-ordinator James Way said: ‘The crew of the sailing yacht were extremely fortunate that no injuries were sustained, and no significant damage was caused to their vessel. The crew of both lifeboats did an exceptional job in bringing both the vessel and her crew to safety.’
