40-foot yacht runs aground on Hamilton Bank, Portsmouth

The Beneteau yacht had to be pulled off Hamilton Bank, just outside Portsmouth Harbour, after it issued a Mayday yesterday afternoon (9 April)

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Eight people on board a 40-foot Beneteau yacht had to be rescued yesterday afternoon (9 April) after the vessel ran aground at Hamilton Bank.

The skipper issued a Mayday at just after 4.15pm.

The Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS), based at Stokes Bay, Gosport, heard the call and launched its lifeboat.

It was on the scene in a matter of minutes.

GAFIRS coxswain Peter Brown said: “I placed a crewman on board the casualty vessel and rigged a bow tow. With that we managed to pull the vessel off the bank and to safety.”

There were no reported injuries and after the vessel was checked over for damage or any signs of water ingress it was able to safely go on its way.

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The distress call to Hamilton Bank was the second incident GAFIRS was asked to assist with on Sunday by UK Coastguard.

Earlier that day, GAFIRS lifeboat was asked to help find a vessel which was unwittingly broadcasting on VHF channel 16.

Using the lifeboat’s directional finding equipment, and a similar set back at the lifeboat station, the crew were able to pinpoint the culprit.

A crew member was placed on board the vessel, the radio set identified and the problem solved.

A spokesman for GAFIRS said: “Unintended broadcasts such as this on channel 16 – the emergency radio channel – often referred to as a ‘carrier’, can potentially stop incidents being heard by the Coastguard and need to be resolved as quickly as possible.”

The incidents were GAFIRS’ 20th and 21st of the year.