Four rescued as yacht's engine fails

Bembridge RNLI launched its lifeboat to rescue a 36ft yacht with four people on board.

The rescue took place near the entrance of Bembridge Harbour on Saturday evening (10 October) after the yacht’s engine stopped working and the anchor started to drag.

The lifeboat was deployed due to a combination of the weather – a Force 5 Easterly – and some confusion as to the exact position of the yacht due to a French crew member being unfamiliar with the area.

At the scene, the temporary relief all weather lifeboat ‘The Frank and Anne Wilkinson’ successfully passed a towline and the yacht, Arcadia, was pulled clear of the shore to deeper water.

According to the RNLI crew, it was not possible to repair the engine and with insufficient water to enter Bembridge Harbour, Arcadia was towed to Portsmouth Harbour. Once the rescue was complete, the Frank and Anne Wilkinson returned to Bembridge.

Earlier in the day, the volunteer crew of Bembridge RNLI launched just after 04:00 to assist in the search for a man overboard from the P&O cruise liner Ventura. After 10 hours at sea and more than 170 nautical miles covered, Bembridge RNLI was stood down from the search. Nothing has been found.