Four men rescued from grounded yacht

Image source, Google

Image caption, The yacht washed up on a reef near Rosaire Steps, Herm
At a glance
  • Four men were rescued, uninjured
  • The French charter yacht ran aground while they were sleeping
  • It was towed back to St Peter Port overnight

Four men have been rescued after a yacht broke free from its mooring while they were sleeping.

The 39ft (12m) sailing boat ran aground on a reef "causing the boat to lean over severely" off the west coast of Herm, Guernsey Coastguard said.

The British crew abandoned the French charter yacht for its dinghy and called 999 at about 12:40 BST on Tuesday.

They were rescued by lifeboat, "shaken" but "extremely fortunate" to be uninjured, Guernsey Coastguard added.

Both St Peter Port All Weather Lifeboat (ALB) and the Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) were sent to help near Rosaire Steps, at about 01:00 BST.

The yacht was refloated at about 04:15 BST and towed back to St Peter Port.

James Way, coastguard search and rescue mission coordinator, 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".