The Guernsey registered vessel "L'ismé" had been under sail on passage from Dieppe to Gosport and had, according to the skipper of the yacht "been going great guns" until, in the blustery conditions, on Monday (August 25) suffered extensive damage to her main rigging and could no longer continue under sail.

At this point the crew decided to try and complete their journey under power - only to find that, almost immediately, there was a mechanical problem with the engine.

At 1.30pm the skipper informed Solent coastguards that he could no longer continue on his planned passage to Gosport, and was going to attempt to make it to the safety of Shoreham Harbour.

At 4.30pm, with the yacht's engine failing and several of the crew members suffering from sea-sickness and dehydration, the decision was taken to launch the Shoreham lifeboat to recover the gale battered vessel before she got herself into serious difficulty.

The lifeboat quickly located the yacht, foundering in heavy seas and strong south westerly winds, two and a half miles off the harbour entrance and, having placed the lifeboat mechanic on board to assist, rigged up a tow-line to the casualty and began the return to Shoreham.

On Sunday (August 24) the inshore lifeboat was launched to investigate reports of a kite surfer believed to be in difficulty 500 metres south of Widewater Lagoon.

Arriving on scene the inshore crew discovered that the casualty was, in fact, a dismasted windsurfer with its owner, still in the water, clinging on to the board in blustery force six winds.

The 60-year-old had been in the water a considerable time and, due to the effects of cold and cramp, had been unable to climb back on his board.

The crew took him and his board back to the lifeboat station and slowly warmed him in a shower and dressed him in thermal RNLI clothing. His family then arrived to take him home.

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