Yacht rescued after breaking its mooring

Guernsey Harbours said a sailing yacht broke its mooring in the Victoria Marina on Thursday

A 26ft (7.9m) sailing yacht which broke its mooring while using a marina in Guernsey has been rescued by marina staff.

Guernsey Harbour said the owner of the vessel was "very shaken up", but grateful.

The vessel broke loose in the Victoria Marina and was "moments away from crashing into the quay wall" on Thursday at about 09:00 GMT.

Guernsey Harbour said staff, who had been patrolling the marinas, responded immediately.

'Minor damage'

"Within two minutes, as the vessel was approaching the quay wall in large swells, they had managed to get lines around the boat and bring it under control," the authority said.

"Marina attendants and Technical Services staff were then able to tow it to safety and secure the yacht with stronger ropes and additional fenders before the weather deteriorated further."

Duty harbourmaster Kieran Higgs said staff showed "all their skill and experience to bring the vessel under control before it hit the wall".

“The visiting yacht has now been firmly secured along the marina wall and will likely be lifted out of the water once the weather improves to assess its condition," said Mr Higgs.

"At this stage, it appears that the vessel has only sustained minor damage, but it could have been a lot worse.

“The vessel’s owner was understandably very shaken up, but also very appreciative of our staff’s collective efforts to get to his boat in time.”

'Collective efforts'

Mr Higgs said the weather conditions had proved even more disruptive as they were coupled with morning high tide on Thursday, but at this stage no major damage had been caused within the harbours.

He added: “As Guernsey harbours are an easterly facing port, strong winds from this direction are always the most unpleasant.”

Boat owners are reminded to ensure their vessel is properly secured, particularly ahead of severe weather conditions, by checking their mooring lines, hatches, covers and the correct functioning of bilge pumps.