Vessel towed 25 miles in difficult conditions
The lone yachtsman - who had sailed from Bangor in North Wales - made an urgent radio call for assistance after the vessel's sails were blown out with just enough fuel left to manoeuvre in harbour.
The all-weather lifeboat (Gough Ritchie II) left the station at 12:30pm on Thursday (17 October) and arrived at the scene little over an hour later.
Finding that the casualty was uninjured, but posing a hazard in a shipping lane, the vessel was towed back to Port St Mary.
Conditions are said to have been 'difficult' due to the South South Westerly wind (force four, gusting to seven) and progress back to the Isle of Man was very slow.
The casualty vessel was tied up alongside the breakwater in Port St Mary and assisted by the shore crew and local coastguards.
Amongst the lifeboat crew called out was Juan Maddrell, for whom it was his first shout since qualifying.
Juan says: "All the hours of training came together and the shout had been a textbook operation with all fellow crew members working as a team."
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