A woman was airlifted to hospital with a serious injury after being struck by a yacht’s boom in gale force winds.

Yarmouth Lifeboat volunteers were alerted on Saturday morning by a Mayday call from the yacht ‘Blue Boat’, which required assistance while sailig in the Solent.

It was reported that a female crew member had suffered a serious injury after being hit by the boom.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat located the yacht, with two people on board, near Salt Mead, west of Cowes.

A RNLI crew member went aboard to perform first aid on the casualty pending the arrival of
the coastguard helicopter.

The helicopter transferred a paramedic
to the yacht and the injured woman was airlifted to hospital.

‘Blue Boat’ was then escorted to Cowes by the lifeboat where the other
crew member was treated for shock by a waiting ambulance team.

(Picture: A RNLI crew member assists the coastguard helicopter to locate the casualty. Credit: RNLI/Richard Heming)