A normal Monday evening club race ended abruptly for the occupants of one yacht last night, 8 August, when their small vessel capsized and rapidly sank in Poole Harbour.

Just after 7pm, Parkstone Yacht Club alerted Portland Coastguard. Poole RNLI responded by launching both inshore and all-weather lifeboats, but by the time they arrived on scene just 10 minutes after being paged the boat – logged by them as being a J22 with three people aboard – had completely sunk.

Hearing that the club safety RIB had retrieved the yacht’s occupants and taken them back to Parkstone Marina, the RNLI despatched the inshore lifeboat to check that the rescuees were safe and well.

The light evening ensured that there were plenty of witnesses to the incident, which took place in sight of shore, just east of buoy 28, right on the edge of the middle ship channel between Poole Quay Boat Haven and Brownsea Island.

Crew of the all-weather lifeboat placed three buoys to mark the position of the yacht until it could be retrieved.

Poole Harbour Master Brian Murphy confirmed to PBO that specialists Jenkins Marine had been asked to use their crane-bearing legged vessel to perform the lift-out within 24 hours, because of the risk to shipping, and that the diver-assisted operation was taking place between 4-5pm Tuesday.

Photo: RNLI Poole lifeboat station