A sailing school yacht was towed to safety last night after suffering engine failure in a shipping lane.

The 37ft Brisbane Star was on passage from the Solent to Cherbourg with six crew on board when she broke down mid Channel. In poor visibility and with no wind, the instructor made the decision to broadcast a Pan Pan, as they were in danger of a collision.

Portland Coastguard requested the launch of the RNLI Alderney lifeboat and issued a broadcast to all shipping in the area. Baltic Training Vessel Queen Galadriel diverted to assist and arrived on scene with the lifeboat at 11pm. The lifeboat towed the yacht into Alderney and The Queen Galadriel continued on passage to Weymouth.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) praised the actions of the skipper. ‘Engine failure may not always be grounds for initiating a rescue of a sail boat,’ it said, ‘but with the combination of no wind, poor visibility and drifting in a particularly hazardous area such as the traffic separation scheme, the crew were rightly justified to be concerned and raise the alarm.’