Eight rescued from yacht off West Cornwall coast
Penlee Lifeboat says it was 'a very difficult shout'
Last updated 1st Nov 2022
Eight people have been rescued off the West Cornwall Coast after their yacht got into difficulty.
Coastguards say the group was on board a 12 meter French yacht which started taking on water in Mounts Bay on Monday night (31st October)
The volunteer crew of the all-weather Ivan Ellen were called out at 8.25pm by the Coastguard Operation Centre at Falmouth.
They set out in force 10 winds, heavy rain and poor visibility, where the yacht was found drifting towards the shore - two attempts were made to tow it away from the rocks.
The yacht's skipper said they were up to their shins in water, and two crew members were very unwell, so a rescue helicopter was diverted to winch the eight people to safety.
The yacht was brought back to Newlyn Harbour by 1.30am.
On their Facebook page, Penlee Lifeboat said, "This was a difficult shout for our volunteer crew who dealt with some very challenging conditions both on deck, and onboard the lifeboat."