A father and his heavily pregnant daughter lost their home and almost all their possessions when their yacht, the Vinca II, ran aground on Kennack Sands near Fowey at 1600 on Sunday 28 June.

Vinca II, based in the Helford, was on a return passage from the Scillies when the accident occurred. ‘They went past the Lizard but they weren’t sure of their location,’ said Falmouth Coastguard watch manager Andy Cattrell. ‘They hugged the coast and got pushed ashore in the easterly winds.’

‘They got off the yacht sharpish and that’s when we heard about the incident,’ Cattrell added. ‘There was not much we could do. We spent the night guarding it and they came down today to recover what they could but the boat has broken in half now.’

A local farmer is storing the larger pieces of debris in advance of an insurance claim.