A yacht caught out in Force 10 winds has been rescued by the RNLI.

Falmouth Coastguard have been co-ordinating the tow of a 31 foot yacht ‘Gellie’ throughout the night, this was as a result of the adverse weather conditions they were experiencing with a north to north east severe force gale 9 to storm 10.

The yacht had a crew of 2 and was 30 miles south of the Lizard, Cornwall; when the skipper contacted Falmouth Coastguard yesterday evening at 8.00 p.m. on VHF and asked what options he had available, as the yacht was making no headway and was being driven south by the weather.

Mick Quinn, Falmouth Coastguard Watch Manager, says: “The crew on the yacht were on passage from the Channel Islands to the Isles of Scilly and were becoming fatigued after a long day sailing in such adverse weather conditions.

The RNLI lifeboat was requested to launch from The Lizard. A tow has been underway throughout the night, due to the extreme conditions progress has been slow and we expect their arrival in Falmouth at approximately 11.00 a.m. this morning.”