Two handed rescue

Martyn Hindley and Jonathan Enderby divert during the Royal Southampton YC's double handed race to Weymouth

The two-man crew of a yacht competing in a 50-mile race from the Solent to Weymouth at the weekend broke off racing to go to the aid of a woman and three divers in Weymouth Bay. Meanwhile the Coastguard helicopter from Portland and Weymouth lifeboat were launched.

Yachtsmen Martyn Hindley and Jonathan Enderby were on board the yacht Tosara Blue less than five miles from the finish line of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s McGuigan Wine double-handed race to Weymouth when they spotted a yellow RIB with a lone lady aboard waving a flag.

Yacht owner Martyn said: "We presumed she was warning us of divers near her position. We tacked away but she became more frantic - we then heard a cry for help and tacked back. The lady was in real distress.

"At this point we stopped racing, started the engine and called Portland Coastguard reporting in a rib floating without power. As we approached, she reported her husband had gone over the side. After a couple more minutes, she increased this to her husband and two friends had gone diving 60 minutes before and she could not find them and could not start the engine of the RIB.

"Wearing no lifejacket, she had lost her glasses over the side and could not see to work the radio to call assistance. She was inconsolable.

"By this time the coastguard helicopter Whisky Bravo had been launched together with the lifeboat from Weymouth.

"Luckily, the helicopter immediately located the surfaced divers approximately half-a-mile from the position of the RIB. Although the divers had got an inflatable marker, we could not see them even when we knew their position from the helicopter - and there was only a small chop. All indicated that they were okay. Whisky Bravo hovered over their position while we took the rib in tow and transferred the lady to our yacht. The lifeboat was stood down as we agreed to tow the rib back in.

"We recovered the three divers providing tea and Kit Kats before towing them and their RIB back to Weymouth arriving around 21.00 to a very generous thank you from the Coastguard and a request to visit their HQ on the harbour front in Weymouth."

In the race, they still crossed the finish line to be able to secure third place, after race organisers gave a time allowance for their part in the rescue.