A 22 foot yacht with one man aboard, on his way to view the sailing Olympics at Weymouth, was towed to safety by Cowes RNLI lifeboat after the tiller broke in lively seas in mid-Solent on Monday, 30 July.

The boat, Breakaway, was being sailed by Adam Pearson from Emsworth, Chichester Harbour. It was first taken in tow by a passing yacht, Seaduction, near Salt Mead Buoy, off Newtown. But, finding the task rather challenging in the wind against tide conditions, Seaduction radioed Solent Coastguards for assistance.

The lifeboat, which was launched around 1340, took over the tow and took Breakaway into Cowes Yacht Haven. To give more stability to Breakaway during the tow in the rough conditions the lifeboat deployed an emergency drogue astern of the yacht until Cowes Harbour was reached.

Helmed by Scott Armiger, the lifeboat had been off-station for about an hour.