Ferry joins frantic search for yacht after distress signal

The boat, which set off from Fleetwood on Thursday afternoon, was aided by RNLI crews from the Isle of Man and Barrow – as well as Steam Packet ferry the Ben-my-Chree – after turning back during bad weather at around 6am on Friday.

Due to a combination of sea conditions, severe seasickness and exhaustion, the crew became disorientated and were unable to establish their position, officials said.

They broadcast a mayday distress call using their VHF radio, which the Belfast Coastguard picked up.

The sea conditions at the time were rough and the wind was westerly, force 5-6.

The vessel was found and towed back to Fleetwood, with RNLI coxwaint Mark Kenyon praising crew aboard the Ben-my-Chree for their effort during the search mission.

He said: “Fortunately, the Ben-my-Chree was able to provide an effective visual search platform without which the search may have been considerably longer.”