A Belgian yacht with four men on board had to be towed into Cowes this morning by the local RNLI lifeboat after alerting Solent Coastguards it had broken its rudder.

A Belgian yacht with four men on board had to be towed into Cowes

The 30 foot sloop Baflos was on passage from the French port of Dunkirk to Cowes when the problem occurred near Peel Bank, three miles east of East Cowes. Cowes lifeboat, with James Findley at the helm, was launched at 9.12 am and was soon on the scene.

The Baflos was towed to Shepards Wharf Marina, arriving at 11.15 am. It is expected the boat, whose home port in Belgium is Niewport, will be in Cowes for several days for repairs.