By Juliet Astrup – Bournemouth Echo:
A 36ft sailing yacht which apparently vanished without trace has been found moored in Poole Harbour.
Poole’s RNLI team was called to assist coastguard rescue teams in the hunt for the vessel and its crew of five, which was last seen off Swanage around 5.15pm yesterday having departed Weymouth on Saturday. No further contact had been made.
The search was stood down shortly before noon today after Poole inshore lifeboat located the yacht in Poole Harbour off Brownsea Island, secured to a mooring near Northhaven Yacht Club.
Enquiries made by coastguard officers and the lifeboat crew have revealed that the occupants of the yacht are safe and ashore. Suitable advice is being passed to the skipper.
For more on this subject, see our opinion piece in “related Content” above right.
