A desperate search operation is on after a yacht was discovered run aground on the North East coast with its two crew members missing.
Lifeboats and helicopters were deployed to the North Yorkshire West Pier this morning, when the boat, called Don’t Panic, was discovered abandoned.
The coastguard had earlier appealed for help finding the crew, but later said it appeared the two members had scrambled to safety, leaving the boat but failing to notify the emergency services.
The blue and white yacht left Scarborough on Monday evening at around 5:30pm, and its departure was captured on CCTV.
“The police were also involved in the search.”
- Coastguard spokesman
But coastguard rescue teams said they heard reports less than 12 hours later that the fishing vessel had been found run aground.
Two lifeboats were launched just before 6am this morning, the Press Association reported.
A spokesman confirmed: “The inshore lifeboat (ILB) and coastguards searched several miles of shoreline for the yacht crew, assisted by the coastguards’ Sikorsky search-and-rescue helicopter. The police were also involved in the search.”
In June last year, Don’t Panic was rescued off Scarborough when its engine failed.
A lifeboat was called out and found the small boat a mile and a half east of the harbour after the skipper phoned 999.
The RNLI said at the time the vessel was found with no lights, no VHF radio, no GPS, and no flares, prompting a warning to other sailors.