An unmanned sailing catamaran was at the centre of a rescue operation this morning off the Shanklin sealine, Isle of Wight.
The owner and his vessel had made passage from France to Shanklin, however in the shallows of the Shanklin shoreline the sailor was thrown from the vessel, sparking a rescue drama.
A large wave took hold of the unmanned sailing Catamaran and swept it out to sea.
The man, who was uninjured, raised the alarm shortly after 9am.
Solent Coastguard ordered the launch of the Independent lifeboat from Sandown and Shanklin, as it became a high risk to shipping in the area.
Sandown and Shanklin Independent lifeboat Operations Manager Mark Birch said: “We faced a bit of a challenge as the Catamaran was making with some speed. By the time we had caught up with it, it had sailed 3.5 miles off shore.
“Carefully manoeuvring the lifeboat into place, we put a crew member aboard who managed to drop the main sail. We then attached a tow line to the vessel and recovered it back to our boat house, to a very happy owner”.
