A yacht with seven people on board, including children, required urgent assistance from Cowes RNLI lifeboat this afternoon (Friday, August 18).

The anchor of the vessel fouled on the seabed off Wootton, and a man in his 70s suffered a 'worrying health condition', said an RNLI spokesperson.

After the lifeboat put a crew member on the yacht, the unwell man was taken to Trinity Landing in Cowes.

The man was then taken by ambulance crews to St Mary's Hospital.

Isle of Wight County Press: Cowes RNLI towing the yachtCowes RNLI towing the yacht (Image: Cowes RNLI)

Cowes lifeboat returned to the yacht, then at Fishbourne, to drop a mother and the children off at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

The yacht was escorted to Shepards Marina in Cowes by the RNLI crew.

The lifeboat, which had launched at 3.20pm, finally returned to the station some three
hours later.