Cowes lifeboat launched at 10.38pm during last night’s thunderstorm after HM Coastguard received a MayDay call from a 40ft French racing yacht. The yacht was on the first leg of the 1,000 mile Normandy Channel Race. The yacht’s crew of two reported they had ‘bottomed out’. It was not entirely clear where exactly they were or what they might have hit bearing in mind it was high water. The Operations Manager agreed to the launch to assess what had actually happened. Just prior to launch the yacht reduced the immediacy of the call to a Pan Pan after the yacht crew found no water coming in. Shortly after the lifeboat had gone afloat they received a cancel launch The ops manager called the coastguard and it was agreed in view of the initial confusion over events it was best the lifeboat locate the yacht and escort it to the safety of Cowes harbour. The boat and shore crew ensured the safe berthing of the yacht on Trinity Landing. Where it remained overnight. Looking at the vessel’s track it seems they struck the western end of Cowes breakwater.