EMERGENCY crews from a Hampshire lifeboat station were called to rescue the same yacht three times in a week after it repeatedly came into trouble in the waters of the Solent.

The crew of the yacht Humbug were forced to call out Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service as they struggled against a spell of wild weather on the water as they made there way to Southampton.

Rescuer Coxswain Chris Rudd said they had been caught up in a squall on Saturday, which had broken the 21ft wooden vessel's mast.

"They had come out of Haslar marina where we took them to safety before and had to call us out after becoming dismasted," he said.

"There was some nice sunshine on Saturday but there was some serious weather conditions with strong winds and they were up against a few squalls," he said.

Chris said he and the crew of rescue boat Gosport 1 found the yacht quickly and towed them back to port in Haslar where they had twice already returned the vessel.

"They have been very unlucky with weather. A week ago they couldn't fight against the tide and were already being towed by another yacht when we were called. The second time was the next day on Sunday - April 6 - when they got hit by a snowstorm.

"Again when they set off it was fine but then they got hit by a blizzard. The visibility was very poor and their engines had failed."