LIFEBOAT crews rescued four stricken vessels within hours of each other on the Solent.

An 18ft cabin cruiser suffered battery failure off the coast of Stokes Bay, Gosport at 11.10am yesterday with three people onboard.

Crews from the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) launched from their nearby station and towed the vessel to the lifeboat house slipway at Lifeboat Lane where the casualty vessel’s crew were safely assisted back to sure.

An hour later GAFIRS helped a 36ft cruiser with four people on board which had suffered double engine failure after fuel problems and was drifting off Haslar sea wall.

The casualty vessel – which had been unable to make an urgent Pan Pan broadcast and had instead dialed 999 – was towed her back to Gosport Marina.

Meanwhile a 39ft yacht lost steering at the entrance of Portsmouth Harbour and raised a distress call at 2.45pm.

GAFIRS boarded the vessel to assist the skipper helm the yacht to her berth in Haslar Marina and cleared a safe passage for the casualty vessel.

Less than an hour later GAFIRS to assisted a 32ft yacht that had run aground on Ryde Sands.

The yacht was hard over on its side but the crew were safe and waiting for the rising tide.

GAFIRS crew walked onto the sands and laid a long anchor preventing the vessel from blowing further onto the sands as the tide rose.

Coxswain Peter Brown said: “Overall it was a beautiful day on the water, but unfortunately the fresh off shore winds caught some people out - it was certainly a busy one for us.”