Sir Richard Branson came to the aid of Ben Ainslie and tv presenter wife Georgie Thompson after they ran into sailing trouble on their honeymoon

But Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie was left red-faced when his yacht encountered trouble in the British Virgin Island and he was rescued by none other than Sir Richard Branson.

Four-time Olympic gold medal winner Ainslie was forced to put out a message asking for help after the boat experienced mechanical problems, meaning the main sail would not move.

Evasive action was taken to avoid the vessel running aground on the reef and Lymington resident and Ainslie was happy to crack a smile after his maritime mishap.

He and his Sky Sports presenter wife Georgie Thompson discovered that there are worse places to land than on a billionaire's island.

In a message on his website, Sir Richard said: “Together the team helped to stop the boat from wrecking on the Moskito reef.

“With no harm done, Ben was able to see the funny side - after all, stranger things have happened at sea.

“We are now hosting him and Georgie on the island for a few days.”

After the alarm was raised a water sports team raced to the top of the sail and cut it to pieces so the boat did not run aground.

And as well as bringing a smile to their faces the experience brought back old memories between the sailing-mad pair.

Sir Richard wrote: “It reminded me of another time I was in a boat with Ben when we tried to break the transatlantic sailing record, with Holly and Sam alongside us.

“Huge waves and once again a ripped sail meant we had to abandon that attempt, but it was great getting to see such a superb sailor up close in such a pressurised situation.

“Many congratulations to Ben and Georgie on their marriage and we wish you both a lifetime of happiness, on land and sea.”