A FRENCH yachtsman was at the centre of a rescue mission today when his craft suffered damage off the Suffolk coast.

A FRENCH yachtsman was at the centre of a rescue mission today when his craft suffered damage off the Suffolk coast.

Yarmouth Coastguard picked up a distress signal from the yachtsman at about 12.40pm when his vessel was about 12miles off the coast of Lowestoft.

The coastguard team couldn't understand the yachtsman as he didn't speak any English so a crew aboard the Wattisham rescue helicopter was dispatched to the area to search for the vessel.

The helicopter had a French-speaking crew member and together they were able to locate the vessel and direct a lifeboat crew to the location.

The lifeboat offered to tow the man into Lowestoft but he opted to try to make it into the harbour himself. The helicopter crew was stood down but the lifeboat remained in the area to ensure the yacht made it to Lowestoft safely.