The St Catherine's inshore vessel was called out to help a 16 foot (4.9 metre) long inflatable boat caught in strong winds.

Four men were onboard the vessel the Helena on a trip around the island when they began to hit 12 foot (3.66 metre) high waves.

The lifeboat came to its aid, but after escorting the smaller vessel into Bonne Nuit Harbour, the engine failed.

Engine repaired

Three of the people in the Helena were thrown out of the boat. They got back into it before putting out a mayday call for help.

There were no reports of any injuries. The men admit they were very lucky because of the dry suits and protective clothing they were all wearing.

After the lifeboat's engine failed, the crew decided it would not be safe to try and sail back to the station. The boat returned to Bonne Nuit to be transported back by road.

Mechanics worked on the engine on Friday morning and the boat is now back in service.

Assistant harbour master Paul Mimack said the crew decided to bring the boat back by road rather than take a risk in the bad weather.

He said: "It was just a safety precaution.

"They did still have one engine and, if they were at sea, they would have been able to continue back.

"But in the interests of safety, and because it was dark, one of the RNLI rules is that smaller boats don't go out if they're in those sort of conditions."

Boat owners are now being warned to check the weather forecast before taking vessels out to sea.