A French lifeboat also helped in the rescue

St Helier's lifeboat was called out at about 1930 BST when a motorboat ran out of fuel three miles west of Grosnez.

There were six people on board the vessel, which was trying to travel from Guernsey to St Helier.

In a separate incident earlier in the day, a French lifeboat from Carteret lifeboat was launched to help a Guernsey boat lost in Jersey waters.

Safety equipment

The Carteret lifeboat sailed 16 miles from France to help the Guernsey vessel in trouble near the Paternoster Reef off Jersey's coast.

The French boat was sent despite the emergency call being answered by Jersey because the people on board gave their position as a mile off Carteret.

They had a Global Positioning System on board but did not know how to use it.

The lifeboat service is again warning boat owners to make sure they have the necessary safety equipment and enough fuel before making a trip.