The moment, captured from another yacht, when the tow was passed from Captain Rob Barton’s yacht, Syrah, to a Jersey Coastguard vessel after he and his crew had prevented it from being washed onto rocks.

GUERNSEY’S former harbour master, Captain Rob Barton, potentially saved the lives of five men minutes before their boat was dashed against rocks below a Jersey lighthouse.

Captain Barton was praised by Jersey Coastguard for risking his 45ft sailing yacht as he manoeuvred close to the 16ft Rib in force five winds.

The men in the Rib, who were from Guernsey, had been on a trip to Sark and Herm and were on their way to St Helier when they ran out of fuel.

They had only two life jackets between them and no anchor or flares. Their distress call, which was made just after 4pm on Sunday, was picked up by Captain Barton’s yacht.

When he located their position, he realised they did not have time to wait for the Jersey Coastguard.

‘They were in a difficult situation,’ he said. ‘They had run out of fuel and were drifting towards the rocks at Corbiere.

‘The coastguard were about 10 minutes away and I knew they didn’t have time to wait,’ he said.

‘I got a line in and towed them to safe water. The vessel would have been lost if we hadn’t got to them.’

Captain Barton had been on his way to Jersey on a day skipper course with two novice crew members, Ben Larkin and Peter Groucutt.

He said they responded very well to the emergency.