TWO broken down yachts and an unconscious crewman in turbulent seas needed the help of Portland Coastguards yesterday.

A man on board a yacht with his dog requested coastguard assistance after he reported difficulties with his yacht in turbulent seas.

The incident happened at 8.19am yesterday morning, when the man phoned his partner to ask her to phone the coastguard because he couldn’t keep control of the 30 foot yacht, called Dogboat, off Portland race.

A call was made to the yacht by coastguards and the man confirmed he managed to clear the rough seas and was making his way to Weymouth unaided.

Portland National Coastwatch kept the yacht under observation until he was sighted going in to Weymouth Harbour and he then confirmed he and his dog Elvis were safe and uninjured.

Just before midday, Portland Coastguard was contacted by the yacht Neda 3 after it broke down 12 miles south of St Albans Head.

The yacht, which had two people on board, suffered engine failure and yacht challengers stood by the broken down vessel, until Swanage Lifeboat arrived on scene.

It was then towed back to Swanage.

At 1pm, Portland Coastguard tasked Beer Coastguard Rescue Officers to a report of an unconscious crewman brought ashore from a yacht.

The man was on board the yacht, called Expeditionist, and once located by the coastguards was transported to a nearby ambulance where he began to regain consciousness, after suffering from a bout of sea sickness.

At 2.11pm, a member of the public reported what they believed to be ordnance on the seaward side of Chesil Beach near Wyke Regis.

Wyke Regis Coastguard Rescue Officers were tasked when on scene confirmed that it was a rusty grenade with the pun still attached.

Photographs of the grenade were taken and sent to the duty Military Explosive and Ordnance Disposal team, who confirmed it was a live grenade, and a cordon of 150 metres was set until they arrives.

Coastguards on scene requested fishermen to move and awaited the bomb disposal team and police, and a short time after a controlled explosion was carried out on the grenade.

Weymouth RNLI Lifeboat was tasked to the assistance of a Dutch yacht that had broken down in the race south of Portland Bill.

The yacht, called Kwartet, had three people on board and was in turbulent seas when it broke down.

The incident happened at 4.20pm yesterday, and the coastguard helicopter and the National Coastwatch Portland Bill was also tasked to keep the yacht under observation due to the rough seas.

After it eventually made calmer waters, it was escorted into Weymouth by the lifeboat. None of the crew on board were injured.

Just after 8pm, Portland Coastguard received a 999 call from a father reporting that he and his 15-year-old son had become lost in the undergrowth on the cliff top between Durlston Castle and Swanage.

Swanage RNLI and Coastguards were tasked to the incident and the lifeboat located the two men in Durlston Bay, before directing the coastguards to where they were.

The two were then guided back to safety.