THE "selfless and brave" actions of a small motorboat crew who rescued two people from a burning vessel have been praised by a ferry captain and the Poole Harbour Master.

The crew of the small boat, understood to be called Notty, took swift action after arriving at the scene off Old Harry Rocks on Saturday evening, where a fire had taken hold of a 30-foot sloop, sending plumes of smoke skyward that could be seen for miles around.

A number of vessels had come to its aid, including the Condor Liberation. Captaining the ferry was Steve Ainscow, who has written to the Harbour Master to praise the "quick thinking" crew who rescued those on board the burning boat.

He wrote: "Whilst the rescue boat onboard Liberation was being prepared for launch, the situation quickly changed as the fire took hold of the vessel.

"Despite the presence of numerous small craft on station no attempt was made to remove two crew members from the burning vessel. At this point a small motor vessel (believed to be named Notty) arrived on scene and immediately came along side the burning vessel and took the two crew members off.

"His quick thinking and excellent seamanship undoubtedly saved the two crew from having to enter the water to escape what very quickly became an untenable position onboard the burning vessel."

He called for the Captain and crew of the “Notty” to be commended "for their selfless act, quick thinking, good seamanship and no small amount of bravery on this occasion," adding: "No one really knows how they will respond when faced with a real emergency situation but the team of “Notty” should be very proud of the way they responded yesterday and I hope will receive some recognition for their actions."

Poole Harbour Master Captain Brian Murphy, told the Echo; "I am aware of the valiant efforts of the rescuing crew and I will be sending a commendation letter if I receive their details."

He added: "All vessel masters have an obligation to render assistance in accordance with international conventions. However, when faced with reality, especially dealing with a vessel on fire and likely without any previous experience or training, the bravery and timely manner by which the lives were saved, should not be underestimated.

"I am entirely satisfied that this accident was dealt with in a professional and timely manner by Poole Harbour Commissioners, HM Coastguard, RNLI, Condor Ferries and of course the crew of the vessel Notty."

The fire was subsequently extinguished by Poole RNLI crew, who then towed the vessel back to Poole Yacht Club.