A YACHT with seven people aboard collided with the chain ferry on Saturday evening.

Volunteers from the RNLI in Poole were called out for the 100th time this year after the 46-foot vessel collided with the ferry at 5.30pm.

Crew aboard the double-hulled catamaran had made a 'pan pan' call - signalling an urgent but not life-threatening situation - after the smaller vessel sustained significant damage in the crash.

The yacht was adrift in the channel. The port keel had broken off and was floating nearby.

RNLI crew members launched within minutes, noting the strong flood tide and south westerly breeze in the harbour.

Two volunteers climbed aboard the stricken vessel. A tow line was attached and the yacht was brought to the quayside.

Another boat found the port keel and towed it to the quay as it was submerged and could have been hazardous to other vessels.

Volunteer helm Jonathan Clark said: "This is the second vessel that has collided with the ferry that we have launched to in recent weeks.

"Once more the strong flood tide has caught them out.

"Thankfully this time nobody was injured and hopefully the yacht can be repaired.

"The combination of the tides, the narrow entrance to the harbour and the chain ferry make this an extremely hazardous area.

"For the volunteers at Poole it has been an incredibly busy few months and the shout on Saturday brought the tally to 100."

Lifeboat operations manager Paul Glatzel said: “To see our 100th launch occur so early in the year reflects how busy the last few months have been.

"After an initially slow start to the year due to the cold weather our volunteers have had an exceptionally busy summer with our Atlantic and D-Class lifeboats often launching multiple times a day."