The maritime branch of the Guardia Civil and the Maritime Rescue service were called in to rescue a couple aboard a yacht in distress. On board was a man of 32 and a woman of 22.

Problems arose half a nautical mile off Punta de la Mona in La Herradura when the anchor became jammed after breaking lose from its housing, resulting in their being unable either to stow it or lower it. With a swell of 1.5m, the yacht was at the mercy of the current and wind.

The man and woman struggled for five hours attempting to retrieve the anchor but as night approached they finally radioed for help.

The first to arrive was a Guardia Civil patrol boat, but the swell made it impossible to board the yacht. The only thing that the police could do was throw over a  hacksaw to sever the anchor chain – no mean feat. In fact, the man had to abandon the idea as it was hopeless.

At this point the Guardia Civil contacted the maritime rescue launch to lend a hand, but the swell remained an obstacle, so the next piece of equipment to be thrown in was a cizalla (bolt cutters), which proved just as useless.

Finally, with the sea state calming sufficiently, the rescuers were able to board the yacht and free the anchor, enabling the couple to continue on their way.

(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)