Those visiting Ramsey’s south beach on Wednesday were met with an unusual sight after a tall ship became beached overnight.

The schooner La Malouine, a twin-masted French brigantine registered in Dumfries, had been anchored in Ramsey Bay on Tuesday evening.

However, it broke anchor and ended up on the beach between the arches and Queen’s Pier.

The vessel quickly drew attention from early morning walkers and residents, with many stopping to take photographs of the unexpected scene along the shoreline.

The crew of La Malouine later posted on social media about the incident.

They said: ‘Last night, La Malouine broke anchor in the easterly winds in Ramsey Bay. She is currently beached between Ballure Promenade and what is known as “the arches” in Ramsey.

‘Skipper John and crewmate Clint were in attendance at first light as part of the scheduled shore-based watch duties we have had in place to monitor La Malouine, as it wasn’t safe to return to the vessel given the conditions.’

The crew said they hoped to refloat the vessel during the afternoon high tide and urged members of the public not to attempt to board it.

The post added: ‘We will be attempting a refloat of La Malouine for this afternoon’s high tide, and we will also attempt to recover the chain and anchor when conditions allow.

‘In the meantime, and for safety reasons, we would appreciate that no one attempts to board or climb onto La Malouine, or interfere with the ship.’

The owner of The Natural Apothecary shared an image of the vessel on Wednesday morning, writing: ‘Woke up convinced I’d time travelled! Pirates, muskets, petticoats… salted beef, rum rations, scurvy and questionable hygiene. Wow!’