FOR years it has traversed the calmer waters of the North Sea, ferrying countless holidaymakers on the ever-popular seaside pleasure boat ride.

But those aboard the Regal Lady steam cruiser found the traditional journey came to an abrupt and unexpected end yesterday - as the vessel came a cropper.

Dozens of passengers were left stranded just moments after leaving the harbour at Scarborough, North Yorkshire, as the boat ran aground on the sandy beach.

The town's lifeboat was called to assist the stricken vessel and its 84 passengers and crew after it first ran into difficulties at about 2.20pm.

A spokesman for the Humber coastguard said: "It ran aground on the beach just outside the harbour.

"It went out at low tide, but it was maybe lower than it should have been.

"There was no damage to the pleasure boat. The lifeboat was called to refloat it and it was all resolved within about an hour."

It was less than two months ago that the Regal Lady had been a central part of the glorious return to Whitby of HM Bark Endeavour, the replica of seafaring legend Captain Cook's vessel.

The boat was part of a flotilla of about 100 craft which followed Endeavour into the region on its return to the port where the original was built.