Kyle RNLI respond to mayday call after yacht collides with another vessel

Kyle lifeboat The Spirit of Fred. Olsen launched at 12:01am this morning at the request of the UK Coastguard, after a 14 metre yacht issued a mayday call from Plockton Harbour. The vessel had dragged its anchor and collided with another yacht which was moored in the bay. The volunteer crew made best speed towards the scene through terrible conditions, with large seas and extremely high winds, and arrived on scene at 12:25am.

When the lifeboat arrived in Plockton the casualty vessel, with 2 persons on board, had managed to secure themselves alongside the yacht with which they had collided. After ensuring that no-one was injured and both yachts had not sustained any major damage, the lifeboat put a crew member on board the yacht and made a plan to secure the casualty vessel to a nearby unoccupied mooring. Due to the very high winds and the close proximity of other vessels, it was decided to use the yachts own engine for propulsion, and to use the lifeboats power to manoeuvre the yacht safely onto the mooring. At 1:15am the lifeboat had successfully secured the casualty vessel to the mooring and the crew were stood down.

The lifeboat made its way back to Kyle through heavy seas, arriving back at the station at 1:50am, where the lifeboat was refuelled and made ready for service.

Speaking of the incident, a Kyle RNLI spokesperson said: ‘The weather conditions were terrible, and due to the high winds the casualty vessel had dragged its anchor. Luckily there was no one on board the yacht with which they collided, and both vessels escaped largely unscathed.’

Notes to editors

· For further information on the yacht, please contact the UK Coastguard

· This is the 4^th callout in the past week, and the 20^th of the year for the Kyle crew

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For more information please contact

Andrew MacDonald, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, 07748 707606 or [email protected]

Gemma McDonald, Regional Media Manager (Scotland), 07826 900639 or [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, Regional Media Officer (Scotland), 07920 365929 or [email protected]

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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