Two men rescued in stormy sea drama

Published on 23/06/2012 23:48

TWO sailors stranded at sea in a storm have been rescued from their yacht after rescue crews battled the unseasonable weather to find the vessel.

Lifeboat crews from Dunbar, Anstruther and Eye-mouth, as well as an RAF helicopter, were alerted by the coastguard after a distress call from the yacht at 11am yesterday.

An RNLI spokesman said the crews struggled to locate the yacht in 40mph winds and two metre-high waves.

“The yacht was only managing to put out a weak radio signal and the lifeboats were at first unable to find it in the storm.

“Eventually the stricken yacht was spotted by Dunbar’s all-weather lifeboat, the John Neville Taylor, which managed to get alongside it on the fourth attempt,” he said.

“A crewman went onboard to assist the yacht’s two cold, wet and exhausted sailors.”

The two men, from Newcastle, were sailing from Arbroath to Eyemouth when they became stranded east of the Isle of May.

Dunbar lifeboat crewman Gary Fairbairn said: “The boat’s sails had shredded and some of the shrouds holding up the mast had snapped.

“With our crewman on board we managed to tow the yacht to calmer waters in the lea of the Isle of May and get the two sailors off into the warmth of the lifeboat.”

The yacht was then towed to Pittenweem in Fife where the two men were checked by paramedics.

They did not need hospital treatment, authorities said.