Workers at Loch Eriboll fish farm praised after Thurso lifeboat crew rescues stricken yacht
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Workers at a Sutherland fish farm have been praised for their quick thinking in helping a yacht that had had its sail torn in high winds on Friday.
The Coastguard and RNLI volunteers from the Thurso lifeboat were called to the scene in Loch Eriboll, where the vessel was being battered by 60mph winds.
There was one person on board the 40ft yacht, which was around five miles from the loch entrance and close to the shore.
Thurso RNLI lifeboat the Taylors was launched at 11.05am on Friday after receiving a report of the sail on the yacht being shredded. The lifeboat arrived at 12.40pm but conditions meant it was a further 20 minutes until it was able to get close to the yacht.
Two local fish farm vessels – a large rib and a service boat – were assisting the yacht and preventing it from going ashore. Meanwhile, a Coastguard helicopter was on scene and local Coastguard teams were also in the area.
Thurso RNLI said that sea and wind conditions were too bad to launch the lifeboat's inflatable ‘Y boat’ but the much bigger fish farm rib was able to take three crew members from the lifeboat and transfer them to the yacht.
The occupant of the yacht was checked over by a crew member and found to be uninjured but distressed, and very relieved to now be safe.
The RNLI crew members made the yacht safe and ran a second anchor to secure the yacht, preventing the vessel from going ashore.
Coxswain Gordon Munro said: “Without the intervention of the local fish farm workers it would have been a completely different outcome.
"They, without doubt, stopped the yacht from going ashore. I would also like to thank them for assisting in transferring the three crew members from our lifeboat to the yacht in difficult sea conditions which allowed our crew members to make the situation safe.”
The crew were transferred back to the Taylors by the fish farm rib. The lifeboat left the area at 2pm and arrived back at Scrabster at 3.55pm when it was refuelled, cleaned and made ready for service by 4.20pm.
