East Lothian lifeboat crew rescues pair from stricken yacht tangled in fishing lines

A lifeboat crew from East Lothian, Scotland, rescued two people from a stricken yacht after the vessel became tangled in fishing lines and risked drifting toward rocks. The Dunbar RNLI crew was called by the coastguard around 5:25 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, and launched their all-weather lifeboat toward the casualty vessel, which was about two miles from Torness Power Station. Conditions were misty and choppy, and the yacht’s propeller was jammed by creel lines, leaving it unable to make progress and creating hazards for other vessels because of poor visibility. After assessing the situation, coxswain Gary Fairbairn decided to tow the yacht to Eyemouth, the nearest safe harbour. The tow arrived around 8:30 p.m., when the yacht was handed over to Eyemouth’s lifeboat crew, which assisted it into a safe berth. Dunbar’s crew returned to base at 10:15 p.m.