Eight rescued by Kirkwall RNLI

Kirkwall Lifeboat Margaret Foster was launched last night after a boat broke down and drifted ashore on Gairsay.

Shetland Coastguard contacted Kirkwall RNLI shortly after 6pm when a member of a shooting party in a boat called 999 to report that their boat had engine failure and was taking in water in strong tides.

The lifeboat, with coxswain Stewart Ryrie and six volunteer crew aboard, left Kirkwall and headed for the boat.

The lifeboat arrived near the stricken vessel to find it had drifted ashore on the east side of Gairsay. The RNLI inflatable Y-boat was then launched from the lifeboat to go into the shallow water to investigate.

Seven of the people aboard and a dog were taken off by the crew using the Y-boat, and transferred to the lifeboat in three runs, and a tow line was attached to the broken down vessel.

It was shortly after 7pm when the boat was refloated and towed out to the waiting lifeboat. The lifeboat then towed the vessel to Tingwall, where all eight people and the dog were landed.

The lifeboat, which was on its 17th call out of the year, then returned to station in Kirkwall.