Kirkwall Lifeboat yacht rescue

Kirkwall Lifeboat was called out to aid a 47-foot Danish yacht off Westray last night, in what was the first shout for the crew during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The call-out saw the crew, wearing PPE, including face coverings, head to the scene, four nautical miles west off Westray.

The lifeboat, Margaret Foster, left Kirkwall shortly after 10pm, and was on scene an hour later, where the yacht, with seven people onboard, was located, having lost all power.

The crew had earlier managed to sail the yacht into an area where a phone signal allowed them to raise the alarm.

The yacht was then taken under tow, and the vessels headed for Kirkwall, arriving alongside Kirkwall Marina just before 2.30am, where members of the Kirkwall Coastguard Rescue Team also assisted.

The lifeboat then returned to station, was immediately refuelled, and ready for service.

As well as being the first call-out during the pandemic, this was also the first call-out for the lifeboat of the year, a period where activity on the water has been very much restricted for many up until now.