Lifeboats busy at the weekend
(Picture: John Shearer)
Two out of the three Orkney based RNLI lifeboats were called out to incidents at the weekend.
On Saturday, just after 4pm, Kirkwall Lifeboat Margaret Foster was called to go to the aid of the sea angling boat Tenacity which had suffered from engine trouble off Mull Head, Deerness.
The lifeboat crew took the vessel, which had three people onboard, and towed it back to Kirkwall Marina, where they were also met by Kirkwall Coastguard Rescue Team.
On Sunday afternoon, the crew of Longhope Lifeboat Helen Comrie was called out to a diver in difficulties at around 4pm.
Shetland Coastguard said that they received a 999 call from a member of the public who spotted a diver in the water off Hackness.
The Longhope Lifeboat crew were paged, and the Hoy Coastguard Rescue Team were also alerted.
The lifeboat crew made a rapid response and managed to assemble, launch, travel to the scene and have the rescued casualty aboard in under 15 minutes from the pagers going off.
The casualty had got into difficulties and was suffering from exhaustion and hypothermia. He was located immediately by the crew and a smooth and successful rescue followed.
The lifeboat then headed to Houton where the Kirkwall Coastguard Rescue Team assisted as the casualty was transferred into an ambulance.