Longhope Lifeboat tows yacht from Copinsay to Kirkwall

Longhope Lifeboat is filmed arriving in Kirkwall after towing the yacht Cloud Nine in from Copinsay.

The yacht, with four crew onboard, one of whom had become ill, had suffered from steering and engine problems.

Kirkwall Lifeboat was in Inverness undergoing routine maintenance so Longhope Lifeboat was tasked to the incident. Members of Kirkwall Coastguard Rescue Team were also involved in the operation.

The crew of the yacht, which included an experienced yacht master instructor, said that they could not thank the lifeboat crew enough in what was a worsening situation in poor conditions with 2-3m seas.

The lifeboat was called out around 6.30am, arriving in Kirkwall around midday, with the crew heading back to station this afternoon.