Norwegian yacht rescued by coastguard teams after getting into difficulty

A sailor had to be rescued after abandoning his stricken yacht in rough seas near the Shetland Islands.

Lerwick Lifeboat crew launched on Wednesday to go to the aid of a nine-metre yacht taking in water and in difficulty, around 14 nautical miles east of the island of Whalsay.

The Norwegian-registered yacht, with one person on board, had earlier sailed west across the North Sea from Bergen.

The lone sailor issued a ‘Pan-pan’ radio message, requesting assistance from any vessels in the area.

The Måløy-registered fishing trawler ‘Hargun’ and UK fisheries protection vessel ‘Hirta’ both responded to the radio call.

Due to worsening weather conditions, the ship’s captain made the decision to abandon ship while the Hargun stood by and provided shelter from the winds.

The uninjured sailor was then passed into the care of the waiting Coastguard Rescue Team.

Stephen Manson, Coxswain said: “Today’s weather has seen Shetland beaten by the first gales of the autumn and sea conditions for any small vessel have been challenging.

“The skipper of this yacht was right to call for assistance when his vessel was taking in water, and then made the right decision to abandon ship when he knew that the vessel was lost.

“The most important thing is that he’s made it safely back to land.”