Lifeboat rescue after dinghy's engine failure

Two men were saved after their dinghy became stranded in the Firth of Forth during a pleasure trip.

Members of the Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat crew were scrambled to the Inchkeith area after an emergency call was received yesterday afternoon.

Crew leaders said the sailors’ vessel had suffered engine failure and was drifting eastwards amid strengthening winds.

The men were found to be cold but uninjured.

Lifeboat helm Neil Chalmers said: “We arrived at Inchkeith around four minutes after launch, and began a search around the island.

“Fortunately, our operations manager was looking out to the search area, and further to the east, when he spotted a small vessel.

“We quickly made our way to the area of this sighting, where we spotted the vessel.

“The lifeboat quickly located the small ten-foot tender dinghy with two males on board.

“The two men were provided with lifejackets, and the dinghy was taken in tow back to Kinghorn, where Kinghorn Coastguard Rescue Team was on hand to assist.”

He added: “The wind had picked up during a trip from Pettycur to Inchkeith, and combined with engine failure, the casualty’s small boat had begun drifting eastwards. The boat was located 1.75 nautical miles east of the island, near the main shipping channel.

“We would always recommend that people are properly prepared before setting out on trips like this, especially on open water, such as the Forth.”