Sailing dinghy rescued in Raasay after capsizing multiple times in bad weather

A sailing dinghy had to be rescued by lifeboat volunteers after getting into difficulty in Raasay.

The Portree RNLI crew were called to help the vessel that was struggling in poor weather conditions in the Loch Arnish area on Thursday.

The dinghy had sent out a distress call, giving HM Coastguard its identity and location.

After lifeboat crews arrived on the scene, they spotted a sailing dinghy at the south end of Fladday Island.

The small vessel was said to be going round in circles and had a single occupant on board.

It was found to have capsized multiple times with the sailor struggling to right the vessel due to the weather conditions.

The sailor was taken onboard the lifeboat while the dinghy was towed to a nearby mooring.

The rescue was the second in just a few days for the team after they were called out to help a yacht west of the island of Rona.

The alarm was raised around 3.25pm on Monday after the vessel had lost steering.

After ensuring the safety of those onboard, the yacht was towed to the nearest safe port of Portree.

This is the second shout to the island of Rona for the Portree RNLI lifeboat this year. In February, the volunteers were tasked with assisting a casualty who had fallen and injured themselves on the island.

Stuart Nicolson, Portree RNLI lifeboat Coxswain, said: “Once we had established that the sailor onboard the dinghy was safe and well, I then made the decision to tow the vessel to the mooring after being requested to assess the situation by HM Coastguard.

“The sailor was very well equipped, including having the right means to call for help, which is vital when you are on the water.

“The weather conditions were challenging today, and I would like to thank the crew once again for their swift response to the pagers for the second time this week. Our volunteer crew members are always on call and ready to respond to calls for help.”