Plucked to safety… with seconds to spare

These are the dramatic scenes as two fishermen perched on the hull of their stricken vessel escape with only seconds to spare as it plunges to the bottom of the sea.

The men were among four rescued after the boat began taking on water off the West Coast of Scotland.

Oban RNLI lifeboat raced to the scene south of the Garvellachs on Wednesday.

Men prepare to abandon stricken ship before the Oban lifeboat crew swoop in to offer a helping hand

Two of the fishing crew were already on a liferaft while two others stayed on board to try to stem the flow of water. The men on the raft were taken aboard the lifeboat and, with the fishing vessel seemingly no longer at risk, it was decided to tow it to Oban for repairs.

However, about two miles south of Easdale Island, it began taking on water again and after listing heavily it sank rapidly – forcing the two men on the doomed vessel to jump into the water before they were plucked to safety.

Oban lifeboat coxswain Ally Cerexhe said high winds and a significant swell made the operation difficult. He added: ‘What had been a slow tow suddenly changed and it sank quickly, forcing the two men to abandon the boat and swim to us.’

A teenager was rescued after he spent two hours clinging to the hull of his capsized kayak in Broadford Bay, off the Isle of Skye.

The 17-year-old kayaker raised the alarm by using his mobile phone to contact a family member but they were unable to get back in touch with him.

But a Coastguard helicopter spotted the teen and a lifeboat took him to shore. Norman Finlayson, helm for Kyle’s lifeboat, said: ‘He was wearing all the correct clothing, which made all the difference with that amount of time in the water.’

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