A north-east lifeboat arrived just in time to rescue two fishermen from their sinking vessel yesterday.
The engine on board the small boat failed, leaving the pair at the mercy of the tide which washed them against rocks near Cruden Bay.
Both men were able to clamber onto the rocks at the foot of cliffs near Slains Castle, and they made a 999 call shortly before 9.30am.
Volunteers from the RNLI’s Peterhead lifeboat and a coastguard team from Cruden Bay were quickly scrambled to the scene.
Peterhead’s Tamar Lifeboat The Misses Robertson of Kintail pulled up alongside the cliffs and launched its own daughter craft to retrieve the casualties.
The two men were taken to the nearby Cruden Bay harbour, where they were met by the coastguard and an ambulance and treated for mild hypothermia.
Last night Alastair Wilson, the lifeboat’s mechanic, said the fishermen had narrowly avoided a tragic situation
“The two guys had gone out on a fishing trip and the boat experienced mechanical difficulties,” he said. “They ended up drifting onto the rocks.
“They abandoned their boat and preceded to watch their boat sink in front of them – when we arrived on the scene their boat was already under the water.
“There were a few cuts and bruises but they were in pretty good shape for two guys who had just watched their boat sink.”
A spokesman for the coastguard confirmed a specialist land rescue team had joined the operation.
He said: “A small vessel had reportedly broken down and washed up against rocks north of Cruden Bay so the lifeboat was been tasked to assisted along with a coastguard team.”
Elsewhere the RNLI were involved in rescuing a diver suffering the bends in Lochaber waters.
The diver was in the water at Ardnamurchan Point, Acharacle, when he resurfaced and began experiencing symptoms of decompression sickness.
Tobermory Lifeboat was subsequently launched to take the man towards Oban where they were met by the local rescue boat.
He was subsequently taken to Oban’s Lorn and Islands Hospital for treatment.