‘Really lucky’ seafarers were assisted by the RNLI after their boat hit sunken rock on the isolated Monach Isles.
A passing yacht saw the incident unfold and watched as the crew had to abandon their vessel in a life-raft.
A spokeswoman for the Stornoway Coastguard said: “We received a call from a person on a yacht at 10.41am to say that he had seen a yacht run aground on rock.
“He had view of two people going into a dingy but he was concerned because he was unable to get their attention on a Channel 16.”
Scramble to help
The Spirit of Hebrides passenger ferry was doing tours in the area and headed over to the yacht.
The Coastguard spokeswoman said the yacht owners explained they had hit rock and they were going to wait for high tide.
She continued: “By that time, the RNLI lifeboat from Barra Lifeboat was on its way. They deployed their Y-class lifeboat and waited until high tide so that the owners of the yacht could refloat.
“The RNLI crew were able to get up close and they were checking for signs of pollution and to see if they could spot any signs of damage but the didn’t find any. They were really lucky.
“The Barra lifeboat then escorted the yacht out of the area to make sure it didn’t hit any more rock.”
The Barra RNLI lifeboat crew spent the day at the scene.
After launching at 11am they did not return to their base until 5.35pm.
‘Scottish paradise’ islands
The Monach Islands off North Uist are described as a “Scottish paradise” by yachting enthusiasts.
Also known as the Heisker Islands, they are tucked some five miles off the south-west coast of North Uist.
They offer sheltered anchorages for seafarers who are venturing on the Atlantic side of the Hebrides.