A west coast lifeboat crew braved gale-force winds and rough seas to rescue a sailor stranded onboard his yacht near Eilean Donan Castle.
The lone sailor was trying to sail from Loch Duich to Kyleakin when its engine failed around 6pm on Saturday.
As weather conditions deteriorated, the sailor made an urgent call for assistance to the Stornoway coastguard before taking shelter in the bay of Totaig by the mouth of Loch Duich to await rescue.
The crewman attempted to deploy his anchor, however it failed, dragging the vessel towards the rocks.
Rescuers from Kyle lifeboat battled rough seas to reach the stranded sailor, before climbing onboard the casualty vessel.
It was swiftly determined that the only safe outcome was to tow the vessel to the nearest safe harbour at Kyle of Lochalsh.
The crew began the journey back to the port, taking more than two hours to reach safe harbour in Kyle.
Upon arrival, a combination of the worsening weather conditions and the large number of vessels seeking shelter in the port, it was decided that it was too dangerous to try and get the yacht alongside the pier.
The lifeboat towed the vessel the short distance to Kyleakin harbour, where the vessel was put alongside the pontoons and handed over to the waiting local UK Coastguard team.
Kyle lifeboat then returned to station and was refuelled and made ready for service at 10:15pm.
Planning and preparation
Rescuers are appealing to mariners to check the weather prior to taking on their voyage to ensure they avoid harsh weather conditions.
A spokesman said: “The yacht had suffered mechanical failure, and with the gale force winds and very rough seas it was decided the only safe location to tow the casualty vessel to was Kyle or Kyleakin.
“However, this required the lifeboat to tow the 11-ton yacht through the extremely heavy seas which took over 2 hours.
“It is a timely reminder to all mariners to ensure they check the weather forecast carefully before setting out on a voyage to ensure they can reach their destination in plenty of time before bad weather comes in.”