Coastguard scramble helicopter to rescue yacht captain off Scottish coast

A coastguard helicopter has been sent out to rescue the skipper of a yacht that got into difficulty off the west coast.

The man made a distress call just after midnight after his 40ft boat hit rocks near the Skerryvore lighthouse, to the south west of Tiree.

The Islay RNLI lifeboat is at the scene but its crew have been unable to attach a tow rope to the boat.

The coastguard described the conditions as “very challenging”.

Now the plan is to fly a search and rescue helicopter out to airlift the yachtsman to safety.