A stricken fishing boat with three people on board was towed to safety by two Fife lifeboat crews in appalling conditions just off East Wemyss on Saturday night.
The boat suffered engine failure after a rope got caught round its propeller in atrocious seas and weather condition just before 7pm.
The alarm was raised by the people on board and lifeboats from Anstruther and Kinghorn went to the rescue.
The boat was safely towed to Methil Harbour. There were no casualties.
Rescue footage
Dramatic footage has been sent to The Courier of Anstruther all-weather lifeboat launching to go to the rescue and also of the conditions the crew faced as they headed to the location around a mile offshore.
A spokesman for HM Coastguard said: “The alarm was raised just before 7pm.
“Both lifeboats were launched and Leven coastguard team were put on standby.
“The lifeboat crews reached the yacht and managed to secure a line to tow the vessel to the safety of Methil harbour where they were met by the coastguard team.
“There were no casualties. The rescue took around three hours.”
Conditions were “dreadful”
A spokesman for the Ansruther lifeboat team said they conditions at the time were dreadful.
He said: “Our brave volunteers launched in horrendous conditions shortly before 7.00pm to assist a vessel in difficulty off East Wemyss.
“The crew had not long returned home from an afternoon of exercising on the water.
“Lifeboats from Anstruther and Kinghorn went to assist the vessel in difficulty.
“They took it under tow and returned it to the safety of Methil Harbour.
“Anstruther lifeboat returned to Pittenweem to wait for water and returned to the Anstruther station on Sunday morning.”
