Berwick lifeboat tows yacht to safety after it breaks down off the Northumberland coast

HM Coastguard requested the launch of the Atlantic 85 lifeboat to go to the aid of a 27 foot yacht in Berwick Bay on Saturday morning.

The yacht, with four people on board, had been on passage from Holy Island to Edinburgh.

Helmsman Michael Percy and crew Adam Bettison, Ryan Dalrymple, and Mally Barnett decided that with the weather expected to worsen later in the day it would be safer to tow the vessel into Tweed Dock to enable repairs to take place.

Michael said: “Sometimes things can go wrong unexpectedly, being prepared for all eventualities and having reliable means of communication is important should help be required.

"Thankfully the crew had the means to raise a call for assistance and had already changed course and headed for a safe haven along with deploying a suitable anchor.”